Search London Spring International School Job Fair

Executive Vice President David Cope hosted another successful Search London Spring job fair on the weekend of March 23-25. Positive feedback from recruiters and candidates about the earlier timing of the fair – in March rather than April as in previous years – has encouraged David to schedule next year’s event in March again.

This year, 150 candidates and 71 recruiters came to the fair from a wide variety of 40 schools in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, South America, and the U.S. Of the 266 jobs posted, we anticipate at least 50 vacancies will be filled in the coming weeks. One recruiter’s comment was typical of the positive assessment by schools of the quality of candidates attending:

“London Spring is my favourite fair, because I always feel the quality of the candidates is excellent.”

The London Spring fair has long had a special atmosphere – calm, relaxed, supportive, and friendly – and this year’s event was no exception. Making sure everything ran smoothly throughout the weekend, Senior Associate Bill Turner and his wife Alison as well as Senior Associate Barry Drake and his wife Veronica joined David’s U.K. office team: Executive Assistants Rebecca Steadman, Rosie Eacott, and Roger Platt, Rosie and Roger attending the fair for the first time.

David also welcomed Nicholas McKie, a professional leadership and life coach (see www.persyou.com) and a good friend of Search Associates. Nicholas’s services were made good use of throughout the weekend by a steady stream of people, particularly many candidates who were experiencing a job fair for the first time and were eager to make the most of all the opportunities on offer.

With such a large team on hand, Search London Spring was able to offer a high level of personal attention to candidates and recruiters alike – even earning special praise from one teacher for managing to retrieve her lost mobile phone! Another candidate wrote,

“I cannot explain how grateful I am to have been given the opportunity to attend this fair. It was such an uplifting experience . . . The Search Associates team . . . [has] a wealth of knowledge which they do not hesitate to share, and it is clear that they genuinely care for each and every candidate. I could not believe the amount of individual attention . . . and appreciate all the advice I was given. Everyone I met was so warm, polite, and professional, and this is a true reflection of Search Associates. I highly recommend them and this fair to anyone interested in international teaching.”

Search London Spring was held again this year at the Hilton London Paddington, where the meeting room layout, the proximity to Paddington Station (fast trains to and from Heathrow airport), and the general friendliness and helpfulness of the staff make it ideal for a fair of this size. And Paddington, one of London’s liveliest and most cosmopolitan areas, always seems an appropriate place for such an international event. Many participants expressed their appreciation afterwards. One candidate simply said, “I love it every time!!” At Search Associates, we certainly feel the same.