The Puzzle: Blog

As the Foreign Languages Associate at Carney, Sandoe, I work with many candidates who conduct their searches from abroad. Residing overseas during a job search can certainly be challenging, but many candidates successfully land positions from all around the globe. In order to assist those who will be embarking on such a search, I wanted to share some helpful hints from Nick, a candidate who worked with us during the 2013-2014 recruitment season. Nick’s entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to his search made our job here at CS&A very easy!

1. How did you first hear of CS&A?

I first heard of CS&A from a friend of mine at Harvard who was considering teaching after graduation. When I decided that I too wanted to become a teacher several years later, I remembered the conversation I had had and asked my friend for more details.

2. What was the process like becoming a candidate from overseas?

I have twice used CS&A to get a teaching job in the States, and during both search processes I wasliving abroad (first in France, then in Spain). In both cases, I would say the process did not differ too much from what it would have looked like were I in the US for my search. The schools with which I spoke were all understanding of the situation and were willing to communicate via Skype to facilitate international communication.

3. Did you find that schools were hesitant to start the interview process with you because you were not in the states?

I did not find that schools were hesitant to start the interview process because I was abroad; however, it is certainly a topic that came up within the first few minutes of the first interview or even before in preliminary email communication. Some schools were upfront about not being sure how to manage the process or if they could make it work, but by and large if the school was interested in me as a candidate, they were willing to work with my location.

4. In order to offset the challenges of searching from overseas, did you do anything “out of the box” in terms of creating your candidate profile?

During both my searches, I made sure to have a video of my teaching available for schools if they so desired. The first time around I made a video while I was in France as a Spanish teacher. The second time around, several of my graduate school colleagues and I taught mini-classes for the undergraduates to film and send to potential employers.

5. Did many of the schools that were interested in your candidacy ask you to come to campus for an in-person interview?  If so, did they cover the cost of your travel/lodging?

My first time as a candidate, schools did not offer to bring me to campus for in-person interviews; however, the second time around several schools offered to bring me to their campuses for personal interviews. Some schools offered to pay the entire cost of my travel while others offered to pay half if I could coordinate my trans-Atlantic trip with another school, which I did successfully. In retrospect, I believe this difference can be attributed to the fact that I was a much stronger applicant the second time around, with more teaching experience and a master’s degree.

6. What do you think was the most challenging aspect of searching from overseas?

I believe that the most challenging aspect of the job search process while being overseas is making campus visits. It is often truly up to the candidate to coordinate among various schools to pay his or her way back to the States for interviews. In other instances, such as in my first job search, both the school and the candidate have to take a leap of faith. The school must make a decision without having met the candidate face-to-face, and the candidate must accept said offer without having stepped on campus.

7. What advice would you give to candidates beginning a search from abroad this coming year?

My advice to current candidates starting their searches from overseas is to be aggressive. Make the sales pitch from the very start about why it is worthwhile for a school to look into hiring you while abroad rather than someone who is in closer reach of the school. Be the one to suggest alternative means of communication and be as flexible as possible in arranging interviews via Skype or phone. When interviewing via Skype, treat the process exactly as you would an in-person interview, including the way you dress and how you make eye contact. You want the interviewer to feel that he or she has truly just met you and shaken your hand you end the call.

8. Most importantly, have you enjoyed teaching at independent schools?

After my first search from France, I landed a job as a middle school French and Spanish teacher at Fort Worth Country Day in Fort Worth, Texas. Following my second search from Spain, I decided to accept a job as an upper school French and Spanish teacher at Western Reserve Academy, a boarding school outside of Cleveland, Ohio. I have thoroughly enjoyed both experiences and am certainly pleased that I made the decision to work in independent education.

Image credit: Pexels

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