Now is the time to Teach Abroad! Don't delay...

Notes from the General Manager - Diane Jacoutot

A 63 year old man was detained in Washington DC, USA for murder this month when he interviewed for a job.  A standard pre-employment background check determined that there was an outstanding arrest warrant on him in a murder-for-hire case back in 1973.  Apparently it was a surprise to both potential employer and employee.  They say justice never sleeps, but it appeared to be taking a 39 year siesta in this case.

Internationally, an equally old but very unpopular law in Egypt was given a siesta yesterday, and this was a cause for much celebration.  The current government in Egypt ended a 30 year old emergency law which gave police broad powers to detain and arrest people, in a victory for pro-democracy activists.

And at the same time the Egyptian stock market increased 34% since the beginning of the year, making it one of the biggest global winners this year.  It’s good to see Egypt, which had been a powerhouse in North Africa, returning to normality. The international school market appears to be rebounding as well and we have just taken in a number of jobs in a very good school based in a suburb 45 minutes outside of Cairo.  The consultant who recently visited this school, who also lives in Egypt, commented on the warm family atmosphere and high quality of resources available so if you are looking at North Africa I encourage you to take a fresh look. It pays quite well and has a much higher savings potential than in the nearby Gulf States such as the UAE.

Now is the time of year when we get a raft of really interesting jobs in all over the world, and clients become more flexible (within reason).  As we approach the end of the academic year which is typically end of June for most international schools, we find that clients are willing to consider candidates with a bit less experience, or less consistent experience, than previously they would and this is good news for many. The UK May Resignation deadline has passed, and this means that a vast majority of English and Welsh teachers are locked into contracts until January, and whilst this is bad news for English National Curriculum schools because they have far fewer teachers from which to choose, it’s good news for teachers of other nationalities because they get a look in.

If you are still looking for work abroad, I would encourage you to contact your Teachanywhere consultant (or if you do not know who it is, contact teacher@teachanywhere.com)  so that we can reactivate your file. It’s a good time to be looking for work because there’s lots of it. Do it before your afternoon siesta, please, because at this time of the year, jobs come and go within days.

Don’t get caught snoozing!