Notes from the MD - October 2023

 

I’m about to set off on a 2-week trip, visiting schools in the Middle East including the UAE, Qatar and Saudi, with Neil Ollier who runs our Middle East office.  It’s a chance to see the teachers we placed, connect with clients to find out what the new year will bring, and assess the environment for future teachers so we can match you to jobs.

The new recruitment season (for 2024 jobs) is shaping up to be a lively one! Many schools are trying to be proactive and start their recruitment early, but of course they will be very picky early in the season and unwilling to compromise on curriculum and quality of experience.  China, the Middle East and South East Asia are going to be the most vibrant, but we also have very proactive clients in off-the-beaten-path locations like Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, and Costa Rica.

We are still dealing with a relative teacher shortage, particularly in the US, UK and Australia. Not enough teachers have trained in the past 5 years to meet their own demand, let alone the international school demand!  

What does this mean for job seekers? You will expect schools to ask their current teachers to declare their intention to renew sooner, hire earlier and be a bit faster with their decisions particularly in shortage subjects like STEM.  You should not expect schools to wantonly renegotiate salaries without justification, compromise on their standards early in the season, or hang on to you like a life raft on a sinking ship. These schools are hiring early for a reason.

Watch for upcoming recruitment events 

  • ESE has started interviewing for 2024 jobs already: Register HERE  (note we have an upcoming webinar on ESE!)
  • Yew Chung schools in China and Hong Kong are interviewing in November for August 2024 jobs. Find out more HERE  (note we have an upcoming China webinar)

Finally, if you have not already please take our annual Teacher Survey. We appreciate your feedback!  You can take it HERE and it's only 8 questions which will take you less than 10 minutes. . 

Yours in education, 

Diane Jacoutot

Managing Director, Edvectus