ITP - 75: It’s January… Are There Any Jobs Left?

Greg: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, domestic teachers, international teachers—do not adjust your dials.

This is the International Teacher Podcast, and joining you is Greg in Naples, the single guy, Kent the cat guy, JP Mint—

Matt: And I am the long-lost Matt, the family guy.

Greg: And welcome to the International Teacher Podcast.

All: Happy New Year, everybody.

Happy New Year.

Happy 2024.

Happy, happy New Year.

Matt: Good to be here.

Greg: So what are we going to talk about today, Matt?

Matt: Well, there's a few different things that I think we need to discuss. I think we need to talk a little bit about engaging those potential new job searches as we begin the new year.

Because I got to tell you, Greg, those people that are listening, that are hunting for jobs—this thing is not over by a long shot. In fact, it's just heating up. So I think we need to have a good discussion about that.

What about the rest of you? What else should we cover?

Greg: I agree with you, Matt. I think this is like the pregame, right? It's not even—it's preseason. Preseason's over. We're just getting warmed up.

Kent: Sounds like a football match, right?

Greg: So anyway, I agree with you. We need to hit that a lot. I think people are reaching out and asking JP a lot of questions. Maybe we can hit some of your questions, JP, that you're getting.

We have a couple listeners that have reached out to us also. We'll mention them later on in the show.

Matt: I think that would be your mom and dad. And they are standing behind you, I believe.

Greg: No, Mom and Dad won't come on the show. They would like to plug their devices into the modem. My dad's like, “It wouldn't be appropriate.”

Matt: Oh, you asked him to come on?

Greg: Yeah, I told him to put on clothes first.

Matt: Like father, like son.

Greg: JP, what do you want to talk about?

JP: Well, I thought this might be the New Year's show—talking about New Year's celebrations around the world that we've all experienced in our vast traveling experience.

I sat down with my mom, who's visiting from Canada here in Mexico, and she reminded me of some of them. So I made a quick list of some interesting New Year's stories, if we have time for that.

Kent: I would like to remind our listeners that Greg Lemoine has written a second book. I'm going to try to get the title right this time. I believe it's called International Teaching: The Best Kept Secret in Education.

Greg: International Teaching: The Best Kept Secret.

Kent: International Teaching: The Best Kept Secret in Education by Gregory Lemoine. I would like to say a few words, if we have time, letting our listeners know about this wonderful book that's available too.

Greg: So we have a whole show to wrap up here. This is going to be great for the new year. We've got four topics to go after.

Let's start talking about those jobs that are out there. Matt was saying that teachers are listening in and they've seen some job fairs have already happened. Some job fairs have already disappeared. They're successful. Teachers are posting where they're going, what country they're going to.

The South American schools that went together with ISS in Atlanta—that's over now. And those early job fairs give you that creep, like, “Oh man, I'm so late. There's no more jobs left.”

Those job fairs are over, but they're not. I'm pretty sure there's a lot of search going on if you're in Search Associates.

Kent, did we lose Matt? Are you with us?

Matt: Yeah, I'm still here.

Greg: OK, we lost your visual, that's all.

Matt: Yeah, it's hiding. I'm actually just going through the search schedules.

Greg: All right.

Matt: There's quite an extensive list of them.

Greg: Yeah, Kent, he's our research team.

Kent: I just keep it all right here. Don't forget one of your favorites, Greg—the University of Northern Iowa is at the end of January this year.

It's still free. After COVID, they went free and virtual, and it's still free for candidates. That's kind of exciting for anyone considering a move internationally for the first time.

That is a really good job fair for anyone with teaching experience domestically but not internationally. And for those with international experience, they roll out the red carpet.

Greg: Oh man. And Matt will join in on this too, because I know Kent, you didn't go to the UNI fair, but Matt got his current job—or his wife's job—through UNI, right?

Matt: Yeah, absolutely.

Greg: And Matt, did you feel like you were one of those sought-after candidates because of your overseas experience?

Matt: When we initially went overseas and finished our five years in Venezuela, that was our second time around. There was a huge letter-writing campaign from September up until the week before the fair.

We literally heard nothing from anybody and had no idea if people were even interested in talking to us. We just said, “Let's roll the dice.” Worst case, we move home.

When you get there, they give you a folder at the beginning with all the prospective interviews lined up. We opened it, and there were more people interested than we could even meet.

So I tell people—stay calm. A lot of that recruiting doesn’t even happen until shortly before the job fair.

Greg: And that job fair was the end of January as well, wasn't it?

Matt: Yeah, end of January, first week of February as well. So there was no shortage of people who were interested once you actually get there.

That's the point of the job fair—to bring those people together and connect. Some schools do a ton of hiring online, but each school has its own process.

I got to be honest—if I'm moving overseas, I want to meet these people face to face. I'd be happy to interview in person, but when it comes down to it, let's meet at the job fair and make that happen.

So when you get there, you're going to see many more opportunities to connect.

Greg: And Greg, your experience recently was doing a little bit of legwork before the job fair at GRC, wasn't that right?

I did legwork before every job fair. You have to go in prepared. The GRCs are over for this season, but if you're leading up to UNI, I didn't even find out about UNI until two or three days before Christmas back in 2000.

There were no books, nothing out there. Someone mentioned it at a cocktail party, and I signed up with no experience—no teaching experience. I was still a student teacher.

It really was for beginners. Some schools are looking for first-time hires, others for teachers with a couple years of experience but no international experience.

Most are looking for seasoned overseas teachers, but at UNI, maybe 10% are experienced international teachers, and the rest are new.

It's a fantastic situation. It's three brutal days. You fly in, stay nearby, and you're in the middle of nowhere.

You're flying into Iowa, and people are coming from Kazakhstan, Russia, Bangladesh, Malawi, South Africa—even Indiana and Chicago.

But it's an incredible experience. If you're anywhere near Iowa, go. Get the experience. Read my book, look it up online, do whatever you have to do.

Kent: [www.amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com) or wherever you buy your finer books—Finding the Right Fit by Gregory Lemoine.

Greg: That book really hits those job fairs and what happens during them. It's an amazing job fair to go to.

In three days, you could have a job overseas. And if you don't, there are other job fairs following.

JP: I was going to say, for any Canadians in the group or anyone close to Kingston, Ontario—my first job fair was Queen’s Overseas Teaching Recruitment Fair, TORF.

When I went there in 2001, there were about 100 schools in the main auditorium. Very similar setup—tables, job listings, and you could see positions getting crossed off as they were filled.

You line up, you have a game plan, and you go for interviews. I had three interviews and two offers. It was very exciting.

So for Canadian teachers, I highly recommend it. Kingston is a lovely university town, and it’s a great experience.

Greg: Excellent. Kent, what kind of experience do you have with job fairs?

Kent: My first job fair was actually QSI. It was in Seattle. I'm a West Coast person, so I wasn't likely to go to Iowa.

I also had ISS in San Francisco that year, but I chose to meet with QSI individually—Quality Schools International.

They're very flexible, and it's a great organization to get your foot in the door.

Greg: Can you tell us a little bit about what that job fair looks like?

Kent: The way we did it is you interview, and then they give you options. Sometimes it's not the country you originally wanted.

They have 20 to 30 locations, and they move people around. It's like a funnel system where they place candidates based on fit.

There are some less popular locations where you might start your career, especially if you're new. But you gain experience, get resources, get paid on time, and live the international teaching lifestyle.

So for those new to the game, don't give up. Reach out to QSI. They might even meet with you directly if they're interested.

Greg: QSI also shows up at major job fairs. They'll give you a menu of schools when you line up and let you choose which ones you want to talk about.

It's a big operation, and there are always options.

Matt: One thing I wanted to shed some light on too is not being so hyper-focused on where you're going to end up. This is a game—it's almost like the NFL draft.

Schools are kind of the same way. You walk into this fair thinking, OK, this is the place I'm going, these are my two options, and if I don't get these, that's it.

I hate to see somebody pass up an experience just because they're so hyper-focused on one particular area. The best advice I can give is go in with an open mind and see every single potential option or offer.

I've spent 15 years overseas now, living in places where I once said I would never live. And I don't regret a second of it.

So stay open. Don't be so focused on where you want to go that you miss out on where you're supposed to go.

JP: How many times have you heard people say, “I'm only interested in Europe”? And yet they're going to miss all kinds of opportunities to further their career.

You can move up quite easily within the international system—teacher, head of department, assistant principal, IB coordinator—within the same school or system.

You can focus on your career path and professional development instead of just the location.

I was reading on Reddit this morning—the International Schools subreddit—and there are so many candidates looking for Europe only. Then you see more experienced teachers saying, have you really thought about that?

They don’t provide housing, flights, and you get taxed heavily. It's not the best option if you're looking to save money or move up.

Matt: We could almost do an entire episode on strategy—whether it's money, location, or career.

Greg: Yeah, you said it. People want Europe, but they don't realize that if you work just outside Europe, you might earn more and still vacation there.

When I was in Turkey, I traveled to Europe all the time because I had tax-free income, housing, and utilities covered.

I was flying cheap flights all over—Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Munich—because I could afford it.

JP: And there are visa issues too. Americans and Canadians don't always get into European schools easily because they need EU citizens.

Greg: It's like any profession. You're not going to start at the top hospital or law firm right away. You have to build experience.

So let's talk about timeline. Kent, you were mentioning January—by the time this is published, it's January. Is it over for candidates?

Kent: Not in my experience. I didn't hear from the school that hired me until the very end of December.

Then interviews started in January, continued into February, references were checked in February, and the deal wasn't sealed until March.

So it didn't even start until the new year for me.

Matt: Same here. I got hired as a principal in March. There are always opportunities because people give late notice or situations change.

Job fairs will always have openings because as people accept jobs, their previous positions open up.

Greg: And the key is—if you get an offer you're not ready to accept, don't burn bridges. Be transparent.

Ask for a timeline. If you can't accept, say so respectfully and thank them.

Keep doors open because things change. A position might reopen later, and they may come back to you.

Europe, for example, often doesn't hire until April or even May.

JP: I had a client get an offer in June and move in July. So it can happen very late.

Matt: The hiring window never really closes. If you're ready to go, you can still land a position.

Greg: I always wonder—who is out there to help people make these decisions? First-timers especially.

JP: That's why I started my consultancy. I wish I had someone with experience to guide me when I started.

I have clients reaching out feeling discouraged, and I'm their cheerleader, telling them to keep going and find the right fit.

Kent: One thing I want to say—you can't accept an offer and then change your mind later. A verbal agreement is a contract in this field.

Even if it's just over a video call, saying yes is like a handshake. You need to follow through.

JP: And often you're signing a letter of offer before the full contract. That’s still binding in practice.

You may not even see the full contract until you arrive, but that offer acceptance matters.

Greg: So be careful. Don't accept just because you're afraid. Be strategic.

Matt: And be transparent. If you have multiple options, say so. Schools appreciate honesty.

In our experience, schools were willing to give us time when we communicated openly.

If you're honest, it reflects well on your character.

JP: And admins have been through this themselves. They understand the process.

Greg: All right, so we've talked a lot about job fairs and strategy. Let's shift gears a little bit and talk about New Year's celebrations around the world.

JP, you mentioned earlier that you had some stories. What stands out for you?

JP: Yeah, I’ve had some pretty memorable ones. One that comes to mind was in South Korea. We went to see the sunrise on New Year’s Day, which is a big tradition there.

You wake up early, hike up a mountain or go to the coast, and watch the first sunrise of the year. It’s symbolic—starting fresh, setting intentions.

It was freezing, but really beautiful. Everyone was bundled up, sharing food, just enjoying the moment together.

Kent: That sounds a lot more wholesome than some of my New Year's experiences.

Greg: Yeah, mine usually involve questionable decisions and maybe a beach somewhere.

Matt: I think one of my favorites was in Venezuela. Fireworks everywhere, music in the streets, people celebrating with family.

But the tradition that stood out was people walking around the block with suitcases at midnight. Supposedly it brings you travel in the new year.

JP: Yes! I’ve seen that too in Latin America. It’s such a fun tradition.

Greg: I should’ve done that years ago. Maybe I’d have even more stamps in my passport.

Kent: Or at least a better suitcase.

Greg: Probably both.

JP: Another one I remember was in Oman. It was much quieter—more low-key celebrations, dinners with friends, that kind of thing.

It really depends on the culture. Some places go big, others keep it more intimate.

Matt: And that’s one of the cool things about living internationally—you get to experience all these different ways of celebrating the same moment.

Greg: It definitely gives you perspective. New Year’s isn’t just one thing—it’s a global experience.

All right, before we wrap up, Kent, you wanted to mention Greg’s book again, didn’t you?

Kent: Absolutely. If you're thinking about going overseas, you should check out Finding the Right Fit by Gregory Lemoine. It really dives into the job search process and what to expect.

Greg: I appreciate the plug, Kent. Always.

Matt: Shameless, but effective.

Greg: That’s how we roll.

All right, any final thoughts before we close this one out?

JP: Just that if you’re considering going overseas, this is the time to start putting things in motion. Don’t wait. Get your applications in, start reaching out, and stay positive.

Matt: And stay flexible. You never know where you might end up—and that’s part of the adventure.

Kent: And get a cat. It makes everything better.

Greg: There it is. The real advice.

Thanks for joining us, everyone. We’ll see you next time.