My Story
I began this  process with simply the dream of wanting to teach in Europe. The first step that I took was to update my resume and write a standard cover letter. While drafting many  copies of these documents I got on line to access individual sites to schools in Europe that I was interested in. Once my resume and cover letter was ready I mailed it to the following schools:

         American Overseas School of Rome (Rome, Greece)
         Munich International School (Munich, Germany)
         American School of Paris (Paris, France)
         Antwerp International School (Antwerp, Belgium)
         American International School in Vienna (Vienna, Austria)
         American School of London (London, England)
         Copenhagen International School (Copenhagen,  Denmark)
         International School of Helsinki (Helsinki, Finland)
         Bonn International School (Bonn, Germany)
         Frankfurt International School(Frankfurt, Germany)
         AmericanCommunity School of Athens (Athens, Greece)
         St. Andrews College (Dublin, Ireland);
         St. Stephen's School (Rome, Italy)
         International School of Amsterdam (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
         American International School of Hague (Hague, Netherlands)
         International School of Bern (Bern, Switzerland)
         Fulbright Teacher Exchange
         International Educators Cooperation
         Institute of International Education
         Independant Educational Services
         Defense Schools
         Overseas Placement Service for Educators
         Search Associates
         Southern Teachers Agency of Richmond
         International School Services
         European Council of International Services
After sending out all of these resumees, I  heard back from the American School in London, International School of Helsinki, Frankfurt  International School, the American School of the Hague ( www.ash.nl ), St. Andrew's College (www.st-andrews.ie ), the  Antwerp Intenational School, Copenhagen International School, Munich International School  (www.state.gov/www/about_state/schools/omunich.html),  St. Stephen's School ( www.ststephens.it ),  and the American School of Paris ( www.asparis.org ).  Many of these letters made mention of seeing me at the recruiting fairs. I knew then that  my next step was to apply to the agencies that held the recruiting fairs. The most mentioned agencies in the letters were ISS, Search Associaties, and ECIS.
The application process for these agencies  was made easier through on line applications
Search Associates is a company founded by John Magagna, an  experienced international educator and school head.
Search Associates is the third largest overseas school placement organization in North America, but Search Associates focuses on quality verses quantity. It is their goal to  rank first in quality by continuing to offer highly personalized service and individual attention.
Search Associates
www.search-associates.com
The year that I applied the Search Associates Recruiting Fair was held in Cambridge MA on February 13 - 16 at the Hyatt RegencyHotel
It has been my personal experience that John does achieve this personal high quality experience.  Getting to know John personally, helped me to really get a sense of how hard he was working to help me get a job. I hightly recommend this agency.
ISS is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1955 to serve American international schools overseas. ISS  services include establishing and operating overseas schools,  recruiting and placing teachers and administrators, consulting, financial management, purchasing and shipping instructional materials, supplies and universities, publishing, foundations management, and facility planning.
ISS hosts three recruiting fairs annually and each fair hosts 100 to 140 schools interviewing to fill 500 to 1000 vacancies. ISS places well over 750 teachers and administrators each year.
International Schools Services
www.iss.edu
My personal experience with the ISS agency was also a very positive one. Jane Larsson the Director of Educational Staffing was very helpful in helping me to register at the closest recruiting fair despite time constraints. I was thankful for the extra effort. In addition during the fair I needed to seek the advice of  someone more versed in the international school system when I was facing making important choices. The staff at the ISS fair was very helpful and patient.
The year that I applied the recruiting fair was held February 16- 20 at the Westin Hotel in Boston, MA.
The final step in my process of achieving this dream was to apply to my current school board at Shelburne Community School for a leave of absence. The following letter was submitted to the board in January 2000:
Dear School Board Members
I am writing to request a leave of absence for the 2000-2001 school year. Recently, I have  become interested in the possibility of teaching mathematics abroad. I have researched different International Schools and the different programs that the schools provide. I  believe that an international experience will foster growth both as a math teacher and as a person.
Teaching abroad will give me an opportunity to expand my repetoire of different math programs and will allow me to compare and contrast the strengths of my own program. Living  and working abroad will also enable me to learn a great deal about different cultures.  It is my intent to video and take slide shows of the various countries that I will  visit, to bring back to Shelburne to educate my students.
I have had a fabulous experience at Shelburne thus far.; I have formed many meaningful relationships both with students and colleagues. Upon my return; I hope to continue my professional career at SCS.
The recruiting fairs where I will be interviewing with different International Schools will be held in February. I should know the outcome of my pursuits by March, before contracts need to be signed. I am hopeful that you will share in my enthusiasm for this adventure and support me by providing me with approval for the leave of absence. I will in  turn use the leave pending my acceptance of a position abroad. Thank you for your time and consideration.
With the support of my administration, I was granted the leave, and therefore had the support of my school to begin this new adventure. Thank you  to everyone involved.
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1