Melbourne

DAY 1: JANUARY 3RD

ARRIVE AT THE Intercontinental melbourne the rialto IN PLENTY OF TIME TO REGISTER

The Search Associates registration area will be in the Pre-function area on the first floor of the hotel. There you will be welcomed by Search Associates Staff, given a packet of material to read and will be asked if you need any help accessing the Fair Portal. You will also receive your name tag which must be worn at all times during the Fair. Partners are very welcome to attend all events with you, however they will need to pay today ($80, cash only please) to attend the cocktail function. They will also need to wear a name tag when attending.

YOU WILL THEN HAVE TIME TO GET TO KNOW THE FAIR/HOTEL LAYOUT

Wander around the hotel and find out where the different events are happening so that you can be on time for each of them. This is also a great opportunity to meet other candidates. One of the fascinating parts of a Search Associates Job Fair is that even though you are in essence surrounded by your competitors, there remains an air of support and collegiality. Not everyone leaves a job fair with a job in hand, but just about everyone leaves having made some wonderful friends and contacts for the future. You will also have valuable opportunities to learn about a wide variety of international schools including those not present at the fair but known to other teachers.

 

 

FIND THE CANDIDATE LOUNGE AREAS

These 2 rooms (Wheat and Wool) will be converted to a lounge/work area for your to use AFTER school presentations. Please use this area to work, meet like-minded teachers, and to recharge. Office equipment has been supplied and a printer is available for you to use. (Please only 10-20 copies per person). Larger printing jobs can be completed at PostNet  -  

Shop T12
530 Collins St
Melbourne Victoria 3000
Australia

Melbourne

School information books are also located here – please read and return for others. Take some time to go through the material the recruiters bring along to promote their schools – year books and brochures etc. for you to look at. You can also check your email (free Wifi for all candidates), to see if there have been any new positions posted, or even deleted. Remember, the most accurate information in regards to vacancies will be listed during school presentations and before sign ups. Most of you have been perusing the web site so for several months, now… keep doing so as changes happen daily. It is important to understand that the vacancies listed on the web and what you see on the first morning will vary…so try not to be too disappointed if a job you really wanted to apply for is no longer available.

FIND THE "MAIL BOXES"

 

Each of you will have a hanging file in which recruiters can leave messages. Each school will have a hanging file in which you can leave messages for them. It's fine to bring some notes already prepared to leave in a recruiter's file. Keep it short and sweet and tell them you're looking forward to meeting them at the sign up session to arrange a time to interview with them. Be sure to leave contact information with them… your room number and/or mobile phone number (and also enter this on the fair portal).  You may leave a resumé and photo…but don't overdo it! Recruiters have a ton of paperwork that they already have to read…simple is better at this stage. Check your own file frequently for messages from schools…and don't despair if it feels as though everyone else has gotten mail and you have not. This is only one means of communication and not all schools take advantage of it.

 

ATTEND THE CANDIDATE BRIEFING AT 11 A.M.

 

This meeting is compulsory for all teachers new to overseas teaching. We will go through all the procedures for the fair and you will have a chance to ask questions. We will talk about interviews, sign-up sessions, contract offers etc. so it is very important that you come along. If you have previously attended a fair, this meeting is not compulsory, but advisable for you to attend.

 

During the afternoon on January 3rd and on the morning of the 4th, there will be a series of 25-minute presentations by schools. You will be given the final schedule at registration. We will be asking schools to present their vacancies at this time, and getting along to as many of these as possible will give you a good picture of what some of these schools/cities are like. Unfortunately, due to the number of schools that are attending, we are running 3- 4 presentations at the same time, so you will need to be a little discerning as to which presentations you attend. If you are a couple, this is the time to split and go to different sessions. Perhaps ask other candidates to take notes for you and arrange to swap these. Requests of up to 5 photocopies can be made to the junior Search assistants.

Optional 'IB' and 'PYP' information sessions are offered today. We recommend these sessions for teachers who have not heard about this program before. Many of our schools are now looking for teachers who are familiar with the International Baccalaureate.

We also have a short session at 5:00 p.m. on January 3rd, where experts from SCI Employee Benefits and Expat Property Planners will talk about some of the options available in terms of investment, insurance and savings. Paula and I both wish that we had attended such a session when we first moved overseas as we finally had a significant disposable income. Therefore we are very happy to be able to provide you with the opportunity to hear some strategies and have some follow-up conversations with people who are experts in the field.

 

The rest of the evening is yours to do with as you please. This is a good time to continue to look through the openings and strategise for the next day's sign-up session. If however you feel like being social and meeting up with other teachers, we will be 'shouting' a drink downstairs in P.J O'Brien's from 7:30 p.m. See the junior assistants for a drink ticket as you enter.

 

Afterwards, we strongly recommend that you get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. You'll need all your energy to make it a great experience. We also recommend that you stay flexible and open-minded throughout the roller coaster of emotions you are likely to experience over the next few days…and enjoy it!

DAY 2: JANUARY 4TH

REGISTRATION

 

Continues on the first floor of the hotel from 8:30 a.m. — 10:30 a.m. in the pre-function area. There you will be welcomed by Search Associates Staff, given a folder of material to read, and informed of any last-minute changes. The packet will include your name tag which must be worn at all times during the Fair. School presentations continue from 8:30 a.m. — 10:30 a.m. Nick will have a brief meeting/orientation in the Flinders Room from 8:00 a.m. — 8:20 a.m. with those teachers who were not able to make it the previous day. From 10:30 a.m. — 11:30 a.m. we advise you to leave the hotel and stretch your legs, have a snack and make a final plan for sign-ups… We will be changing the rooms around and ask that you leave after the last school presentation as all the Langham Staff will be heading in to put furniture in the right position.

 

AT 11:30 A.M. THE DOORS TO THE BALLROOM WILL BE OPEN

The recruiters will be sitting at tables around the perimeter of the room, arranged alphabetically by country. Behind them will be the list of openings, hand-printed on large sheets of paper. This is the most accurate list of openings to date.

AND IT ALL BEGINS!

 

You should be poised and ready to meet the recruiters and get your interviews arranged for the rest of the fair. We do not schedule interviews for you…this is for you to do at the Sign Up Session. You will no doubt already have a list of schools with which you hope to secure an interview…now's your chance to do so. You'll have reviewed the openings and now can begin waiting patiently in lines to meet the respective recruiter and try to make an appointment for an interview. This can be a bit intimidating…but it can also be exciting and energising. Think positive. Talk with individuals at the Fair who have been through it before and get some advice from them. We suggest that you try to avoid waiting in long lines. Take advantage of the shorter lines, and chat with recruiters who have no one at their table. Senior Associates will be there to help you and try to keep things moving along. If you are standing in a line that is NOT moving, ask someone to hold your place and try and find a Senior Associate, who will step in and help.

 

AT THIS POINT YOU ARE MAKING A FIRST IMPRESSION…

You are NOT trying to get a job; you ARE trying to get an interview. Be polite, professional, enthusiastic and confident. You will only have a few minutes in which to do this. Some of you may have already heard from recruiters and know that they are expecting to see you to arrange an interview. These are the ones to whom a note in their file is a great idea…and then you can follow up with them at the table. If you have been contacted by a recruiter and are NOT interested in speaking with them or setting up an interview, please be courteous and politely let them know you are not interested.

GET AS MANY INTERVIEWS AS YOU ARE ABLE TO MANAGE

 

Each interview is an excellent learning experience and potential networking opportunity. PLEASE look at schools in countries you have never heard of; you might be pleasantly surprised. Do not, at this point, dwell on salaries or living conditions…that will come later, if at all. This is a time to arrange an interview and should take no more than one to two minutes once you are at the table.

 

If you are a couple arrange the interview for BOTH of you. Interviewing as a couple is a fabulous experience. It gives you both the opportunity to play up each other's strengths. It also gives the recruiter the opportunity to see how you interact as a couple and support one another. Be sure you have decided beforehand which time slots each of you will be trying to fill so that you don't double book your time, and each of you should have a copy of your partner's résumé and photo with you in case the recruiters would like you to leave it with them. Don't forget that there are more schools located downstairs in the Swanston Rooms. (Use the lift by the exit doors, or the external stairs).

At 1:00pm or so, the interviews begin! These will mainly be held in the interviewer's hotel rooms. This may seem odd, but it is the norm and it's actually quite comfortable and relaxed. A list of recruiters and their room numbers will be posted in various locations around the hotel. Be sure to check for room numbers prior to your interviews…or better yet, jot down the recruiter's room number when you schedule your interview. Room numbers will also be written on the large sheets of paper listing the jobs. These numbers will be posted as soon as we receive the information from the Hotel Staff…it may be as late as the morning of the 4th for some of them…but we'll post these as soon as we know them.

BE PROMPT FOR YOUR INTERVIEWS

While this no doubt seems obvious, its importance cannot be overstated. If you are unavoidably delayed and will be late, let the recruiter know. As most appointments are only 1/2 hour, every minute counts and if there is an interview scheduled back to back with yours, you will not have the luxury of being able to run beyond the scheduled time. If for any reason you need to cancel an interview, TELL THE RECRUITER!

DO NOT BE A NO-SHOW!

This is unprofessional and the recruiters share this sort of information with one another. Leave them a note where they are interviewing, call their hotel room or knock on their door and tell them you have to cancel. Do whatever it takes to inform them so that they have a chance to schedule another candidate in your place.

Remember to check your mail file on a regular basis. This is really the best way for schools to get in touch with you while you are at the fair, in addition to leaving messages on your room/mobile phones… so you might want to check messages there as well. Also, plan to bring some nice note cards on which you can write thank you notes as soon after your interviews as possible. This is particularly important if you are very interested in the position…but is a nice gesture to thank someone for their time even if you're not interested.

All the Senior Associates in attendance will be available through the fair to help you in any way we can. We're all there to help you… use us! Please, however, be patient and understand that we each try to give time to all of our candidates.

DAY 3: JANUARY 5TH

INTERVIEWS CONTINUE

 

You may leave whenever your interviews are finished… but staying until the fair finishes on the 6th, if possible, is a great way to go. This gives you the flexibility in arranging interviews with a school that may be particularly booked up for the first few days. Better yet, if you'd had a great interview, they may want to meet again to follow up. But…if you can't, don't worry about it… do the best you can with the time you have. Whenever you leave, please be sure to see your Associate prior to leaving the Fair and let us know where things stand. If your Associate is unavailable or not attending, please find another Associate as we're interested in supporting you to the best of our ability…the more information you give us…the better a job we can do. It is also important that you complete the Survey Monkey fair evaluation form we will send to your email address, together with the form in your registration folder about offers and acceptances. Please also return your hanging file to the Search Office in the Board Room and recycle your name tag!

 

7:30 P.M. IS YOUR TIME TO RELAX AND REFRESH

This is the reception for candidates and recruiters and it really is a lot of fun and a welcome treat at the end of a long and stressful day. We'll look forward to seeing you at the Clarendon Ballroom, and if you need help trying to identify anyone or need to find someone - look for an Associate and we'll do our best to be your scout!

If you're leaving on on the 6th… please travel safely and keep touch!

DAY 4: JANUARY 6TH

INTERVIEWS CONTINUE AS NEEDED… FIRST ROUND AND OFTEN "CALL BACKS"

 

This is a good time if you have stayed, to try and find your Associate (or Associate Surrogate) and fill her/him in on what's happened. You may have to wait to chat with an Associate… please be patient… and we'll do our best to get to everyone… Remember, that we're available throughout the fair to help… don't wait until the last day if you need something.

At 9 am in the Flinders Room Nick will meet with any teachers who would like last minute fair advice and advice for continuing the job hunt after the fair is over. As in Day three… please be sure to see a Senior Associate, if only for a minute, prior to your departure so we know how things went. Also, before you leave, please return your hanging file to the Search Office in the Board Room and complete the form in your folder about offers and acceptances. Don't forget to "check out' using the Fair portal so that recruiters know that you are no longer on the premises. 

Melbourne Fair, 2014

Arj and Kate Bartholomeusz, teachers from Melbourne, Australia, were determined to give their children the gift of an international education. They describe their experience of the Melbourne fair in their blog, after receiving 3 serious offers to consider: "… it felt like cramming 6 months' worth of emotions into 3 days. Literally having to get our heads around the possibilities of living in approximately 20 different countries and how each would impact on our kids, then finding out where the goalposts truly sat and finally investing enough of ourselves emotionally to potentially commit to 3 different cities."
Arj, once an international student himself, became intrigued by teaching overseas after chatting with an American he met during a professional development course. Arj explained, "He was teaching in Singapore and literally implored me to take my family overseas. He spoke about 'cattle calls' (i.e. job fairs) which took place all over the world, where hundreds of teachers take their chances in a speed dating scenario to try to land a job."
Over the four days of the Fair, candidates hear talks from a number of school leaders and other experts in various fields who will help them to land the job they want, or prepare them for what lies ahead. From senior administration staff providing an overview of what it's like to work and live internationally, to advice about tax investments and how to impress in interviews, candidates can be assured they'll be equipped to make a fully informed decision.
After the information presentations, the sign-up session begins, where candidates request to interview with recruiters. This is where the "speed dating" part comes in as teachers have to "sell themselves" in around 5 minutes in order to score an interview later. For Arj and Kate, they decided to tackle the lines separately so they could make as many interview times as possible. The lines could be as many as five to 50 people deep to speak with a recruiter. Because one of their preferred schools had a queue of about 50 people, they chose to skip it altogether to speak to other, more available, recruiters.
Arj and Kate attended their interviews over the next day and a half, often skipping meals and breaks. By Day 3, they had attended 12 live interviews, 2 Skype sessions, 2 follow up interviews to review contracts, and a cocktail reception for all recruiters and candidates.
Both Search Associates and the Bartholomeusz's repeatedly describe the kindly attitude of the recruiters, especially during interviews which can be stressful for some teachers, especially those who have not had to interview for a while. Recruiters took the extra time to put candidates at ease, sometimes meeting them to finish an interview over breakfast. One recruiter mentioned to Nick that he was going to meet the parents of a preferred candidate to have a drink with them, and tell them about the school, and to answer any questions they might have.
Recruiters often took the time to meet with candidates to chat and offer advice even though they didn't have openings. When recruiters meet a star candidate, they often follow that candidate's progress over the years, hoping to finally make a match for them at their school. Arj captures the chemistry between candidate and recruiter in his blog: "The most compelling part of each presentation was the feel we got from the presenter… the sense of humanity conveyed by the director, or principal, or deputy head from each school. And I guess each of us candidates felt that there were 'kindred spirits' with whom we would like to work… They were all impressive… some intimidating and ultra professional, some you wanted to go to the pub with and some who reminded you of a close friend or relative."
Another recruiter at sign-ups was so welcoming that a candidate accepted an offer at a school in a part of the world she had not even considered. The candidate had only approached his table at sign-ups because there was no line!
Nick and his team are there, every step of the way to advise and offer counsel, as often life-changing decisions are made. Nick said, "I see my role as that of a filter– helping teachers to identify what's important to them and to narrow down their options. I love seeing their excitement when a decision has been made and they say 'yes' to an offer from an international school– it is a really rewarding few days."
While it is natural for candidates to feel apprehensive about the busy pace of a job fair and the unknowns of working overseas, Search Associates teams like Nick and Paula Kendell give great support. Their friendly approach ensures people feel welcome and relaxed throughout the event, and their teenage assistants add a family feel to the fair. They also aim to help people establish connections that will help launch them into their next life adventure. A Melbourne Search candidate remarked, "The work and organization that has gone into this fair is amazing. Everything ran so smoothly and people were so friendly and helpful. It has been a terrific experience – enlightening, exhausting and exciting. It was a real education!"