| The internet has one purpose, to share information | | | | and then there are schools in which you wouldn’t |
| with people, and it’s a very powerful tool. I’m | | | | work even if you were desperate for a job, so it’s |
| going to focus on how you can use the information | | | | important to do your research. |
| that is available on the internet to secure a teaching | | | | You will need to set out some criteria against which |
| position abroad. | | | | you can assess the school. If you are looking to teach |
| Searching for Vacancies | | | | in an international school, then there are industry |
| Firstly you need to identify where you would like to | | | | specific criteria you should be looking at, and I’ve |
| work, and the kind of school in which you want to | | | | included them in a chapter in my book The Complete |
| work. For example, I teach economics and would like | | | | Guide to Securing a Job at an International School. |
| to teach in Europe. | | | | You can find information about schools in many places. |
| Once you’ve thought about the geographical area | | | | You could search the schools’ website for |
| in which you want to work and have made a decision | | | | information. Look at: |
| about that, you’ll need to go to a search engine and | | | | * pictures they have on the site. I was keen on getting |
| conduct a search. You are going to be looking for | | | | a job at one of the schools in the Bahamas when I |
| schools with relevant vacancies. Personally I find | | | | saw that all the staff were all wearing shorts in the |
| Google returns the most relevant search results. | | | | staff photo on the website! |
| In order to teach in Europe I’m probably going to | | | | * students’ work published on the website. One of |
| have to teach in an international school, so one search | | | | my colleagues is currently looking for a new job |
| term I might use is “international school Europe”. | | | | teaching Information Technology at an international |
| The reason I wouldn’t try the search term | | | | school and one of her strategies is to check out what |
| “economic teacher vacancy international school | | | | students are doing at the school. |
| Europe” is that while it might be a more specific | | | | * whether the school has included information about |
| search term, in using it I am assuming that the | | | | living in the local area, either for parents or for |
| schools’ webmaster has optimized the page for | | | | teachers. |
| that search term. | | | | You could find out whether there is there a national (or |
| For example, when I used the first search term | | | | international) education quality assurance organization, |
| “international school Europe” the first page of | | | | such as Ofsted in the UK, ERO in NZ, or ECIS for |
| results has only two schools listed whose sites I can | | | | international schools, and see whether there are any |
| then visit and look for relevant vacancies. But the other | | | | reports available in the public domain about the school |
| results were directories of international schools in | | | | that interests you. |
| Europe which I could use to jump into my research | | | | You could find and join a forum and ask the members |
| with around 15 schools listed per directory. | | | | for information about the school. For example the |
| When I use the second search term “economic | | | | Times Education Supplement (TES) website has |
| teacher vacancy international school Europe” the | | | | several teachers’ forums. You can find the forum |
| first page of results has no relevant web sites listed. | | | | concerned with teaching overseas here: |
| The sites were either economics news stories or job | | | | TES Teaching Overseas Forum |
| placement services recruiting teachers for schools in | | | | Submit Your Application via Email |
| the United Kingdom. | | | | When you’ve established that the school is one in |
| Finding Information about the School | | | | which you’d like to work, you can use email to |
| Once you’ve found a likely looking vacancy that | | | | submit your application pack, find a web hosting |
| you think you’d like to apply for, you can use the | | | | service and have elements of your application pack |
| internet to gather more information about the school. | | | | available online for the recruiter to visit and, you can |
| This is an essential process, and should be carried out | | | | send the recruiter to the website of your current |
| before you submit your application. As all teachers | | | | school if there is material displayed there for which you |
| know, there are schools in which you want to work | | | | can take some credit. |