Somehow I missed this article that came out at the end of last school year: NY Times: Teachers Vie for Overseas Postings.
We have gotten both our overseas jobs through recruiting fairs, one in San Francisco and most recently in Bangkok. And while I agree with much of the article, it seems to imply that teachers are turning to overseas positions because of a lack of jobs in their home countries, and I have not yet seen this to be the case. People we've met overseas are there because they want to be overseas and would have done it regardless, but perhaps I missing out on a population that is driven by the need for a job more than the desire to live abroad.
My favorite quote from the article:
“You have a 20-minute interview and 4 minutes later, you have another interview that could be for a completely different job, so you are sprinting down the hallways to another hotel room.”
Add to that interviews lined up alternating between Jeremiah and I so one could watch 2 month old Tegan, then meeting (her first) babysitter before racing off for a joint interview then racing back to pick Tegan up to take her to a final interview (only to then spend the beginning of the interview standing and bouncing to keep her from crying, having it kindly suggested I leave the interview to feed her and have Jeremiah stay, and returning 15 minutes later. Yeah, we got, and took, that job). It's good to note that the elevators at the Shangri-La in Bangkok are exceptionally fast - just enough time to consult your notes about what country and position this next job interview is for and straighten your skirt from the "I'm hauling butt to get to my next interview but trying to look professional in case a Director pops out of their room and sees me" dash.
We have gotten both our overseas jobs through recruiting fairs, one in San Francisco and most recently in Bangkok. And while I agree with much of the article, it seems to imply that teachers are turning to overseas positions because of a lack of jobs in their home countries, and I have not yet seen this to be the case. People we've met overseas are there because they want to be overseas and would have done it regardless, but perhaps I missing out on a population that is driven by the need for a job more than the desire to live abroad.
My favorite quote from the article:
“You have a 20-minute interview and 4 minutes later, you have another interview that could be for a completely different job, so you are sprinting down the hallways to another hotel room.”
Add to that interviews lined up alternating between Jeremiah and I so one could watch 2 month old Tegan, then meeting (her first) babysitter before racing off for a joint interview then racing back to pick Tegan up to take her to a final interview (only to then spend the beginning of the interview standing and bouncing to keep her from crying, having it kindly suggested I leave the interview to feed her and have Jeremiah stay, and returning 15 minutes later. Yeah, we got, and took, that job). It's good to note that the elevators at the Shangri-La in Bangkok are exceptionally fast - just enough time to consult your notes about what country and position this next job interview is for and straighten your skirt from the "I'm hauling butt to get to my next interview but trying to look professional in case a Director pops out of their room and sees me" dash.
