Brief stop at Cayo Los Pescadores made me fall in love a little
November is shaping up to be a great month!
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve interviewed with four schools, and the international school hiring season is just beginning. I have one solid job offer from a good school in the Middle East and a verbal offer from a school in Moscow that I’m not too excited about. Things look promising, but I want to hold off on making any decisions until more places start listing their positions!
I have been busy applying to schools directly when I see that they have a position listed on TIE Online. I’ve applied to about 40 schools so far. I’ve been doing research on my own using websites like International School Community and International Schools Review. This system has worked for me in the past and you could argue that it is working for me now, but I wish I was progressing faster.
I didn’t foresee how long it would take for Search Associates to get activated! Even though I have six letters of recommendation on Search, including one from a current supervisor, Search won’t give me access to the database until my very busy elementary principal fills out a form for them. I hope it gets done soon.
On another note: I just paid off another student loan! I only have four more loans to go before my student loan debt is completely paid off! I’m not sure if I will have it paid off in January or February since I’ve already begun paying for my Christmas and Spring Breaks (Cuba and Chile respectively), and I’m now thinking of going to Panama for Carnival.
Finally, this weekend some friends and I escaped from Valencia to visit Los Cayos and my favorite beach in Venezuela: Cayo Sombrero. On the way there we stopped by a tiny beach that I’d never seen before called Cayo Los Pescadores. The water there was calm and clear.
The water at Cayo Los Pescadores is gorgeous
At the beach, I was also able to experience what my friends called “la cava Bolivariana” which is a makeshift cooler made out of a box with ice inside a black garbage bag. It worked…and thankfully we had guys with us to help carry it for us.
Our helpful friends and our makeshift cooler
I hope the excitement continues and that I keep getting more interviews. If you are reading this and your international school has an elementary teacher opening, let me know!
Teaching Wanderlust 
Have you looked into The Columbus School in Medellin, Colombia? It’s only my first year here, but I like it a lot. If you’re interested in staying nearby in a Spanish speaking country, it’s worth looking into.
LikeLike
Hi Alyssa,
I have looked at the Columbus School. I had a friend who worked there last year and he said that the savings potential was really poor because the local currency keeps losing value. I also thought I read somewhere that they make singles share an apartment. While I’ve shared a very large 3 bedroom house that had a patio, back yard, and maid’s quarters with one other person, I don’t think I could share an apartment with a random teacher. If these things are no longer true I would sign up in a hot minute to work there! I have heard that Medellin is a fantastic city to live in.
LikeLike
Hi, the savings potential isn’t huge, that’s true, but my husband and I have been able to essentially live off of one salary and still go out every once in a while and travel too. It definitely won’t be as much as the Middle East, but we do get a bonus in US dollars (about $7,000 for a first year teacher), so that helps. Singles definitely don’t have to room together unless they choose to. I don’t know any singles who have to, and there are a ton.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fantastic to hear! I think I will have to give them a look again!
LikeLike
I have a few friends experiencing similar issues with SA. I’m with ISS and TIE. There are more jobs posted every day on ISS, but it’s slow. I’m guessing most schools are offering contracts this month for returning staff and then will post more openings at the end of the month. Here’s a new site you may want to check out. No fees. http://Www.grcfair.org. It was created by ITs and you’ll see some familiar names and possibly new ones.
I’ve had two interviews this week(one opp very interested in, the other more “ehh” after the conversation) and plan to get more apps completed this weekend. I have zero desire to spend $ on the fairs and hoping to get offers in Dec. I don’t enjoy this process at all and find some interview experiences to be less than professional.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I finally got on Search today and I applied to about ten places already! I’ve thought about the Grc fair, but I feel bad having my references fill out yet another recommendation for me. Good luck in your search!
LikeLike
Nice to hear that someone is doing well with TIE. I’m probably going to the UNI fair to try and find my first international job, but I will be sending out some applications on TIE too. Good luck.
LikeLike
Hi, Eric. Thanks for visiting. I think that using TIE and attending the UNI fair is the perfect combination for teachers who are just beginning their overseas adventures. I actually had another interview this morning from a school that I applied through on TIE (I also sent my info directly to them too). Good luck on your search too!
LikeLike
My husband and I are embarking on our international careers with an interview tomorrow and next Friday. I know of the Moscow job as I applied for that one too! However since we have no international experience, this has been quite the process filled with rejection and let down. Any advice?
LikeLike
Hi there! Thanks for visiting. Rejection is the difficult part of recruiting. I just sent out my resume and cover letter to many different schools and told myself that it is still early in the hiring season. I applied to over 100 schools and some of them are just now getting back to me. You might have to lower your standards a bit for your first overseas school too. Just keep applying!
LikeLike
Pingback: November Round Up | Teaching Wanderlust·
Pingback: Top 10 Posts of 2016 | Teaching Wanderlust·