The job search

Written on September 6, 2004 @ 12:42

My job search actively began on November 30th, 2003. While I had a goal of teaching at an international school in Europe (first choice Switzerland) for a couple years, I couldn’t really do too much until I was in my final Bachelor of Education year. I’d asked people who went through the job search procedure and some people who knew the market and worked in the field during third and fourth year of university about if there was anything I could be doing at the time to start making connections or doing background research. The overwhelming response was that I needed to at least be in my final year before trying to do anything.
In the summer before my final year, I started making some connections with people who were in the business to find out when I should start pursuing my dream and how to go about doing so. Still, not much help, especially from a source who was highly recommended (and would prove over the course of the year to be a disappointment).
Once school began, I continued to find out what I could or should be doing and found out about some websites to look to and a general timeline of when international schools would be starting to look for faculty members for the following school year (the conversation in which I found out all of this information was the sole meeting that I found helpful with the “source”). I also was reminded that it would be next to impossible to get my dream job, because most European international schools hire only experienced teachers. This piece of information was in my mind the whole year, and while I’m usually really good at being optimistic when chasing for dreams, near the end of the year, I really felt like there was no hope for the cause (partly thanks to the “source” who wasn’t very encouraging).
Visits to the European Council of International Schools website led to multiple introductory e-mails (thank goodness for e-mails, because I don’t think I would have been able to snail mail everything that I’d done this past year) and attachments of résumés (or curriculum vitaes as everyone else in the world seems to refer to them as). My e-mail introduced myself, where I was in my career, what I would be qualified for, some tidbits about myself, why I wanted to work for their school. It wasn’t too long and then of course I attached a copy of my résumé to the e-mail. I first went to school websites and those that looked interesting were on my hit list of places to contact. Over the course of a couple weeks I e-mailed schools in Switzerland, Italy, France, Belgium and Germany.
I started to keep a record of the schools that I contacted, when, how, to what address, if they responded (and how), what attachments I included, any follow up e-mails, etc. I tried to make it as detailed as possible just to keep me organized. It really helped when it came time to re-contacting schools to know which ones had already written back to ummm, crush my dream.
While looking at the ECIS website and looking at the stats of the different schools, I remember considering if I wanted to work at a small or large school, looking at the number of staff there were, if the school was k-8, k-12, 9-12, etc. As the year went on, I think that was less in my head, I was just looking for something. Anything.
I was warned that many schools would automatically respond and say that they weren’t interested because I didn’t have any experience. Most schools just didn’t respond at all. Some schools were nice enough to respond to say that they’d received my e-mail, that they didn’t know what their openings were at the time, suggestions of when and where to go to look for posting for the school or that they didn’t have any positions that I would be qualified for. I liked getting e-mails back. Even if they were just politely turning me down, at least I knew that they’d taken the effort to look into it, or at least the time to respond.
I did my first set of e-mails at the end of November through to the middle of December. I then left them for a bit and in mid February through to March did my follow up mailings, this time with a more detailed e-mail and still attaching my résumé.
February 6-8, 2004 I participated in the Teachers’ Overseas Recruiting Fair run by Queen’s University. I knew that job fairs were where many peple made connections and secured postitions with international schools and that TORF was a great fair that attracted many schools from around the world. I didn’t realize however the lack of European schools what would be attendance.
Eitherway, I still decided to go for it, because who knew that would happen, and it would be a good experience for me regardless. I must say that it was really disheartening constantly being told by schools that I didn’t have experience so they weren’t willing to even talk to me and interview me. I did secure some interviews and saw what a fair was like though and that was really good. It made me re-examine my résumé and write an extensive personal statement which I found helpful to get ideas from when making my cover letter/e-mails to schools.By the end of March, I was pretty sure that my dream wouldn’t be coming true. Most schools had written back to say “thanks, but no thanks” so I was giving up hope. I was going through a pretty tough year outside of my job stuff, so I was already emotionally already toast. The added optimism of working at an international school was taking a lot of energy and by the end of March I had decided that I needed to turn my attention toward securing a job in Toronto instead (which was my “back-up” and definitely attainable). I left my international job search behind except for the odd e-mail to specific schools that posted specific positions that I would be qualified for. I was making strides with getting a position with the Toronto District School Board by getting on the “eligible to hire list” on both the elementary and secondary panels, so I was getting excited about that.
Strangely, I got an e-mail from a school in Switzerland one month after my last correspondence to them (before which I hadn’t heard had a response) saying that they would be contacting potential candidates in the near future. I remember thinking nothing of it, because I had gotten similar e-mails from other schools and then a week later getting another one saying “sorry, but we decided not to pursue it further with you”. Then, to my surprise, in the last week of classes at Queen’s I received a call from my dad saying that a school in Switzerland had called home to ask about me. A couple e-mails later, Mr. "N", Principal of "school" was setting up a phone interview to take place early Wednesday, April 21st, 2004. I got up early that morning, nervously got myself and my thoughts together. Made small talk with the lady that I was staying with and waited by the phone for what I thought would be the most important phone call of my life.
After a phone call that wasn’t for me, the phone rang and I picked up to a voice introducing himself and the school that he represented. Nervously, I answered questions about myself and thoughts of teaching abroad in my first year as a teacher. We talked about curriculum, the school itself and then the conversation quickly turned to figure skating. Odd I remember thinking, and then the conversation was over, with promises that someone at the Toronto office would be in touch to set up a videoconference interview. Over a week later, I was wandering downtown Toronto finding the building that housed the Toronto offices for "school". Here, I met "D" and talk with her for a good 45 minutes about me potentially working for the school. We discussed some of my experiences, I asked lots of questions about the school and yet again, the conversation turned towards figure skating. We finished up with "D" promising that "Mr. N" would be in touch again.
Quite some time later, an e-mail arrives stating that "Mr. N" will be in town for the weekend and would it be possible for us to meet. Of course I say, details are ironed out and on Sunday, May 16th, 2004, I find myself driving around the Yonge and St. Clair area searching for a place I’d never heard of. Some parking problems later, I introduce myself to "Mr. N" and take a seat. Many questions about the school are asked, and lots of discussion about the staff, school, and city ensues. After I finish my barrage of questions, a contract suddenly appears and the twilight zone begins. Is this happening? Why is it happening? Why did no other schools even try? What’s wrong with this school? Why do they want me? Was I the only person that applied for the job? Did they just like me because I was a figure skater?
I head up to Kingston that afternoon with my mind full of questions and confusing thoughts. While there, I talk with a trusted friend for advice, e-mail mentors, receive a call from my dad who was in Taiwan at the time and speak with an person in the business who I wish I had spoken to earlier in the year.
Over a cup of tea we discussed my concerns and the strange way that international schools tend to interview. I’m so glad that I had to opportunity to speak with her.
Some things that were on my mind: Do I want to teach grade 12? Do I want to be at a school that only offers Grade 12? Do I feel comfortable teaching Grade 12 math?
Finally, mainly convinced by others that I could handle it, I e-mailed back the school to say, yes, I would be joining their teaching staff for September 2004.
Yes, it happened.