In this world of AI and online connections, you might assume that the age of in-person job fairs is over. However, I would like to state that I had a very enjoyable experience attending the San Francisco Search Associates Job Fair held at the Westin Airport Hotel February 1-2, 2025. Ordinarily I dread these events based on past experiences where I felt as though the high stakes stress of the job fairs aged me several years. This fair, to my great relief, was uniquely different than any of my past job fairs. Allow me to explain. 

🌎 Historically this fair has been one of the smaller Search Associates job fairs being dwarfed by London, Cambridge, and even Toronto. With only about 20 international schools planning to attend with approximately 150 job vacancies, you would think that the chances of getting interviews would be slim, but in fact, there seemed to be enough variety that everyone busily stood in much shorter lines than you would experience at an ice cream shop. 

🧑‍🏫 Job Fairs involve much more than just interviewing. Schools often provide Question and Answer Sessions along with showing informative videos promoting their schools which provide excellent ways to learn about the perks of living somewhere you might not have considered before. There were even three different information sessions being offered – “Interview Tips for Success,” “Aspiring Leaders,” and “Moving Overseas and Loving It.” Associates with years of varied work experiences abroad were able to share their top tips to prepare newbies going abroad for the first time as well as as to remind other seasoned travelers to keep an open mind about less familiar locations. All of the associates were happy to answer any questions people had or offer advice on how to best maneuver the recruitment process. 

🤝 My favorite aspect of the job fairs was meeting all the new people. This year I approached the fair as a way to network with recruiters, pass on tips I have learned along the way to other candidates, and basically to check out how job fairs in this post-covid world have morphed. Being able to chat with other educators with wanderlust like myself was refreshing because I didn’t need to explain why I would give up a stellar gig in Silicon Valley to go treppsing across the globe; both veteran and aspiring international educators just get it. I loved hearing about other placements people were  coming from and also about Third Culture Kids’ experiences; “A third culture kid is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture.” Having like-minded individuals all in a room together definitely helps one feel more connected to others and this globe, which seems surprisingly small when you discover how everyone knows someone you have worked with before. 

There are several steps to take to best prepare for an in-person fair:

• Do your homework – use the Search Associates Portal created specifically for that fair (which opens about a week before the event) to look up which schools will be there that have vacancies in your areas of expertise. 
• Check to see if there are any age or visa restrictions that may apply to your circumstances. 
• Ensure that the net salary minus any local taxes is enough to live on. Don’t be frightened off by salaries that would be low in your home country such as $30K USD, because in many countries the cost of living without rent is $500 USD. Since most schools provide your housing, flights, medical, and sometimes your school lunches, your costs are much lower than in your home country. Thus, your savings potential per year can be quite high. 
• Determine the cost of living comparisons using numbeo.com to figure out your monthly costs in that local community as opposed to your home country. 
• Double check that the schools’ missions and programs are a match to your educational philosophy to ensure your overall happiness if you do accept an offer. 
• This may seem obvious, but pull up the schools’ locations on a map to see exactly where your potential home is located. You don’t want to be that guy who ended up picking a busy metropolis like Cairo or Jakarta, only to realize the school is in the suburbs and will require a 40 minute commute if you choose to liv in the downtown area. 
• On that note, don’t forget to take a look at the climate of the regions you are considering to prevent the uncomfortable humidity or chill of certain places if you have specific preferences. 

🧘 If you do your homework before the job fair, you will discover that your experience during the job fair is less stressful. Doing this research will allow you to pivot easily to apply for different schools when you inevitably discover that some of your top choice schools didn’t show up or they already filled the positions you were seeking. Also, the timeline for accepting offers is much shorter (usually a decision is expected within 24 hours, if not sooner), so you want to be able to confidently accept an offer quickly. 

📚 All in all, in-person fairs still seem relevant today. I was able to connect with some schools that I had contacted previously online, but hadn’t heard a response from yet. The conversations I had were invaluable in helping me consider more countries based on the positive vibe I got from the school session on Taiwan that I hadn’t applied to in the past. In addition, because this fair is more geared to first-time teachers abroad, a lot more effort seemed to be made to give advice to the candidates and ensure that they had all clear instructions and understood the procedures clearly. In addition, should you be one of the lucky ones to secure a job at the job fair, nothing feels better than walking away from a busy weekend knowing that a big adventure awaits. Finally, I truly appreciated all of the books that the associates shared in the Candidate Lounge that contained memoirs, how-to go abroad, and inspirational stories shared by fellow international teachers and recruiters. Now I have a list of books to learn from and guide me as I put the final touches on MY OWN BOOK about how to secure an international job, and why.