Hong Kong/China Fair

January 14 - 16, 2022

HONG KONG
SHENZHEN

Fair Organizer: Xiaohang Sumner

Started over twelve years ago, the Hong Kong Fair has expanded in line with the tremendous growth of international education in this region. Before COVID, the Hong Kong Fair was held right at the peak of the recruiting season, on the campus of the Chinese International School in central Hong Kong, atop Braemar Hill and overlooking the beautiful harbor. The last fairs before COVID in 2019-20 saw it nearing its maximum capacity.

JANUARY 2022: IN-PERSON OR ONLINE

IN-PERSON. If conditions in mainland China permit:

• the Hong Kong/China Fair will be held in Shenzhen in January 2022. The fair will take place at the Shen Wai International School (SWIS) and The Westin Shenzhen Nanshan.
• Schools in mainland China must attend in-person. Schools in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are encouraged to attend in-person but can attend virtually, esp. if there still exist uncertainty regarding quarantine or travel to and from Shenzhen.
• All attending candidates must be interested in working in the greater China region in 2022. All candidates who are in the greater China region and/or who are able to travel to Shenzhen with reasonable probability are invited. Candidates in mainland China must attend in-person. Others are encouraged to attend in-person but can attend virtually, esp. if there still exist uncertainty regarding quarantine or travel to and from Shenzhen. 
• Attending the in-person fair offers both candidates and school recruiters the opportunity to schedule interviews with each other to determine if a good "fit" exits. In addition, the in-person fair offers an excellent opportunity to network with other international teaching candidates (as well as recruiters) and get a good sense of the joys and challenges of working in international education. 

ONLINE. If, however, by December, conditions in mainland China make it challenging to have an in-person fair:

• the Hong Kong/China Fair will be changed into a virtual fair, allowing schools and candidates who have registered to attend it online. 

DECISION TIME: In consultation with our host school and the local government in Shenzhen, we will make the decision to hold the Hong Kong/China Fair online or in-person by mid-December. 

PERSONAL ATTENTION

Among the peak-season fairs, this fair is mid-size, selective but still with many schools, so the proportion of candidates to schools is roughly the same as the other fairs. Attending the more focused Hong Kong/China fair will enable both schools and candidates to have more time for and attention to each other, allowing for better understanding and “fit”. The better “fit” between school and candidate, the higher chance of success not only at the fair, but more importantly, after arrival at the school.

The Search Associates team at the Hong Kong/China fair has outstanding knowledge and contacts in the schools in the region. Ms. Xiaohang Sumner also has outstanding knowledge of all practical matters related to working and living in China, having returned to China to set up three innovative schools in the last ten years. We will offer very personalized consultation to help candidates get placements at schools that are “good fits”. Part of the consultation is to advise candidates on the relative merits, qualities and challenges offered by particular schools. Other advice will be provided to registered candidates on

• communication with Heads;
• interview tips;
• approaches to package comparisons;
• and more!

DATES

The timing of the fair (mid-January) is quite advantageous, as it is neither too early or too late in the international recruiting cycle. School recruiters will be able to interview a large pool of excellent candidates and candidates will have access to many positions available.

The fair is held over a three-day period which will consist of school presentations, informative workshops, interview sign up sessions and most importantly, the interviews!

INVITATION

The Fair will open its books for school registrations in mid-August and candidate registrations in early September.  As we were virtually full last year and expect even more growth next year, we will ask schools and candidates to register as early as possible to reserve a place. 

RECRUITERS: Schools must attend the Registration and set-up by late Friday afternoon, attend the meetings on Saturday morning, and be available Saturday afternoon and Sunday for interviews. Please go to your school's dashboard and accept your invitation. If you do not have an invitation yet, please email me at xsumner@searchassociates.com.

TEACHING AND LEADERSHIP CANDIDATES: Candidates must attend the orientation meeting and the interview sign-up session early in the morning on Saturday, and be available Saturday afternoon and Sunday for possible interviews. (To avoid queues on Saturday morning, please try to come to the Early Bird Registration on Friday afternoon.)

• If you are already registered with the Hong Kong office, please email me to request an invitation.
• If you are not yet registered with Search, please contact me for information on joining Search Associates and attending the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Fair.
• If you are registered with another Senior Associate, please contact him/her to request an invitation to the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Fair.

MORE INFO

Please click here to sign up for one of our free seminars to learn more about international school job searches, Search Associates and our job fairs.

Xiaohang Sumner and the HK/China Team

This fair has the largest number of schools from mainland China and Hong Kong attending any fair. As these two regions have a large percentage of the jobs available, this attracts candidates. Before COVID, the fair also reserved 20% of the spaces for schools that were from other parts of Asia and the Middle East.

In the last six years, over 150 schools from across Asia and the world have come to this fair to recruit international school teachers and administrators. 

The following schools have come at least five times during the last six years:

• Chinese International School, Hong Kong
• Creative Secondary School, Hong Kong
• HD Hurtwood House China
• Hong Kong Academy
• International School of Nanshan Shenzhen
•  I-Shou International School, Kaohsiung
• Ivy Collegiate Academy, Taichung
• Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School
• Shanghai United International School
• Shen Wai International School, Shenzhen
• Shenzhen College of International Education
• The Independent Schools Foundation Academy, Hong Kong
• United World College of Changshu China

Schools that have come three or four times during the last six years include:

• Affiliated High School of South China Normal University
• Alcanta International College, Guangzhou
• American International School, Hong Kong
• American School Hong Kong
• Branksome Hall Asia
• Bromsgrove School Mission Hills
• Canadian International School Beijing
• Canadian International School Guangzhou
• Daystar Academy
• Diocesan Boys' School
• Haileybury International School Tianjin
• Hong Kong International School
• International Christian School
• International School of Ulaanbaatar
• Mount Kelly School, Hong Kong
• Ningbo Huamao International School
• Overseas Chinese Academy Suzhou
• Shanghai Singapore International School
• Shanghai United International School, Gubei Campus
• Shanghai United International School, Pudong Campus
• Shanghai Vanke Bilingual School
• Shekou International School
• Shenzhen (Nanshan) Concord College of Sino-Canada
• The International School of Macao
• ULink College Guangzhou
• Victoria Shanghai Academy
• Western International School of Shanghai
• Wuhan Ulink College of China Optics Valley
• Xi'an Hi-Tech International School
• Yew Chung International School
• Yew Chung International School of Beijing
• Yew Chung International School of Chongqing
• Yew Chung International School of Qingdao
• Yew Chung International School of Shanghai
•  YK Pao School, Shanghai
• Yongsan International School of Seoul

Other schools that have come to Hong Kong from across Asia and the rest of the world include:

• Aga Khan Academy, Maputo
• American International School, Vietnam
• Ayeyarwaddy International School
• CfBT Education Trust (vacancies in Brunei)
• GEMS World Academy, Singapore and Malaysia
• Hanoi International School, Vietnam
• Hiroshima International School
• International School of Central Switzerland
• International School of Ho Chi Minh City
• Jakarta and Sinarmas World Academy, Jakarta, Indonesia
• Korea International School, Jeju   
• Nagoya International School
• Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Astana, Kazakstan
• Orchlon School, Ulaanbaatar
• QSI -- Quality Schools Int'l (37 schools in 30 Countries)
• Saigon South International School, HCMC
• Seoul Foreign School
• Seoul International School
• The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys
• The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Girls, Abu Dhabi
• Whittle School & Studios

• The vast majority of candidates attending this fair have international curriculum experience (e.g. IB) with over 50% having more than 10 years international school experience.
  
• Typically 25% of all hires made as a result of the fair are from schools based in Hong Kong, the rest are from mainland China, the other parts of Asia and the world.

How to attend the fair:

Attendance at this fair is by invitation only.  Candidates need to have registered with Search Associates, well in advance of the Fair, and then requested an invitation to the fair. Please note that “Checking” interest in the Hong Kong-January Fair on the Search Associate online application does NOT constitute an invitation.  Your place at the Fair is only definite when you have received confirmation on your Search dashboard.

For more information, prospective and Registered Candidates are welcome to join us at one of our free online job search seminars in 2021-22. Click here to sign up.

RECRUITMENT FAIR COMMENTS from candidates