Getting into US Schools
How to Begin Recruitment in the USA
Being an American Expat does not mean you are destined to never return home. Being from another country should not eliminate the USA as an option for employment.
The USA is a big place, and there are many good jobs in private education. Schools that fall into this category are generally labeled as private or independent.
Where to Begin
The odd part of US recruitment is the interview process can be very slow, and you may find yourself interviewing with 3-4 groups of people. You may never meet the head of school. However, you could get an offer with an expectation to start very quickly.
Slow. Slow. Slow. Lightspeed.
If you are an organized person and have already setup your profiles with one of more search agencies, this process will be fairly easy. This means you would have developed online profiles (so you can copy and paste), customized resumes/cvs, developed a few different cover letters, and prepared a list of references.
If all of the above are not complete, complete them first.
The next step is to decide if you want to relocate, and then look for a new position (assuming you can legally do so); or to recruit from outside the USA and arrive with a new job.
I am going to assume the latter here, and deal with the other scenario in a future post.
Although most jobs can be found openly on websites like NAIS Careers, you will find that many of those positions link to recruitment agencies, are out-of-date, or are too vague to really apply.
If you are serious about recruitment in the USA, you need an account with Carney Sandoe and Associates (CSA).
CSA is free. It is a fairly long application. Here is how it works:
You register and there will be most of an application
In a few days, you will be notified if they accept you, and you will likely be assigned an agent
After acceptance, the application is much larger, and you need to complete every section
Do not worry about searching and applying for positions until everything is complete
As someone who uses this service to find new teachers, be advised that incomplete profiles look strange
Creating a Win-Win
Imagine you are a school based in the USA. The scenario for these schools is different than international schools. Here are some key points to consider:
They are usually employing people who are already in the USA
They are usually employing people in their region
They are usually employing people who can start close to immediately, or at least, by August 1 for teachers and July 1 for administrators (ouch, no holiday)
If you are outside of the USA you are at a disadvantage in this scenario. You need to create an advantage.
First, decide if you can leave your current location and be in a new job within the standard time frame. If not, then you need to be prepared to negotiate the start date and/or find positions that start later in the fall. This is possible, but the contracts might be shorter. Being as flexible as possible on relocation timelines is very important to lowering the barrier.
Second, are you willing to make two moves in two years. If you are, then your options just increased.
Your first job in the USA might not be exactly what you want, but, you are no longer tied to some weird visa contract. You can freely look for other jobs and change jobs.
I believe you will find people are understanding about this, and recruiters will not care as long as the second job demonstrates more stability.
Third, are you geographically flexible? CSA has settings that allow you to choose geographical locations. I would not suggest choosing locations that are highly cost prohibitive if savings and cash flow are an issue. However, if you target areas that are affordable, and you forgo caring about weather and proximity to family/friends, you will have opened up a huge search area.
Landing the first job in the USA is more important than landing the perfect job.
Once established, it is very easy to continue recruiting. This is also exhausting, and not for everyone.
Geographically Focused
Many people are only interested in certain areas. If you have decided to limit yourself, then a few additional steps are required to give yourself an advantage.
Research all the schools that are private and independent
Bookmark the career and employment pages for these schools and check them often; apply directly if they allow that
Look up the administrators at these schools and add them to your LinkedIn
Follow the administrators on LinkedIn and read the news they post about their school; comment when appropriate
If a natural conversation arises, this is positive, better to not be a stranger on future applications
For people who have a very narrow focus, public schools can be an option, but often more tedious. I would recommend only applying for public school positions after arriving back into the USA. They can have immediate start times, and may require a state ID or some other paperwork that is very local.
If you have friends or family in the area you are wanting to move to get them involved. Have them spread the word that, “[INSERT NAME] is moving back and looking for a job ...”
This helps. Remember, you need to build a network and trusted professional relationships.
Being overseas for a few years can impact how people perceive your career choices. Do not assume they will see the expat choice as interesting and adventurous. They may only know about people teaching English in Japan, and assume, all education jobs are like that.
They probably have no idea that your international school was an academic powerhouse with better resources than their school has to offer.
Assume only that you are connecting to a new community that requires some level of trust and certainty before they will interview a candidate. Find a path to building trust.
Boarding Schools
In the USA there are many boarding schools. These schools can be great for saving money, but they are also going to be more work than a normal day school.
If you are keen on considering boarding schools, you still need the CSA account, but you also need an account with The Association of Boarding Schools.
Their online platform is not great, so prepare from some slow connections and webpage freeze-ups.
The main issue with these jobs is to confirm:
Do they have full time housing available for new teachers/administrators
Can families live on-campus
What the additional duties are and the duty rotation
I reviewed a boarding school rotation in 2017 that worked like this:
Every day (aside from Friday and Saturday) the school hosted an evening study hall
For every study hall the school staffed a person from every single department to be available for questions
Every teacher had at least one of these duties a week, and sometimes more around exam time
Most international school teachers are accustomed to after school activities. Boarding school duties are not the same. You would be working all day. Maybe doing an activity. Then, returning to do an evening duty sometimes.
Boarding schools may also be structured to allow you to be free unless you are on the schedule. Meaning, if you have your first class at 1:00PM and duty at 6:00 PM, you report to work around 12:30 PM and can leave again until the evening duty.
Pros. And. Cons.
The next installment on this topic will come out next week.
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Why is this SubStack called, Pancake on a Stick?
Pancake on a Stick is the single funniest story I have ever heard in my life. In about a year from now, the event will be reenacted and recorded. I named the SubStack after the story, because every time I think of the name, I smile and laugh. This helps with my writing and tone, and makes me always remember the most important things in life.
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Most social media is dead to me, but you can find me on LinkedIn and Youtube.
LinkedIn (A bastion of boredom but mostly on mission)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tdeprato/
Email
info@tonydeprato.com
My video series on Expat Recruitment is BORING but useful Listen or Watch and you can master this process.