Screening Schools: A Company Priority

Many candidates are surprised to learn that Search Associates declines almost 50% of applications submitted by new schools within a period of one year. You may ask, “Why do they do this? What is their reasoning?” To put it simply, we are not just looking for candidates of high quality, but schools of high quality. President Jessica Magagna comments,

“We have turned down many schools that other recruiting agencies have accepted. It is not our goal to have the largest school database but to have a database that is filled with schools who will take care of our candidates, both personally and professionally.”

Associates and staff work continuously to maintain Search Associates’ personal touch, guiding and supporting candidates throughout their job search. However, there is another powerful way Search Associates looks out for its candidates: the school screening process. Over the years, we have made it a company goal to only accept new schools that meet our high standards. Schools wishing to recruit through Search Associates must undergo a rigorous screening process that can take up to several weeks to a month.

This process begins when applicants answer a series of detailed questions that allow Search Associates to determine if the institution meets our criteria for membership. Schools are also asked to provide a list of references to include current and past teachers so we can get an accurate picture of how the school treats their staff. These named references will be contacted by our School Coordinator, Nazgol Adili, with the assurance that all information provided to us will be kept confidential. This allows referees the freedom to be candid with their responses. Applications are then sent to the Executive Management Committee (EMC) for careful review and consideration. If they are unsure about a school, they will tap into our network of educators within the international community to gather more information or send one of our Associates to visit the school.

Our screening doesn’t stop when a school is accepted. All approved schools are continuously monitored to ensure they are living up to the standards we have spelled out for them. If Search Associates is alerted of problems at an existing member school, the EMC will conduct an extensive investigation to protect the wellbeing of Search Associates’ candidates. President Jessica Magagna explains,

“We do our due diligence. If we find out that one of our member schools is not treating our candidates professionally, we will immediately intervene and talk to the school with the candidates’ permission. If we find that this [mistreatment] is valid, we will suspend the school, period.”

Candidates who sign up with Search Associates can feel confident that we are doing everything possible to make sure good international schools are being added to our school database. Finding the right school has just gotten a little bit easier.