The Beginning . . .

As you all know we have wanted to do some travel and live abroad for a while and this year is finally our chance to do it. Kevin applied to Search Associates, an international recruitment service for teachers. Once registered we began looking at possible positions and schools back in October of 2007. Many new positions were posted everyday and some old ones became filled as time passed. We began looking in Europe, especially in Spain since we were both very comfortable with the culture and language and both had experience in the country. We contacted a number of schools but as time drew nearer to the job fair these positions quickly filled up and our horizons began to expand.

Boston - Feb 2008
We arrived at the job fair with resumes in hand and our minds open to all possibilities. We were quickly overwhelmed with hundreds of people and the very fast paced, well oiled machine that was the Search Associates job fair. After an orientation on Thursday night we prepared for what would be three of the most intense days either of us had experienced in quite a while. Friday morning we showed up at the hotel at 7am to a room full of tables, each with principals, superintendents, and delegates from schools representing virtually every nation we could think of. In front of each table was a line of applicants all competing for a chance to interview. Behind each table was a sheet of butcher paper with the available positions for which each school was hiring (many of these edited the morning of). We quickly walked through a room of 500+ people to look at the positions that are actually available. Our top choices were all full but there were also new openings that were never previously seen. We stood in line and walked up to the tables to ask for an interview time. Kevin was looking for a math positions and Elizabeth was looking for any kind of administrative position that a school would be able to offer (preferably non-teaching). The delegates were very kind and very honest. Many would not even offer interviews since they could not hire a non-teaching spouse. Some gave it some thought and tried to come up with alternatives but still there were not many opportunities for Elizabeth.

After 4 hours of sign-ups we began the actual interviews. Each interview was 30 minutes and we just traveled from hotel room to hotel room to meet with the various countries. This was fast paced, stressful, and a time for a lot of trust and quick decision making both for the candidates and the schools. Over the course of the next 2 days we met with schools from Bulgaria, Malaysia, Venezuela, Taiwan, Colombia, Qatar, Turkey, and India. As you can see, our options were very open. Most of these schools were only able to offer math positions for Kevin and nothing for Elizabeth so it really came down to which school would provide the best package as a whole. We met with a few of these schools 2, 3, 4 times while we were there but India ended up being the obvious decision. They not only represented a quality school with an AMAZING benefit package, but we felt a connection to the delegates and their values as a school. Plus, they had the perfect jobs for both of us! We graciously accepted and Kevin will be teaching 6th and 8th grade math and Elizabeth will be working in the superintendent's office doing office management work as well as meeting with the school board and working with American universities and international universities to build relationships with the American School of Bombay.

So there it is! We will be leaving at the end of July and we can't wait. We are excited for the new adventure and have a lot to take care of before we go! Until next time . . .

kyaa kahanaa - क्या कहाना - Beyond Words of Praise
K&E