January 17–20, 2020 will certainly be a memorable weekend for many international educators! The 11th annual Search London January Fair welcomed 476 candidates and recruiters from 168 schools. Senior Associate and fair organizer Gez Hayden anticipates a placement rate approaching 50%.
With 1,300 international teaching vacancies in discussion, it was vital that a large team of Search Associates be there to help. Advising candidates and recruiters were Chief Operating Officer Rajiv Bhat along with Senior Associates Harry Deelman, Diana Kerry, Julie Ryan, Bill Turner, Gary MacPhie, Dominic Currer, and Peter Smyth. Assistant Associates Amelia Ren-Hayden, Margaret Deelman, Rebecca Steadman, Rosie Eacott, and Alison Turner were invaluable, steering participants in the right direction, assisting with communication, and making sure in every way that the event ran smoothly.
Search London January is a curriculum-specific fair, affording candidates the opportunity to further their experience of the British international and International Baccalaureate curricula. For a small number of candidates without prior experience in those programmes, the London January fair is their first step in learning about them. This year’s fair was entirely paperless, thanks to a new online messaging app!
For the 8th year in a row, Gez and his team have been pleased to host the event at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel and Conference Centre. Centrally located in the suburb of Kensington, next to the Gloucester Road tube station, this venue is very convenient for transport links, especially the one to Heathrow Airport. The hotel’s conference facilities are large enough to accommodate a fair of this size.
A couple of helpful sessions were featured this year. Kevin Ruth, Executive Director of the Educational Collaborative of International Schools (ECIS), addressed recruiters on trends in international education. Senior Associate Julie Ryan ran workshops for candidates on interview technique.
In the wake of Search London January, already 166 overseas teaching positions have been filled. And the happy endings continue to roll in. Here’s one example of a couple who will never forget the weekend of January 17, 2020: Ugandan physical education and art candidates Gilbert and Kezia Otoa—after several false starts at other fairs and through online applications—were delighted to accept offers from the International School of Beijing, upon their return to Khartoum.
For more about Search Associates’ 14 unique, annual job fairs held around the world, click here.
