Best ways of recruiting teachers for schools abroad (apart from TES)

[AphraBane]

My DC go to bilingual state schools (taught via immersion half in English, half the local language) in mainland Europe. It's a a constant struggle for the school to recruit good, qualified, experienced English native speaker staff, mainly because these are state schools and the only recruitment advertising paid for by the education department is an advert on the local government website (in the local language and buried in among the other local jobs) - which is obviously not where English teachers are going to look first for a good international post! Teachers are paid reasonably well in this country and it's quite popular place to live, so I think once the ad gets spotted it will lead to replies.
We've suggested the TES online and the head has said it costs €2,500 euros for a decent size ad and is therefore out of the question. Is that about right? I was looking at the rates just now and it seemed to be more like € 800 to € 1100, but even that might be too much for the local authority, even if the parents club together and contribute.
So teachers, where might be a good place to promote a job /jobs (not thinking of a particular position right now, just in general - I know a job is coming up in a month or two) which won't cost a massive wodge of dosh? An advert on a teaching forum perhaps - I know Mumsnet only charges a small amount for media requests etc, but we'd need a higher teacher presence. Any forums you can recommend perhaps? Any other tips welcome too.

[MrsYoungSalvoMontalbano]

Which country?

[RegainingUnconsciousness]

Twitter @UKedjobs I don't know what they charge, but the teachers on twitter are using it to network and progress, therefore your audience is the cutting edge, innovative teachers by default.

As a matter of interest, do overseas employers help with moving logistics/costs? We'd move abroad to teach, but it seems like a mammoth logistical nightmare!

[RegainingUnconsciousness]

Oh, just thought, @UKedjobs might not advertise, er, non-Uk ed jobs!

[HedgeHogGroup]

You can advertise on our LA job page for about £50 even if you're not in our LA

[marcopront]

I am a teacher in an International school. This is my 5th job all of them have been through adverts in the TES. I registered with eteach at one point but got nothing through them. There are also agencies such as Search Associates.

What would the package include. I have not taught in Europe but I expect (and have got) flights back to the UK (either every year or every other year), shipping allowance when I arrive and leave, medical insurance, accommodation and free or reduced education for my daughter. She also gets flights and insurance. This is in addition to a good salary. I also expect help getting settled in.

Schools in Europe have the reputation for not paying as well and not giving as a good a package.

People sometimes advertise jobs on the teaching overseas forum on the TES but the general feeling is, if the cost of an advert is too much for a school, then the salary won't be good.

Basically if the school thinks advertising in the TES is too expensive then I suspect they will not be able to afford to pay the kind of salary good teachers would expect.

[AphraBane]

Thanks for the answers. I'll check out eteach. The problem with an LA job page is which LA would be best? It needs to be something with at least a national reach. The teachers don't have to be British by any means - the existing teachers are (thinks hard): British, Irish, Canadian, American.

marco, goodness, I suppose it's helpful to know what kind of expectations people have, I think we'll just have to not go for teachers on the international circuit then, but rather teachers who quite fancy specifically coming to this part of Europe. I actually laughed out loud at the idea of a package - I don't think that's how state schools work round here. This is the problem - the school is functioning effectively as an international school (in terms of its language, pupil intake and teachers), but structurally it's integrated into the local authority system rather than an independent, elite private school. But that's all part of its charm (if I say that often enough I'll convince myself of it too).

I suspect 'international teachers' are not what we're looking for if they're all going to demand the following:

"I expect (and have got) flights back to the UK (either every year or every other year)": nope, get an EasyJet flight for 100 euros like the rest of us, then you can get back once a month if you want.
"shipping allowance when I arrive and leave": very funny.
"medical insurance": included in the salary, excellent state health provision, much better than the UK.
"accommodation": course not, that comes from your salary, but rents are famously low here. You could rent a 4-bed house in a nice part of town for 1,300 euros monthly. A lovely 19th century flat with high ceilings would be even cheaper.
"free or reduced education for my daughter": no problem, she can go to the same free state schools the rest of our children go to.
"a good salary": my memory is that the teaching salaries here are the third highest in Europe, but I'd have to check that. Def higher than the UK.
"I also expect help getting settled in.": Why? This is Europe, not Outer Mongolia. The rest of us managed without extra help, honestly, you can do it.

MrsYoung - location is Germany, bang in the centre of Berlin. Brilliant for anybody who wants to be in a lively, young, dynamic, capital of Europe with excellent subsidised culture, fantastic health service, best clubbing in Europe, streets full of dog shit, outrageously cold winters and dark Novembers, and some spectacularly rude locals (I'd love to put that in a job advert). Tempted?

[toomuchicecream]

What about the greensheets? //www.schoolvacancies.co.uk

Jobs in the home counties, but should be much cheaper than TES and gets you more coverage than going to the website of one LA.

Primary or secondary? Any particular subjects? If I didn't have a 17 year old DS and DH to worry about, I'd be out to join you like a shot!

[marcopront]

The problem is it is a state school operating as an international school. Something has to give.

I am sorry if you think I am being demanding, I was trying to give you a picture of what people might expect. There are international schools in Germany that would give a package along the lines of what I have described.

[AphraBane]

Marco, really, thanks for your comments, it's really useful to know how international teachers think about these things. And yes, a hybrid model like this is always going to have issues because it's breaking the mould. You have to be prepared to think beyond the traditional 'package' and more about what you're getting living in the 'coolest city in Europe' (TM). There are a few private schools near us who probably operate along the lines you've mentioned, but they generally have a fairly rubbish academic reputation so few people take them seriously. Why would you pay 17,000 euros per year for that when you can have a decent bilingual grammar school education for free?

toomuch, greensheets looks like exactly the kind of forum that would be perfect - except that it's only local to south-east England. Something like that on a bigger scale would be good.

School is secondary, grammar, fairly traditional. You WOULD need a basic level of German to get by (not in the classroom, but with the admin, who cheerfully refuse to learn any English at all). There are several primaries here too which are frequently looking for staff (more expansion going on, same problem with getting the adverts publicised to the right audience). Subjects taught in English are English (obviously), History, Geography, Biology, (Topic at primary), Music, Politics, but since the upcoming job hasn't been advertised yet I have no idea which of those subjects is actually required.

eteach costs around 360 pounds for an ad. So significantly cheaper than TES, but not exactly nothing, and the PTA would want to know about circulation before they commit their dosh. I'll do a bit more research, but thanks so much for the tip.

[marcopront]

Needing a basic level of German would also be an issue. When I talked about help settling in, it is the finding somewhere to live which you need help with if you don't have the language. Also going to the supermarket, filling in forms for the bank, registering with a doctor, knowing which nappies are best etc.

Most international schools will have a bilingual member of admin to help with that. Could that be arranged? It helps with the comfort level? Also what about deposits for flats? My flat has always been rented by the school in two places I choose, one they choose, two they put us all in the same place. When I worked in the uk, I had problems renting as I had no credit history and so needed a guarantor. This is another area where the school could help.

Teachers looking for jobs will not know about the reputation if the school, they will look at what they are being offered.

I need to go to work now, I will post more later.

[marcopront]

Another thought. Could a group of schools advertise together?