Page 10 - FIS_World_May_2015

On the Road Again
Bringing in the Best
With a chill in the air and ski break around the corner, the new school year seems far away. But not for Head of School, Paul Fochtman, and his administrative team. They have been hard at work since October identifying upcoming faculty vacancies and recruiting new talent to join the FIS community.
International school fairs used to be one-stop shopping for hiring new staff, but in recent years, social media and the growing number of international schools have changed the recruitment process. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, participation in school fairs is down while the number of international schools is increasing. Before the winter break, I spoke with Dr. Fochtman about this trend, how it impacts FIS, and the secret ingredients he looks for in new faculty.
How do you know how many teachers to recruit? There are three ways positions become open – retirement, folks leaving, and new positions. Turnover is quite low for a school our size. Our retention rate is very good, and this is one of our best years because most vacancies are due to retirements.
When do you do your hiring? The recruiting calendar runs from October through February. Faculty have until the end of January to let us know if they plan to stay on, but there are always unexpected vacancies at the last minute.
What has changed about recruiting?
It used to be mostly recruiting fairs. Fairs are still a necessity – but you used to get all vacancies filled there. Now, it’s different. We hire five teachers at a fair instead of 15-17. There are other avenues. For instance, people can apply directly to FIS on the website. We get a good response rate there.
What’s also changed is the different categories for schools. All the barriers are gone now among independent schools, international schools, and even the top public schools. It’s a fluid market and good teachers can go anywhere.
Where do you see the recruitment process going? I think social media will continue to increase. But the reality is, you can’t change the personal touch. I would still lean toward making the personal connection.
What are some of the recruitment challenges? One of the biggest challenges we face is salary because we are in Western Europe. In Asia, the cost of living is lower and they offer tax breaks. For the same cost to the school, they can offer a wider range benefits. Also, there are more international schools than before, especially in Asia and the Middle East.
We look at the technical side, but also the human side. You can tell if someone really cares about kids.
The competition for talent is acute – as it is in other businesses. You are seeing fewer folks going into education. For the next decade, it will be tougher to get the best teachers. We have to take good care of our faculty, and fortunately we have a very good reputation.
What hasn’t changed about how FIS recruits teachers? We will never hire someone without consulting references and conducting a personal interview. Also, there is never one
person who interviews a candidate. There are often two or three people
– usually the principal, assistant principal, and head of department, with one person asking questions and the others taking notes and observing.
I am surprised at the number of schools that use a checklist as a reference. I try whenever possible to do a personal interview – and will even re-route through different airports to meet them. I just want to be sure.
Are you reluctant to hire someone without international experience? Not at all! I’ve hired some of my best teachers out of small towns in the Midwest. The right person will embrace people and embrace the experience. At the same time, I’ve had people who have only been international, and never really got it.
I would never rule anyone out.
What’s the special ingredient that
FIS looks for? We look at the technical side, but also the human side. You can tell if someone really cares about kids. They don’t have to be totally a bubbly person – we want to pull out that they care about kids, will get the respect of the kids, and make the best decisions for them. We want folks with exceptional communications skills. Of course, we also look at their education and experience, and if they are current in their professional direction.
The classroom is important, but we need teachers who are capable of a lot of things – to coach sports and organize clubs, for example. We look beyond the classroom – how will they fit into the whole community?
Megan Meline, FIS Parent
8 FIS World February 2016