AASSA member schools may join our service organization either as full or invitational members.  All Full Member schools must be accredited by a recognized US or international accrediting agency, thus assuring their quality and standard.  Invitational member schools must either be accredited or be formal candidates for accreditation.   They must also be teaching an American-based program in English so as to meet accreditation standards.  Currently, there are 59 member schools as shown on our website in South America with member schools also in Central America and the Caribbean.

If you go to the Recruiting Fair tab and the candidate information page on our website, you will clearly be led to the link to the application. All sections of the application must be completed in order for us to accept you—or not—to the fair.  Once your application is complete and you have paid the registration fee either by credit card or check as instructed, we will review your qualifications and experience and approve your application, or not; in either case, you will receive an email.   If accepted, you should then make flight and hotel reservations.

We ask that you pay by credit card.  The link to make payment will be sent to you at the time of your acceptance to the fair.

If you are unable to pay by credit card, you may send a personal check payable to AASSA to our office.  If you are paying by a check drawn on a non-U.S. bank, you must include the exchange rate differential as well as a fee of the equivalent of US$20 to cover the funds which will be deducted by the bank performing the exchange.

Once your application is complete and your registration fee is paid, your online file will be available to the schools’ recruiters and you will be able to access job openings and obtain information on the schools.  Prior to either completion or payment, your file is not available to recruiters.

Almost all of our schools aim to hire certified teachers and some are mandated to do so by their Boards of Directors.  If you are not certified you may be diminishing your chances of being hired.  All of our schools are looking for candidates with degrees appropriate to the fields and subjects they will be hired to teach.  Some schools will favorably consider candidates who are not certified but who have appropriate years of experience. 

All agencies have dropped their long-standing rule that candidates must have a minimum of two years of full-time teaching experience to be accepted to the fair.  That said, some schools will not hire teachers directly out of university…others will. 

In a nutshell, no.  Schools would expect ESL teachers to hold a Bachelor’s Degree at a minimum and to be fully certified either by their State or nationally in their field.

There are a number of salient, major advantages to the AASSA Recruiting Fair.  Our fair is the very first of the recruiting season, which means that advertised jobs do not typically disappear prior to the fair, as they do with each subsequent recruiting event that is held.  Secondly, ours is a regional fair and, as such, all candidates are seeking jobs in Latin America and their focus is either in Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries.  Thirdly, ours is a smaller and more personal fair than most of the others.  This results in a far more relaxed atmosphere and more personal attention than most other agencies provide.  Lastly, ours is an inexpensive fair for candidates and we aim to base ourselves in suitable hotels more cheaply priced than other fairs in major U.S. cities.

As with anything in this life, there are downsides as well as upsides.  Because our fair is early in the recruiting season by design and at the request of our schools, it means that some of the positions are advertised as “tentative”  because of a contract renewal deadline for current staff that takes place after our fair (usually in early January).  Some of our candidates are, therefore, interviewed at the fair and hired a month or two later if a position becomes available.   

Schools will post available positions on our website as soon as they become aware of them. The vast majority of positions, however, do not get posted until the weeks leading up to the fair…and many are announced at the fair itself.  You can also expect that some jobs that are posted prior to the fair may be filled before the fair.

You are welcome to email recruiters prior to the fair in order to establish interest in your candidacy.  That said, you will find that many of the schools will not respond.  This is not because they are not interested but rather because they see the fair as the venue in which to meet candidates and hire them.  The other reality is that schools are virtually barraged with applications of candidates throughout the year and there is no way they can keep up with the volume of email traffic.  That said, it cannot hurt to email a recruiter of a school in which you are interested with the aim of establishing contact prior to the fair.

Most of our school heads want to meet candidates face-to-face to ensure a “fit” both personally and professionally.  For that reason, most heads will simply email back (if they respond at all) that they plan to attend the AASSA Recruiting Fair. 

For teachers just out of university, new to the profession, or with no overseas experience, it is highly unlikely you will be considered as a viable candidate without a face-to-face interview.

It is equally unlikely that by establishing an online dossier with AASSA that you will be hired without attending the fair.  The fair is, therefore, the thing!

Most of our schools hire all nationalities.  A few schools to have government-imposed restrictions on certain other nationals. 

This past year was the first year that we had an online system which allowed us to track candidates.  The hiring rate this past year was approximately 51%.  From my perspective, this is a relatively meaningless number since it does not take into consideration the meshing of the specific positions that were actually available with the candidate’s backgrounds; nor does it consider that some candidates were offered positions which they did not accept; nor does it reflect the fact that some candidates were offered numerous jobs but could only accept one. 
As with any job fair, there is a level of competition.  Some candidates were not certified and most of our schools will only hire certified candidates.  Some schools will only hire candidates with at least two years of experience.  Some want teachers who have taught certain subjects or curricula (i.e. AP or IB). 

Some candidates approach the fair with the notion that there is only one school or one city that is for them.  I strongly suggest against this approach since that particular place may not even have an opening and, even if they do, you may not be their ideal.

Approach the fair with an open mind and let the winds take you to places you may never even have dreamed of.  Some of the great gems of this world are the places that you would never consider.  Some are not the places that pay the most money or even have the best reputations. 

We have arranged for candidates to reserve rooms at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead for $99 per night plus tax.  This is a top-notch hotel and this rate is approximately one-third of the normal cost.  It is most convenient for candidates to stay at the conference hotel if at all possible since interviews will all be held in the recruiters’ rooms at this hotel, as will all events of the fair (i.e. registration, orientation, reception).   Rooms do not include either internet or meals.  Once you are accepted to the fair, you will be sent an email that instructs you how to make hotel reservations under our group rate.  

We selected the Grand Hyatt partially because it is easily reached by taking the MARTA from the Atlanta Hartfield Airport for just $2.25 inbound and $1.75 back to the airport.  (MARTA directions:  take the northbound train to Exit N7 and follow the signs to the Grand Hyatt at the exit.  It’s about a 7-minute walk).  You can also take a taxi for $42 from the airport to the hotel. 

The main registration session is on Thursday evening but you may register if absolutely necessary early Friday morning.  Each registration session will be followed by an hour-long orientation session during which time you will be briefed and have all your questions answered. 

Recruiters arrive on Wednesday or Thursday and will review candidates’ files and leave invitations and notes of interest in candidates’ mail folders, which will be found in our office.

On Friday morning, there will be a 2-hour signup session in the hotel ballroom.  All of the recruiters will be seated around the perimeter alphabetically by country and school and candidates will stand in lines (some short and some long) to briefly speak with the recruiters of the schools in which they hope to be interviewed.  Candidates should also speak with those schools that left them notes of interest.  It is highly recommended to make extra copies of your resume to be able to hand to recruiters at the sign-up session. 

At this initial session, candidates and recruiters will set times for initial interviews (which can range from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the desire of the individual recruiter.

For the remainder of the day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning, interviews take place in the recruiters’ hotel rooms.  A candidate may have 2 or even 3 follow-up interviews with a school…and ultimately if a position is offered, a decision will be made.  Many times, candidates are offered multiple jobs, and then the pressure of making a choice in necessary.

The recruiters have access to your online application.  Still, it is good form to bring a resume to the initial signup session to assist the recruiters in deciding whether it is appropriate to schedule an interview with you, or not. 

It is also recommended that you take a copy of the following paperwork for each recruiter to each interview: a copy of your university transcripts, proof of certification or licensure, letters of recommendation, a resume of your education and work experience, and perhaps a portfolio representing your work. 

It is also suggested you bring along stationary, notepaper or cards in order to leave messages in recruiters’ mail folders.

While we will have a few computers available for candidates to access our site, if possible bring along your own laptop.  The lobby of the hotel offers free Wifi connections.   Having this connectivity will be particularly helpful as you’re doing your research on possible openings prior to the fair.

While teaching is a noble vocation, it is also a job.  In selecting a job, compare not only salary packages but the savings your might realize.  Consider the cost of living as well as the salary and benefit package.  While money is one aspect of fulfillment, remember you are heading off to an adventure.  Consider the size and type of school in which you want to work as well as the place you want to live.  Aim for a place where you will be happy and a place that will provide what you are looking for at this stage of your life: a bustling city, or a more rural setting?; by the sea or up in the mountains?; a hot climate or a colder one?; a stable country or a more politically exciting one?

For financial reasons (since schools generally provide housing and benefits), most schools will look either for single teachers and/or teaching couples.  Some schools will hire married couples in which one spouse does not work, but this combination often diminishes your chances of being hired.  Some schools will not hire families with children, many will, and most will cap the number of children since the schools generally provide for the education of the children of the staff they hire. 

If you are a married couple with children and only one member of the couple is working, it is unlikely you would be hired.

Our schools offer a typical range of courses found in American schools offering programs from Early Childhood through high school graduation.  While the majority of our schools offer the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program in high school, there are a few schools that offer the International Baccalaureate. 

The specific positions that become vacant vary from year to year depending upon the needs and vacancies of individual schools.  While one year may see a greater number of openings in math, science and counseling, for example, the following year may see greater needs in elementary positions, librarians and IT positions.  
Since our schools are located in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, it is highly unlikely that candidates applying as teachers of either of these languages will be hired from abroad.

For the past two years, AASSA has opened its recruiting fair to administrative positions (i.e. principals, vice principals, curriculum coordinators, etc) and a good number of candidates have been successfully placed. 

A number of our schools are IB schools and, as such, are offering either the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme and/or the IB Diploma Programme.  The IB requires those teaching their courses to have undergone IB training as a minimal requirement and you will find that schools will prefer to hire experienced IB teachers.  If you do not have this training, I suggest doing so if you are interested in IB positions.  You can find out information by contacting IBO by clicking here

Most American educators are familiar with the AP Program of high school courses.  Like the IB, many heads of school will seek candidates who have had AP training in their subject area and seek out experienced AP teachers. 

No.  Applying for Director’s positions is a whole separate process.  At the current time, AASSA does not conduct head searches for schools.

Contracts are generally offered for an initial period of two years and most are renewable annually after the initial two years.  Contracts in the international school world are taken VERY seriously and are, literally, binding upon both the school and the employee.  Breaking a contract is not taken lightly…  Candidates should, therefore, make sure they have a thorough understanding of the contractual agreement into which they are entering. 

As with any professional interview situation, dress for success.  Job fairs and interviews are settings where first impressions get you in the door, or not.  Be presentable and be real. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call our office at (954) 436-4034 and speak to Esther or Paul.