Tag: Recruitment

Life on the Wire

matthewpiercyPlanning and Preparation

“Life is on the wire, the rest is just waiting.”  

~Papa Wallenda

 

The next several months of recruiting season are exciting for many teachers and administrators. Having resigned, lives are once again lived on the “wire.”  As a teacher of inquiry there seems to be a valuable ordering to the questions which might propel the decisions so many are about to make.  Our “why” paramount, hopefully a clear vision of why we remain in the hallowed field of education.  Followed by “what.”  Understanding the nature that there is not one market but many.  What exactly is most desirable?  The “who” you are, what you are able to offer, but also “who” or identity of your potential future employer also is to be considered.  And last, the “how.”  Trust is what ultimately is required here.  Confidence in yourself but moreover, a deep sense of trust in the process, and in life.  

Further, we might do ourselves a favor to remember and hold fast to the fact that similar to graduating students, there are no “best” international schools.  Unlike United States universities and colleges, there are no rankings of international schools. Even if there were, the list would be flimsy and likely, saturated in bias.  For, even the thirty odd years of US News & World Report university and college rankings recently were debunked by Malcolm Gladwell in his Revisionist History podcast. Gladwell brazenly asserts the “rankings game” report to be audaciously inaccurate in measuring the quality of institutions.  

Yet, somehow there persists a myth in the international circuit of tiered schools.  Reputation is an aspect not to be dismissed, however what makes a “top tier” school is worth sussing out.  Besides reputation, “top tier” equates to a more generous package.  Such benefits as matching retirement funds, annual return trips home, shipping allowance, and health insurance.  Benefits are unarguably measurable. Yet, they do not necessarily equate to the effectiveness of a school, student learning, or most importantly fittingness. 

 

First Rodeo

Snow was being removed from the tarmac as my plane landed in February of 1998. My life was about to be positively changed as I attended my first international teaching job fair. These were the days before the ubiquity of the internet and a physical catalog of schools was provided after mailing in a check and registering. So much has changed in the world and yet, I sometimes grapple to put my finger on how much the international teaching “circuit” has.  In many respects it still seems like a small world, especially when a new colleague is quick to connect, “Oh, you taught at X, Y, or Z school.  You must know Dan Stiles (or take your pick of names!).”  

I entered the fair expecting nothing more than a chance to gain interviewing experience.  When I received my first offer, I hurried to the pay phone, mind you this also was before cell phones.  “Dad, I was offered a job,” I celebrated.  Even more surprising, later in the day another contract was extended.  Since this experience, I have utilized the services of two other recruitment agencies and had the pleasure to teach on five different continents.  However, only in the last few years have I fully come to appreciate the importance of the term, “fittingness.”

 

Fittingness

The concept of fittingness is a constant, so long as we are willing to put our lives on a limb. Throughout life there are choices to be made, forks less or more traveled in the road.  Stress, usually self-induced, besets a mental fixation on making the “correct” or “right” choice.  For grade eleven and twelve students it often centers on higher education.  Achieving high IB or SAT scores and being selected into an Ivy or other lofty “league” school. Assuming Harvard is the best for everyone, when in reality some big fish may have a better experience in a smaller “pond.”  The reality being one where there is no “best” school.  Thankfully there are many “bests,” and the notion that matters most is the fit.

 

Abundance and a World of Choice

ISC Research,  a leading provider of English-medium K-12 international school data, trends and intelligence, reported in 2017 there are more than 9,000 international schools. To operate under the belief that there are but a few “best” schools would be a gross understatement. Seth Godin, best-selling author and entrepreneur, purports there is no scarcity.  As we close out on the Industrial Age, the opposite is true.  In effect we are living in great abundance and are experiencing a world of choice.  Instead of stressing ourselves about the “best” or “top tier” schools, what might make more sense is to create a sort of hierarchy around what matters most to you in your next place of work.  

 

Some Ideas of Criteria to Consider (not in any hierarchical order)

~location of the school and size of the city. An increasing consideration is quality of life, looking at a cities air quality may be one helpful criteria

~size of the school. Small, medium, and large schools all have their pros and cons

~history and tradition of the school.  Schools steeped in tradition may sometimes not be as quick to be progressive as tried and true systems of yesteryear may not demand revision. Unable or an unwillingness to be innovative or make quick shifts may lead to feeling like Krishnan Kanthavel, the captain of the Ever Given, as he diagonally blocked the Suez and prevented the  transit of nearly everything bought and sold on the planet!

~your personal mission as a professional 

~a school’s clarity in mission, vision, values and how these are tangibly being realized

 

Further, keeping it clear what one ideally wants in a school is vital. A component of this is fully coming to grips with what you have to offer.  Schools will want to know this.  Moreover, just as a school’s clear identity is important to you, they will want to feel confident in their ability to see an “authentic you.” Envisioning the interview this way may even help dissolve barriers which create anxiety and possibly create more of a conversational feel. Feigning questions at the end is easily discernible. Instead, determine what you really want to know about the role you are applying for, the school, or even the host nation.  

 

A Few Ideas of Questions You May Wonder

~What has your school learned through the pandemic?  Or, how has your school positively adapted as a result of COVID?

~How are you leveraging PD as a whole faculty?

~What measures are being taken to ensure students are learning in ways that fit with what the world is asking of graduates today?

~What are the top three strategic goals for your school?

~What does ___________ look like in the classroom?

~What would have been most helpful to know before you joined the school?

 

“I’m Excited”

Transition can be scary business.  Anxiety is normal when we courageously unroot ourselves and pick up our lives after any number of years.  However, it is possible to reframe the experience and actually enjoy the process. Alison Wood Brooks, a renowned psychologist found evidence across several studies of reappraising anxiety as excitement. Simple self-talk as saying “I am excited” out loud can actually work, giving credence to the aphorism, “fake it till you make it.” The doors of the world are unhinged. Your vulnerability ultimately has the power to lead to unforeseen opportunities.  Trust and enjoy life on the wire. 

EMBRACING WONDER AND GRACE

matthewpiercyPersonal
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”    ~Epicurus It was the first day of a new school year.  At lunchtime a message appeared in my inbox with the subject line, “Where will you be teaching in 2022?”  It would be errant to claim this to be the first wind I caught of peering into and “preparing” for the future.  Days prior, colleagues shared how they already registered with international recruitment agencies. A part of me was left reeling, falling perfectly into the “trap” of the subject line.  Wondering where might I be in a year’s time.  Try as I might, I wrestled with reality, asking, “Was it really already time to begin thinking about recruitment?” Regardless of the answer, any answer, I instead firmly plant myself in the present.  Teachers and administrators who have had “skin in the international game” for years may have the a priori belief that it never is too early to begin thinking about next year.  However, my experience in observing and listening to international educators for more than two decades, showcased how sometimes there was a sort of psychology of transition.  One that confirmed the necessity to be in the moment. Like it was yesterday, I can remember how my first two years played out teaching overseas. The initial few months seamlessly fit with what is often called the honeymoon stage. The newness exciting to the cohort of teachers I entered alongside.  Differences such as conceptions of time, piqued our curiosity and were seen positively as stimulants. Later it would be these very items that would be irritants. We would settling in by winter break, still intrigued by cultural nuances and dedicated time to learn the language of the host nation. Friendships would continue to deepen. The first year was equal parts whirlwind and respite.  Life being lived in the present moment. Recruitment those days seemingly kicked into gear much later and so the start of year two was a continuation of positivity.  But, by March the second year some teachers in the cohort made the decision to move on. Seemingly overnight, there was a shift in mindset.  Certain friends became mere colleagues, ones I found myself no longer really wanting to even share conversation. Lightheartedness, laughter, and appreciation for any differences in culture were substituted for mockery and scorn. I wanted no part. It wasn’t until my second international post that I would be permitted a clearer window into what possibly was happening.  Again, a similar trajectory of experience played out.  From awe to contentment and then to frustration and even disdain.   Were there forces at play?  I was not sure.  But what I did recognize as truth was how there appeared to be a sort of uncanny coping mechanism, where individuals unconsciously deceived themselves.  As if darkness needed to exist to know light. Yet, it went beyond the paradoxical.  Little was in flux but the individual themselves.  The country was by and large the same.  The inhabitants, students, and school too.  Yet, ostensibly all that was celebrated the first year and a half, now was spoiled. The aspirations of the “next place,” and far greener grass left some colleagues living in what might best be called purgatory.  Arguably they were living in two places.  Or possibly in no place at all.  What was certain was they no longer were fully present and appeared stuck. Of course this was and is not the case for all people in transition.  However, with each move I have witnessed a similar occurrence for some. And here we are.  Living in times where recruitment is no longer pegged to the seasons.  This is fitting as a result of the ubiquitous nature of so much in life, as we grow increasingly connected. Teachers for hire anytime, anywhere. A truly globalized world. Kind of like feasting on asparagus in Iceland in December.  Time and place no longer barriers. In the case of education; LinkedIn, Zoom and all the other platforms serve to displace the traditional recruitment fairs. Regardless, the subject line, “Where will you be in 2022” brought into focus for me, how there is a layering of beginnings.  Beginning a new school year, while already considering a beginning somewhere else. Simply becoming more aware of this, brought more contentment. Yet, this “layering” does come with some risk. The risk of living for today. What if instead of getting caught up in where we might be in 2022, we dedicated ourselves to doing as Will Richardson suggests?  “What if we committed to radical love, of one another and of the planet? It’s clear, I think, that anything less will prevent us from solving the problems we face. That and, of course, going out and jogging or walking or biking a few miles each week, turning off the narratives of strife and gloom, taking in the beauty that’s right in front of us, and honoring this current moment for all of its wonder and grace.” Where will I be in 2022? Hopefully still feeling grateful for my life, just like today. #############