Search Associates’ in-person, London January 2023 Job Fair resumed right where it left off in January 2020—at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel and Conference Centre, Kensington, London, UK. This year, Senior Associate and host Gez Hayden welcomed 300 overseas teaching candidates who traveled from 60 countries.
One of 212 recruiters attending the fair, Yasir Patel, Director of St Constantine’s International School, Tanzania, shared a common sentiment:
At my end, it was fantastic. We had plenty of candidates to interview and hopefully choose from as offers go out. It was great to get back to face-to-face interactions. This aspect really cannot be understated. It is entirely worth it and long may it continue.
Search London January—attended by candidates registered with every office of Search Associates—is designed for qualified candidates, from all regions, experienced in International Baccalaureate (IB) and British international curricula. A team of Senior Associates not only advised candidates assigned to their care but also assisted Gez in the organization and running of the fair: Diana Kerry, Dominic Currer, Peter Smyth, Bill Turner, Alison Turner, Harry Deelman, and Margaret Deelman.
The fair offered abundant international teaching opportunities, with 800 vacancies posted. Christine from India had this to say:
I'm glad I went to the London Fair. After four interviews with the HOS, one interview with the principal, and all my references checked, I finally got the drama job at Nagoya IS! I'm so excited to be going to Japan. Search has been a great platform for me and all of your documents have been helpful. . .Thanks to you and your staff for organizing the Fair.
This is a very international job fair for anyone intending to teach abroad. Candidates interviewed for overseas teaching opportunities at 114 international schools in 53 countries, covering all regions of the world. They also attended school presentations about overseas teaching. On the cusp of China’s U-turn on COVID-19 regulations—as international schools in China prepare for the country’s re-opening to the world—Simon Head, Director of UWC Changshu and Samer Khoury, Director of Suzhou Singapore IS, spoke encouragingly at Gez’s orientation meeting for candidates about the many rewards of life and work in, possibly, the world’s most technologically advanced country.
Search Associates has come to rely on The Millennium Gloucester Hotel for outstanding support. The responsive staff at this spacious venue accommodate Search London Fair’s changing needs from year to year. Following a successful, small-scale trial in 2020, 50 interview booths were set up this year as an alternative to open-door, hotel room interviews, for schools preferring a different kind of interview location.
Whatever the interview location, however, recruiters clearly favor interviewing in-person. Gez says,
This preference will be reflected in the eventual placement rate for the London Job Fair—a just reward for the 300 candidates who invested their time and funds in travelling to London from as far away as Japan, and from as near as Central London, to take part in this exciting in-person event.
Indeed, we anticipate that Search London January will achieve its historical eventual placement rate between 40–50%.
Sam from Italy said,
Thank you so very much for all of the work you have done to support me as a candidate and orchestrating a very successful London Job Fair! I am very pleased to report that I have accepted a position at the American School in London.
Maggie from Ecuador wrote to Gez at the fair’s end:
I ended up accepting an offer from the International School Manila in the Philippines. I was given three offers in the end [after] a total of 13 interviews, with Manila being my first, ironically. . .They will be training me in IB and MYP . . . I wanted to thank [Search Associates] for your help throughout the past roughly 6 months in my search process…. I also appreciate [my Senior Associate’s] help in getting me signed up for the London Fair . . . one of the best work-related experiences I have ever had; meeting schools in person makes such a bigger difference than online in the virtual fairs. Not only that, but getting to meet so many other teachers of all levels was wonderful for making new connections.
If you wish to teach abroad, our in-person Search London January job fair has again underlined the value and effectiveness of direct human interaction, in furthering your international teaching career.
For more about Search Associates’ 15 unique international school job fairs, click here.
