Over 50 and Looking for an Expat Option
Strategies from a Friend
Full disclosure, I am not over 50 years old.
Last week a person messaged me and asked if I had any tips for targeting international schools that would look favorably upon an older candidate with a tremendous amount of experience.
I told this person I would research the topic some, and write a post to address the question.
I am going to lead with an anecdote, but then explain the issue from a management standpoint, and finally lay out a theoretical plan to target schools more likely to be open to employees in the 50+ range.
In the end, readers really need to consider commenting at the bottom of this post to help correct the strategy and take the ideas from theory to practice.
My Friend Jack
I have a very good friend, let’s call him Jack, and we have been friends since 2013. He is around 56 years old and has never had an issue finding employment. I would even say, he gets the jobs he wants when he wants them.
His teaching speciality is Middle School Social Studies and English. He also is a highly qualified boarding school professional.
I never really asked him about an over 50 strategy, but, a few years ago we played a game theory scenario out concerning when to recruit for jobs.
The goal was to determine when the job seeker had the most advantage and the most leverage to ask for a higher salary.
Jack’s strategy was always to wait until the spring. He waited for all the expensive and high pressure recruitment to finish. Jack knew the following to be statistically likely:
Every school has people who decide to leave in the spring
Every school tends to spend most of their recruitment money early (travel, hotels, etc)
Every school has many people teaching Social Studies and English
Every school likes Middle School teachers that are adept at managing large groups of kids
Every school hates having last minute openings and does not want to go into summer with open positions
All of these things do not happen to every school every year, but they occur so frequently, that if 3 of the 5 conditions are met Jack would usually find an interview and a job offer.
Jack has a few other things going for him. He is single and does not have any pets. He is a low friction hire. A low friction hire can be employed, visa processed, and relocated very quickly.
Jack also is flexible in terms of school type, but not as flexible on location and salary. In other words, he would not go to a famous school if it were in a bad location or the salary was sub par. He doesn’t care about wellness programs and free coffee. He cares about his life after work and how much money he can save.
Jack is focused, and he has his priorities in line. His age is a bit irrelevant, because he is attracting jobs that he wants and that need him.
If we were to encapsulate all of this we would say that Jack believes a focused late recruitment strategy is the best win-win scenario. We could also say that given more time he can use his network to find jobs and skip the recruitment agencies. His cost of doing business is nearly as low as it can be, and his options to get more money are often higher than the norm.
The Over 50 Issue
I believe most people have been told, and probably witnessed, that international schools will try to recruit certain types of people early. The general plan seems to be to try and find married couples with all the pre-requisites who also bring something extra to the table. The next tier would be married couples that meet the pre-requisites. And from there, a combination of qualified people.
The issue is that within this process, employers want people who they believe can do the job, but survive the journey. They want people who can be as self sufficient as possible. They want people who will thrive within the environment, solve problems, and stay healthy. This implies on and off campus.
Some of the worst situations I have assisted my previous employers with have been off-campus issues. These type of problems are scary, and often, life threatening.
Many employers would look at a twenty-three year old with very little experience in exactly the same way as a fifty-five year old with decades of experience. The truth is, it depends on the location and the specific issues that location creates.
A school in a hot humid climate may be very particular to employ people who are in excellent physical health. A school in a lively city may want teachers who are not interested in going out every night.
Some countries age out expats around 60 years old. Employing someone who is 50 for ten years is totally worth the paperwork and process. Employing someone who is 57 for around three years of service may be more of a hassle.
Developing a Strategy
Considering the rationale listed above, how would you make a strategy to take advantage of the decision making process?
I gave this some thought, and here is what I would do (and will have to do in the future):
I would look for jobs in lively cities and countries that have a solid social scene
I would look for jobs at boarding schools where young people tend to get antsy and develop community claustrophobia
I would ensure the location had easy to access and easy to use healthcare
I would go out of my way to improve my physical fitness so that humid climates are not working against me; I would be ready to highlight my physical activity in interviews
I would focus my resume and materials on the new and innovative, and not the routine, work I am doing
I would not apply for any jobs where I will age out in less than five years
I would reduce my friction, so that I am not a difficult person to process through the system
The question of waiting to apply until spring is still up in the air. I feel it only works if you are confident that the odds are in your favor. I am not advocating that as strategy.
I am advocating that you do whatever you can to detract from your age by eliminating the issues. By choosing places and locations that allow you to live with as little worry as possible, potential employers will likely lower their perception of risk.
Comment below with additional ideas and pathways to success.
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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.