Teacher Recruitment International

Teacher Recruitment International is a recruiting agency for international schools. It is based in Australia and assists teachers in gaining employment in international schools in Southeast Asia, Turkey, the Middle East, as well as in Europe and South America (although to a lesser extent in these continents). TRI also recruits for school in the U.S. the UK, Australia and New Zealand. TRI works with over 200 schools around the world.

TRI holds seminars during the year to help teachers in the job search process. The seminars are held in capital cities and give teachers detailed information on the best ways to find employment. Recruitment fairs and mini-fairs are also held each year. Attendance is by invitation only; that is, only teachers registered with TRI and who have been requested to attend may attend.

Teachers who are interested in obtaining positions through TRI need to complete an application form. If your application to TRI is successful, you will have to pay a registration fee of $AU 77. You should make sure that the people that you nominate as your referees are aware that they have been nominated and that they are able to comment on your educational practices. The referees will be asked to comment on your teaching practices, as well as your relationships with colleagues and students.

The TRI website includes guidelines for the CV/ resume. This is an added benefit for those teachers like me who really dislike having to write resumes.

A few examples of the guidelines are: don’t use abbreviations, be specific, be as brief and concise as possible.
Once you complete the application form, you will receive confirmation of its receipt.

Schools look for teachers that are flexible, committed to excellence, keep current with their knowledge of their field and specialties.

Before you bother applying to TRI consider these things:
1. Make sure your teaching certification is valid and that you have the qualifications necessary for your teaching specialty.
2. You should have recent international school experience, and that your experience is two years or more in length.
3. Couples and singles without dependents are the most highly valued candidates.
4. Non-teaching spouses may be a liability.
5. The size of your family is an important factor; some schools will not hire families with more than two children.
6. Age is a factor; some countries will not provide work permits for teachers over 55 years of age.

The Placement Process

After you send TRI your registration payment, they place the relevant information about you in their database. TRI is in contact with schools throughout the year and keeps applicants informed on new positions.

About the schools that TRI recruits for

The schools that TRI recruits for are usually for students from 3-18 years in age, and the school size varies from 20 through 3,000. Instruction in these schools is in English. Teacher recruitment generally occurs between November and June. Because most of the schools operate on a school calendar based on the Northern Hemisphere, school years generally start in August/September and thus new positions also start then.

If you’re an Australian, this organization is a good portal to the world of international teaching. Many of my Aussie friends use TRI and have always been satisfied with the results that they have received.