The annual Singapore Teaching and Leadership Fair, hosted by Senior Associate Gez Hayden, kicked off another exciting recruitment season this November 15-17. Though unable to attend due to health concerns, co-organizer Senior Associate Ray Sparks was greatly missed. Smaller-scale and intimate, the annual fair offers the opportunity for candidates to interact closely with school leaders. This year, Search Singapore welcomed 171 candidates and 117 recruiters from 53 schools. Two hundred and seventy interviews took place over the weekend, and while Gez anticipates a 33% placement rate, other important developments happened for participants. Gillian, a candidate from Singapore, says,
We were very happy to have attended the fair. We were able to interview with a couple schools in the region, but most importantly connect with leaders who gave us invaluable advice on the next steps of our careers. The networking aspect was the most valuable to us.
Ideal for hosting the Singapore fair, the Canadian International School, Singapore (CIS) offered its Level 4 Gymnasium as the sign-up venue, its new Toh Tuck Early Childhood Wing with classrooms for interviews, and its Black Box theatre for plenary meetings. Joseph, from Singapore, wrote in:
As a teaching couple, my wife and I have received several offers and more potential job opportunities with follow-up interviews secured. In the relatively small international teaching world, we were also happy to see several familiar faces at the fair
Search Singapore Fair featured a Leadership Panel discussion, which was greatly appreciated as 33% of those attending was seeking leadership positions exclusively. The panel featured three school heads sharing words of wisdom on the theme Your First Leadership Post: Ole Sealy, Director of Kazakhstan International School; Matthew Parr, Director of Nagoya International School, Indonesia; and Mike Miller, Director of Bali Island School.
A post-conference survey revealed that 90% of candidates found the fair valuable and 95% rated the quality of participating schools to be good to excellent. Respondents also assessed the level of information and support at the fair at 98%. Ella, from New Zealand, described her experience:
The Singapore Fair was much anticipated early in the recruitment season and was a well-run friendly and professional event. It was fantastic to connect with other educators from around the globe, both recruiters and attendees alike, to enthuse about international education in truly enjoyable conversation. The recruiters took pains to make me feel at ease, and it was less interrogation and more buoyant and robust collegial discussion in a question-and-answer forum. Top marks on a wonderful fair Search, and thank you, Gez, for your approachability, expertise and advice you offered to us all.
For more about Search Associates’ unique, annual job fairs held around the world, click here.
