How to attract teachers to work in your school - a COBIS Webinar

A COBIS webinar given on 16th April 2020 on teacher recruitment to international schools. The presentation looks at innovative ways of finding talent and ways in which schools can position themselves by building their recruitment brand.

The Video of the Webinar can be seen here
 

The PowerPoint Slides are here:

“What is it about your nasal cavity that you think will help you get this job?”

First impressions count in interviews, don’t they? Most people make an extra effort with how they dress, fix their hair and do their make-up. We all know that strong posture, firm (but not-too-firm) handshake and eye-contact are the order of the day. But why does this all go out of the window when it comes to interviews on Skype?
In the dozen or so interviews which I have conducted in the past fortnight, I have looked up several noses, looked down on bald patches, spoken to cut-off heads and even been introduced to a cat! Furthermore, it’s difficult to make a connection when candidates are checking out how they look on screen or look as if they are speaking to someone over my left shoulder.
 So, given that Skype interviews are becoming increasingly common - here’s a few dos and don’ts:

1. Take some time to adjust the height of the camera. Make sure that the screen and camera is at eye-level when you’re sitting down. 
2. Practise speaking into the camera. Anyone who has done media training knows that the key to coming across as authentic on camera is ‘to look through the lens’. (When I’m doing a Skype interview, I have the camera on a stand just in front of the screen so that when I’m looking at the interviewer’s eyes on screen, I am looking through camera.) 
3. Don’t sit too close to the camera. There is no reason to sit right at your desk, push back a metre or so – there is less of a sense of invading each other’s space and it makes the whole experience less intense. 
4. Invest in an Extension Microphone. A USB extension microphone is very cheap – it will improve the sound quality and will allow you to sit further away from the camera. Don’t forget to test the sound levels. 
5. Think about what’s behind you. A good background can make a positive impression, a busy or untidy one can be a distraction. 
6. Avoid backlighting. The angelic halo tends to get in the way. 
7. Never wear a headset. Do I really need to explain why? 
8. Take time to prepare for the Interview. There’s an element of ritual about face-to-face interviews that prepares candidate for the interview (getting dressed, travel to the school, checking in with Reception, waiting for the interview). Much of this can be lost when you are fitting in a quick interview between lessons or between breakfast and heading to school. Try to arrange the Skype at a time when you have the opportunity to prepare physically and mentally.
9. Don’t put Post-its around the screen – you wouldn’t have notes at a face-to-face interview, so why do people think that it’s acceptable on Skype? It’s so obvious and shows a lack of confidence.
   Oh, and finally, 
10. Make sure that you’re fully dressed! You never know what might happen during the call!

This article was published in Tes 08/02/2019 as '10 steps to acing a Skype job interview'

Some tips on how to get a job in a British School Overseas.

January is the time when teachers in International schools need to decide whether or not to extend their contracts and that’s the reason why this week’s Tes is flooded with advertisements for international school posts for a September start. Here's some insights into the questions that International schools will be asking themselves when shortlisting and interviewing.

1. ‘Will this candidate cope with the demands of living and working abroad?’ There is little doubt that an overseas posting has additional challenges to working in, say, a different part of the UK. There are significant relocation costs for schools in recruiting a teacher from the UK, so schools will want to be confident that the candidate will complete the (typical) initial two-year contract and not leave the school in the lurch after the first month. Candidates need to show that they are able to cope with living at a significant distance from family and friends. Interviewers undoubtedly find it reassuring when candidates have lived or worked abroad, even if it is only for a few months on a gap year. It can also be helpful if the candidate has some sort of local support network in the form of friends or family working in the same city as the international school. 
2. ‘Does the candidate know what the city/country is like?’ There is always an element of a leap of faith about moving abroad, but interviewers will want to be satisfied that candidates have done their homework and have some idea of the context to which they are applying. It is undoubtedly an advantage to have visited the city/country even on holiday. Indeed, anyone thinking of moving abroad might want to invest in their relocation project by planning holidays around visiting potential work locations. 
3. ‘Is the candidate sensitive to cultural differences?’ Anyone living and working abroad needs to be comfortable with having respect for local customs and traditions. This is particularly important in parts of the Middle East where, for example, local attitudes to dress code and to alcohol can be very different to those in the UK. Furthermore, most international schools have culturally diverse student population and teachers need to be able to sensitive to this in the classroom.
4. ‘Does the candidate have experience of teaching students for whom English is not a first language?’ Whilst teaching in English is the norm in International schools it is very common for a majority of students to be working in a second language. This brings additional challenges for teachers and, whilst schools are not looking for every teacher to be TESOL trained, schools are attracted to teachers who have experience of working with EAL students.
5. ‘How much relevant experience does the candidate have?’ There are mechanisms for supporting and ratifying Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) in British schools overseas, however most international schools prefer to appoint teachers with at least 2- or 3-years relevant experience. Any NQTs applying should abroad check the level of support that their chosen international school can provide before accepting the post.

A version of this article was published by Tes on 08/01/2019 Teaching abroad: five questions you need to consider 

How top schools can help educate the 263m children in the world who are not in education.

Interview about how top schools can use new technologies, such as Virtual Reality teaching and Blended Learning, to educate some of the 263m children who are not in education.

 

Interview at the HMC Annual Conference in London, 04/10/2017

The Future of Schooling - Interview with Relocate Magazine

Interview with Relocate Magazine about the Future of Schooling, filmed at the COBIS Conference in Greenwich, London on 07/05/2017