Registering with Search Associates gives you access to our extensive database showcasing 750+ international schools worldwide, including contact details, hiring policies, visa information, salary and benefits, enrolment, breakdown of teacher and student demographics, curriculum, important dates and holidays, teacher contact days and school accreditation status.

Once fully registered as an “Active” candidate, schools have the capacity to access your profile and may contact you directly if you are a good match. You will receive Daily Email Updates of the latest job postings in your field and you can apply directly to schools by clicking on a simple link. If you are offered a position and are unsure of the contract or the school – we can usually answer any questions and provide some advice. Our Senior Associates have worked in or visited many international schools, often know the administrators, and are well versed in all matters relating to international education. Importantly, you have the association with the Search Associates name, which gives credibility to your application.

Jobs are not guaranteed. Much of your success will depend on how pro-active you are in your job search, your willingness to teach in multiple locations, your subject area, the strength of your profile, and most importantly the quality of your references. About 75% of registered candidates will secure positions by using the database and connecting with schools, and approximately 25% are hired through job fairs.

No. Once your profile is active, it is your responsibility to search the database for openings and contact schools directly. You will receive daily emails informing you of new openings when schools post them. You are the best person to know if a school might be of interest to you, so research the position well. Similarly, recruiters will be searching the database to look for candidates that fit their hiring needs and may contact you directly to ask if you are interested. Often communication comes from a school or a region that simply was not on your “radar”. Be open to all possibilities as there are some real gems out there!

Search Associates does NOT assign candidates to schools. Our purpose is to connect candidates and international schools through our online database and job fairs. As a candidate, your profile will be available to schools searching to fill a position(s), and similarly you as a candidate will be able to view a school profile, search for vacancies and contact recruiters. Candidates and recruiters also connect at our job fairs. However, all job offers depend on the strength of your profile, your confidential references, your ability to interview, and your flexibility as to the type of school and location you find attractive.

If you are targeting one school, one city, or one country (with very few schools), you might try your luck in contacting them directly before applying with Search Associates. However, a benefit of registering with us is that you won’t have to ask your referees to submit letters of reference to more than one school (as they will be on your profile), and you will probably save yourself time as well. Also, if the school is a member of Search Associates, your file is likely to rise to the top of hundreds of random emails the school receives from candidates because your file will be readily accessible through Search Associates and we are well respected in the international education community. That being said, it is often difficult to find a position with such a narrow search, and we seldom accept candidates with such narrow search parameters. If there are truly compelling reasons for a self-imposed geographic restriction, please drop us a line and we can discuss your individual circumstances with a view to whether we can help or not.

The typical contract for teachers is two years. The school’s investment is high, both in financial expense and time, bringing a teacher overseas, investing in training, finding and providing accommodation, and integrating you into the team. A two-year commitment is reasonable and goes by quickly. If you are not prepared to commit to a two-year contract, we will discourage you from completing your application to Search. There are other agencies out there that specialise in shorter contracts.

No. Recruitment fees are always paid by the school hiring you. Also, Search member schools do NOT deduct our placement fee from your salary (contrary to many myths that often circulate on social media)! Registration with the UK North & Ireland office of Search Associates is completely free of charge – as is all of the help and advice we give along the way.

International schools like to hire teaching couples, as they can spread their relocation costs over 2 employees, and new arrivals come with a ready made “buddy”! Both members of the teaching couple need to complete separate accounts with Search Associates. Teaching couples are only Activated as a couple, when both files are completed. One half of a teaching couple is not Activated until the other half has also completed his or her file. Both profiles will be electronically “linked” by our system so that recruiters will know you are recruiting as a teaching couple. Note: some factors such as number of dependent children, teaching preferences and flexibility may affect a teaching couples’ ability to be competitive.

Securing a criminal background check is a critical part of the recruitment process for international schools as part of child protection and safety protocols, and a strict requirement of all school’s processes for hiring.

Although Search Associates does not require candidates to upload a background check to their profile to be considered for membership, we strongly recommend obtaining one to facilitate your job search.

International schools vary in their requirements, and the country in which a school is located may have specific requirements to establish eligibility for a work-visa and approval by the relevant government ministry. It is essential for a candidate to have a degree, and a government issued teaching qualification/certificate.
In some countries it is a legal requirement for all educators to hold a Bachelor’s degree in the subject they will be teaching (in addition to their teaching qualification). For example, an educator with a BA degree in History will find it hard to get a job teaching Maths. Of course, at Primary/Elementary level, this is less the case than at Secondary/High School level.
A degree, teaching qualifications and at least two years of full-time teaching experience in a suitable ‘mainstream’ school (primary/elementary and/or secondary) are often quoted as minimum requirements. However, some schools can be flexible when they are looking to hire in some specialist areas like the Sciences and Mathematics, and some will accept newly qualified candidates as well as interns. A Master’s degree is valued (though not necessary) for teachers and administrators, and some schools look favourably at doctorates for Head of School positions.

No. Our candidates come from all over the world, and they have access to the same job vacancies and information from schools all over the world just like candidates registering with any other Search Associates office. Our candidates successfully find new positions worldwide.

Yes. It does not need to be perfect immediately, and we will help you improve it.
All the information in your profile can be updated or amended at any time. Nothing is set in stone. Details/options can be amended/edited at any point as things change in your life/career.

We save the best for last! The normal Search Associates fee for candidates is US$225. However, registration with our UK North and Ireland office is completely free, regardless of where you live in the world.

(*)Please note that 1) candidates resident in the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand must register with offices in their regions, 2) candidates who already have an account with another office of Search Associates must remain with that office and may not transfer and 3) candidates going through our registration process who have indicated an interest in a specific job fair will be assigned to the Associate responsible for that event.

If you do not fall under any of the three groups listed above, you may register for free with the UK North and Ireland office.