80 percent of applications are thrown in the bin or ignored at first glance. Why? The covering letter is either a generic one, regurgitates what is on the profile / CV or is poorly put together. We want your application to be part of that 20 percent! One of Head’s biggest concerns with online applications is that candidates aren’t serious applicants. Here’s some hints on how to ensure you are part of the 20% and get you onto that interview shortlist.

Time flies, doesn’t it? I first left Australia way back in March 2005 to take up a teaching position in Japan. Well, I use the term ‘teaching’ generously- my job was to make sure my class of ten Japanese three-year- olds sat still on their chairs while they sang English songs and recited nursery rhymes. Ugh…

Gone are the days when references were used as the main criteria for judging the quality of a teacher. This is a shame, as references actually add a lot of value to an application; they reinforce a candidate’s achievements and add value to their credentials.

The first impressions are most important, as 80% of the final outcome are made (on both sides!) within 5 minutes of the start.  It is taken as read that the interviewer has spent as much time in preparing and research as the interviewee.  Both sides are evaluating whether their preconceptions are valid.  The interviewer is… Read more »

The international education sector is changing fast. Gone are the days of backward, expat institutions harking back to the ‘good old’ colonial times.

How often have you walked into the staffroom on the day back and a colleague who thinks they are rather funny comments that there are only 49 days working days until the next holiday? Whilst there is much, much more to teaching, I have no doubt that holidays are probably are the biggest perk of the profession.

There has never been a better time to enter the exciting world of international teaching.  We have put together ten reasons why now is the time to get proactive and make 2012 the year you made it happen! 1. Professional development It is a common misconception that international schools are places where you get into… Read more »

How can you get the best chance of success with your international school job application?

The aim of Teacher Horizons is to make it much easier for teachers to explore ALL teaching opportunities and schools all over the world, be it in a glamorous International School in mountainous Switzerland or a charity run school for street children in Mumbai, India. We want truly ‘internationalise’ teaching by helping teachers to be… Read more »

Recruitment Fairs have long been a way of finding a job in an international school. Clearly, it’s not practical to visit every school spread across the globe on the chance of an appointment, so the fairs held in main centres like London and Beijing offer a short-cut. But like many short-cuts, they offer a bumpy ride and a good chance of getting lost or ending up where you didn’t really want to go. My experience of a Recruitment Fair in London was literally a long shot. I fancied a position in South America, and I was working in Mozambique at the time, but I was told the London fair was worth trying.