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Branching Out by Working Abroad - Opportunities in School Libraries
by Chris Tovell
Have you ever been bitten by the travel bug and wondered if you could find work as a librarian abroad? Working in your chosen field while living in a foreign country sounds pretty appealing, doesn't it? Well, I’m here to tell you that opportunities abound for librarians who want to work abroad - if you’re not scared to be a school librarian. If you’re already credentialed as a media specialist, you’re absolutely golden! How does this work? Through specialized job fairs designed to place teachers and administrators in English-language primary and secondary schools throughout the world.
My professional background is in research and public libraries, so becoming a school librarian was a big change for me. But flexibility is essential for those looking for work abroad, as is the ability to be decisive. At the job fair I attended, I interviewed for three positions and accepted a job offer - all within the span of six hours. Later, talking with other conference attendees, I realized that my experience was the norm rather than the exception.
Back to School
When I first decided to look for work abroad, I didn’t set out to find a job as a school librarian, but I did want to work as a librarian of some sort. Becoming a school librarian seemed to be the easiest way to go about it. I came to this conclusion after meeting a teacher who had spent most of the last two decades teaching and administrating at various English-language schools throughout the world. I asked him how he had found these positions, and he told me about two organizations, International Schools Services and Search Associates, that hold job fairs throughout the U.S. for English-language international schools looking for teachers and administrators.
All Is Fair
Since neither organization’s web site specifically mentioned librarians, I e-mailed them both. For whatever reason, ISS struck me as more receptive to the idea of a librarian attending one of their job fairs and finding work. Your results may vary, so I’d recommend contacting both. Either way, registration is not cheap — try $250 for ISS and $150 for Search Associates — but I viewed sending the money to ISS as my first reality check as to how serious I was about truly taking a job outside of the U.S.
Spending that registration money and then buying a plane ticket to St. Louis prepared me psychologically for the rapid pace of decision making at the fair. At first blush, it seemed utterly insane that jobs were offered and accepted on such a short timeline. When thinking of how far these administrators had come to find good candidates, and how much time and money they were spending, however, it made sense that they would want to make an instant decision. They didn’t want to fly back to their schools only to find out that their first choice had turned down their offer and that their second choice had already accepted a different post. They needed to get their positions filled, which meant that candidates had to be ready to act decisively.
Decisions on Deadline
A word on decision making. At the informative orientation session at the beginning of the job fair, Jane Larsson of ISS went to great lengths to stress that, in the world of international schools, an oral commitment to take a job is considered binding. Backing out of such a commitment could virtually bar you from employment at any international school in the future. After all, the international school community is a small one, and word will get around if you’re seen as flaky, or, worse, as untrustworthy.
So, do yourself and the schools a favor, and make sure that you are genuinely ready to make the leap of leaving the comforts of life at home behind before you say yes to a posting that may not be exactly what you were looking for. Bear in mind that the jobs at schools in “sexy” places - Italy, Thailand, Spain, Bali, etc. - will be in high demand. As a first-timer, your experience and credentials might not get you a foot in the door, never mind an offer of employment. Also bear in mind that, while any given school might have dozens of teachers, most likely they will have only one or perhaps two librarians; the job openings for librarians are much less plentiful. At the fair I attended, there were probably five or ten librarian positions available worldwide versus a hundred or two hundred teaching positions. On the plus side, however, the competition isn’t as fierce.
Many Paths
Obviously, there are other ways of finding librarian positions abroad. In fact, there are two excellent resources right here on the Lisjobs.com site. The non-U.S. jobs page lists many exchange programs and web sites of professional associations abroad, and Sam Werberg’s May 2001 article has a number of useful suggestions for those who would prefer to go the Peace Corps/USAID/non-governmental organization route.
For me, the great benefit of the job fairs is their simplicity. Job applicants need only send their resumes, transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc., to one place and from there they are distributed to interested administrators around the world. I heard about the ISS job fair this January, scrambled to get my paperwork together in time for their February fair, and began my new job in August — no muss, no fuss. If that kind of simplicity appeals to you, you are open to being a school librarian, and you are willing to make a fairly hefty financial commitment in advance, then you should look into ISS and Search Associates. I know I’m happy I did.
Chris Tovell just started his new job as a librarian at American School of Tegucigalpa, which is the capital of Honduras. Email him at crystalvell@yahoo.com if you want to find out how he's adjusting to life abroad.