Frequently Asked Questions about
International Recruitment Centers

Important information about the 2009 ISS IRCs

Choosing to attend an IRC...

What is an International Recruitment Center?
An International Recruitment Center (IRC) is a four-six day conference designed to facilitate the recruitment process in a structured environment. This event is designed for international schools seeking new staff by providing an interviewing forum with pre-screened teaching and administrative candidates. There are scheduled events that include Orientation, Sign-up for Interviews, Interviews, School Presentations and many other information sessions.

Why are most positions filled during the months of January and February?
This is the primary recruiting season for international schools, as they need several months to apply for and obtain work permits for newly hired staff. Most schools interview at different recruiting events during this time period.

Who may attend the IRCs?
You need to apply to establish a professional file with ISS in order to be eligible to register for an IRC. Teaching and administrative applicants need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, certification and/or relevant school experience in a K-12 education. Certification is required by many of the schools that recruit through ISS, although it is not required to establish an active file with ISS or to attend an IRC. Your registration for an IRC is contingent upon approval of your application. (For those who have previously established files with ISS, please note that your file must first be reactivated and in order to register.)

How many schools and candidates will participate at each winter IRC?

Bangkok IRC:  Our overseas IRC is held in January in Bangkok. We project that 300 candidates – primarily from Asia, Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific Rim and USA – interview at this event. Many candidates at this IRC are experience international schoolteachers, counselors and administrators

First Stateside IRC:  We expect many schools to interview for a few hundred positions at this event. This IRC is one of a number of recruiting conferences held during the recruiting season. Schools do hire all year long in advance of the recruiting conferences, therefore not all positions initially listed for recruitment will be available. We expect over 500 administrative and teaching candidates, some who may have prior overseas work experience. It is recommended that administrative, counseling candidates and teams from both North America and abroad attend this IRC.

Second Stateside IRC:  ISS and CIS partner for our final winter recruiting season event. Approximately 200 candidates attend this IRC, most from the United States and Canada. Many candidates will not have prior overseas experience.

Do you have to attend an IRC to get an overseas position through ISS?
No, but our placement statistics indicate that those who have interviewed at an IRC account for a high percentage of our total placements. The professional file of ISS candidates are provided to recruiting schools via an active on-line screening program. Schools may contact candidates at anytime during the recruiting year. When a position is listed outside the IRCs (primarily between March and August) the active pool of candidates is screened for those who meet the school selection criteria.

Which IRC is right for you?
Here are some factors you may wish to consider as you contemplate which IRC to attend.

• Overseas IRC: This IRC will primarily serve schools around the world, a large number from the Far and Middle East. Candidates already working abroad are expected to attend this event as well as those who have specific interest in schools in these regions.
• First Stateside: This is an extremely competitive event. Even though there will be numerous positions available, those selected for these positions in the first Stateside IRC are usually part of a teaching couple. Schools hope to complete their hiring at this event, equally considering teams and single contract status candidates for all positions.
• Second Stateside: At the second Stateside IRC, there will be about 100 schools recruiting to fill varied positions. It is our experience that those who are single contract teachers with limited experience or who have yet to work overseas, realize more interviewing opportunities at the second IRC despite the few number of positions.
• Hiring flexibility: The focus of recruiters who interview at the first IRC in the United States will be on teams and secondary teachers and specialists. This is an extremely competitive event. Even though there will be numerous positions available, those selected for these positions in New York City are usually part of a teaching couple.  The reality is that many heads do not spend time interviewing single status candidates who have yet to work overseas at this event, unless they are secondary teachers or specialists with good experience in their subject areas. A few schools do complete all their hiring at this event, equally considering teams and single contract status candidates for all positions.
  
  At the second IRC, there will be about 50 schools recruiting to fill approximately 150 positions. It is our experience that those who are single contract teachers with limited experience or who have yet to work overseas, realize more interviewing opportunities at the second IRC despite the fewer number of positions.
• Non-teaching dependents: Candidates with non-teaching adult spouses or other accompanying dependants may find it more challenging to secure placement due to the expense involved for relocation and housing.
• Administrative and Counseling Positions: Interviews for the principals, assistant principals, counselors and other school-wide administrators are conducted through the year as well as at the IRCs. Administrative positions are being filled in December each year. To accommodate administrative recruiting, the first Stateside IRC includes an Administrative Recruitment Day. We expect interviews to be conducted for different administrative positions and counseling position listed at the other IRCs.

[Note: We do not recommend attending an IRC if you are seeking a position as a chief school officer. Those positions are very infrequently recruited through an IRC.]

Planning for an IRC...

How will I be informed of interviewing opportunities at an IRC?
Schools registered to attend each IRC and the positions they have listed for recruitment will be posted at the ISS website for ISS candidate review.  This listing will be updated on a daily basis until the start of each IRC with revisions noted by date.  Links to school websites as well as school e-mail addresses are also available at this site to facilitate your research and pre-IRC contact with schools listing openings in your field.  Complete salary and benefits details for each recruiting school are also listed at this site.

NOTE:  Schools receive a tremendous volume of e-mail from candidates in advance of the recruiting conferences.  Please write only to schools listing openings in your fields of expertise for which you meet the posted selection criteria.  Keep your message brief and include your subject area, listing the conference at which you will interview.

The professional files of ISS candidates are provided to recruiting schools via an active online screening program.  Most schools begin to check references and contact candidates of interest in advance of the recruiting conferences, primarily during the months of December and January.

Should my spouse accompany me to the IRC?
If you and your spouse are teaching or administrative team, (e.g., you both have active files with ISS), you should both plan to attend the IRC. Even if your spouse is not a teacher, it is highly recommended that both of you attend. Recruiters will appreciate being able to review all of those implications of working and living overseas. If you are planning to be married soon, we suggest that your fiancé accompany you.

Should we bring our children to the IRC?
It is probably best to leave your children at home. A babysitting service may not be offered by the hotel in which you are staying, and it is considered inappropriate to take your children to interviews with you.

What should I bring to the IRC?
We recommend that you bring material directly related to your professional experience:

1. Copies of your resume - Some candidates bring their resume to the interview sign-up to give to the recruiters with whom they have not yet been in contact.
2. A professional portfolio - This can include lesson plans, newspaper articles about your class, and information about awards received or photographs of professional and extracurricular activities you have organized. You can present this information during scheduled interview sessions, not during interview signup because of the time constraints for that particular event.
3. Calculator - It is wise to bring a pocket calculator for figuring salaries and allowances.
4. Stationery - This may be helpful for contacting recruiters. You will be able to leave notes for recruiters in their mail folders in the candidate office.
5. Thank you notes - It is recommended that you leave thank you notes for those with whom you have interviewed.

During the IRC...

When should I arrive at the IRC?
Teaching candidates should plan to arrive before 6 p.m. on their check-in day.  Early information sessions will be held that day from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Candidates may check in any time between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.   An orientation meeting will be held that evening.  A detailed schedule of events will be sent to you upon receipt of your IRC registration. 
New York IRC only: Administrators and counselors should arrive one day earlier at which time a separate orientation meeting will be held.

How important is it that I attend an orientation session?
It is important if this is your first IRC. The orientation will give you information on the participating schools and IRC procedures. Time will be devoted for questions and answers at the end of this session.  Materials provided to you on the first day will include a listing of IRC vacancies, salary and benefits data for each participating school, and The ISS Directory of International  Schools. This information will allow you to review a current list of vacancies and correlate them with compensation data before each interview sign-up.

I understand in-depth information will be given to me regarding each IRC school's salary and benefits plan and selection requirements, but can you give me an overview of this information?
Salaries for staff of overseas schools vary considerably. Teaching salaries may range from a low of $12,000 to a high of $103,000 annually. Administrative salaries may range from $20,000 to over $136,000 annually. The cost of living in the host country, the size of the school, and the isolation of the location are among factors affecting salaries. Sometimes, salaries are paid in the host country currency, possibly with a percentage paid in U.S. dollars; sometimes salaries are paid entirely in U.S. dollars. Some schools offer foreign service premiums. Regarding length of contract, 84% of the schools offered two years; 7% had one year renewable contracts.

Our survey of compensation data from overseas schools indicates that 62% offer retirement benefits; 66% provide housing or a housing allowance; and 98% offer health insurance. In addition, many schools offer shipping, storage, and "settling-in" allowances. Other factors to consider regarding the total value of the compensation package: Are local taxes to be paid on salary? What is the cost of living in the host country relative to the U.S? How much can you expect to save on an annual basis?

When and how are interviews scheduled?
Interview sign-up will be held the morning following orientation, during which time recruiters schedule interviews with candidates who qualify for positions in their respective schools. Some schools may pre-schedule interviews with selected candidates prior to the interview sign-up period, contacting candidates via e-mail or phone as a result of their review of the Candidate Screening Program.
New York IRC only: A separate interview sign-up will be held one day earlier for candidates applying for principal, assistant principal, counseling and other administrative positions, such as curriculum director and IB coordinator. Interviews for those positions will then be held throughout that day. If you and your spouse are an administrative/teaching team, both of you should attend the administrative interview sign-up.

How many interviews may I expect to have at the IRC?
The majority of candidates will have from three to ten interviews, but the number of interviews varies depending upon teaching or administrative fields, interest and flexibility for considering positions in several geographic areas, and experience and qualifications compared with other candidates.

What factors affect getting interviews and getting hired?
Be focused on your professional goals and motives for seeking overseas employment as well as specific teaching or administrative successes and accomplishments. It may also be helpful to read one of the many books on interviewing. Most importantly...be yourself!

After the interview sign-up, how can I leave messages for school recruiters and other candidates?
ISS will maintain a IRC conference office for the entirety of the IRC. This facility will serve as a clearinghouse of information and will be the site for all messages and contacts. Each recruiter and each candidate will have a mail folder in the ISS IRC office. Should you place a message in a recruiter's mail folder expressing interest in a position at their school, we recommend it be brief, including only your résumé.

Will I have opportunities to network with candidates?
Throughout the IRC, you will have many opportunities to meet other candidates who have worked overseas. Those wishing to learn more about the realities of life in various regions of the world are urged to attend one of the Overseas Candidate Panels.   These informal sessions offer the opportunity for candid discussion with those who are currently working abroad.

Is it necessary for me to stay throughout the entire IRC?
It depends. You must be there for the first evening of registration check-in and orientation and, of course, for the interview sign-up the morning following your orientation session. Then, once you have scheduled your interviews, your schedule will determine when you are able to leave the IRC.

What are the implications of accepting a position at the IRC or later?
Once you have accepted a position (orally or in writing), the recruiter stops interviewing for that position and ISS considers you placed. At that point, you have a professional and ethical commitment to honor your agreement with the recruiting school. Only accept a job offer if you have every intention of fulfilling the terms of the contract. Carefully consider each offer, and, if unsure, ask for the time you need to make a decision you know you can commit to.

What happens to my ISS file after the IRC?
Unless you are placed, your ISS file will remain active for the rest of the recruiting year (through August) and will be considered for positions listed with our year-round recruitment service. ISS recruits for approximately 150 non-IRC positions year-round; most of these are listed with ISS from late March through August. When we are notified that you have taken an overseas position or are no longer looking for one, your file will be deactivated.

For additional information contact Educational Staffing: e-mail edustaffing@iss.edu, phone 609-452-0990, fax 609-452-2690.

International Recruitment Centers

Qualifications for establishing a professional file with ISS