As I gather my books for my day at school, I look out the window at the snow-capped Andes. Smoke curls from the chimneys of houses some 1,000 feet below and church bells ring in the barrio. On the bus to work I eat a warm, buttered arepa while we twist through the hills.

Trading my U.S. classroom in the cement jungle for one in mountainous Colombia was not a hard choice for me. For many educators, though, teaching abroad seems only something to dream about because they may not be aware of the real opportunities to travel and teach.

"Many foreign schools have a very significant need for well-trained North American teachers," says Joe Fuchillo of International Educators Cooperative (IEC), an agency whose goal is to match teachers and administrators with South American schools. "Most U.S. teachers are unaware of the opportunities available worldwide for both short- and long-term contracts."

"Traditionally, the contracts for foreign teachers run from two to five years," he notes, "so there is constant turnover, a constant demand for new staffing."

IEC is one of the smaller headhunting agencies serving international schools. Other agencies include Search Associates and International Schools Services (ISS). Also, a handful of universities offer job fairs for international schools. Ohio State, Iowa State, and Michigan State universities have the largest annual recruitment programs. Ohio State's Office of Career Placement has the most comprehensive information; their brochure not only provides information about their fair, but also lists other fairs in the country and the names and addresses of many recruiting agencies (see below).

Most fairs are held in late February while large numbers of North American schools are closed for vacation. Attendees include administrators, teachers, and school service professionals. Many are veterans of international education. Others, like my wife and I were, are novices.

Just recently married, my wife and I began our journey over a cup of coffee. We are both former Peace Corps volunteers and perpetually afflicted with wanderlust; we were discussing whether to continue teaching in the Detroit public schools or to take a leave of absence and travel. It was evident before the coffee got cold what we were going to do.

We began by canvassing university schools of education, the Peace Corps office in Washington, and our colleagues for information regarding international schools: where they are, who hires, who gets hired, the average salary, etc. We were sent brochures, pamphlets, and applications.

The choices seemed endless. Instead of pursuing every lead, we decided what region of the world we wanted to focus on and what type of population we wanted to work with (urban or rural, native or expatriate, poor or wealthy). Our choice was South America, partly because I am fluent in Spanish. We were determined not to teach in a capital city as we were already accustomed to large populations in small spaces. Finally, we preferred teaching a native population.

These criteria allowed us to hone our choices to a few selected agencies that deal specifically with South American schools. IEC, as a small agency, was very accommodating in responding to our questions and concerns. With our resumes and dossiers in hand, we flew to Houston for a weekend of interviewing, trading information with other applicants, and undergoing intense soul searching.

The fair began on Friday evening with an ice-breaking cocktail hour. We mingled with teachers, administrators, and conference coordinators. We were fascinated with our competition--attendees came from all parts of the world. On Saturday morning we met in a large conference room in which each school had its own table. The school directors had already reviewed our applications and posted the names of potential applicants at their stations. We were to find our names and wait in line to be interviewed. If our names were not posted anywhere, or if the school in which we were interested didn't post our names, we became second priority and were to stand in line until the preliminary interviews were finished. We were each given six interviews and received as many job offers.

Upon deciding on the Colegio Granadino in Manizales, Colombia, we returned to Detroit with new contracts in hand. Our principals accepted our announcement with good cheer, pleased that their staff members were looking to broaden their experiences. We were both offered unconditional leaves of absence and support in linking our schools in Detroit with Colombia through e-mail pen pal exchanges.

As we begin our second term teaching at elementary schools in Manizales, we can hardly believe our luck. New experiences, new challenges, and a new perspective are benefits we find here that even the strongest of unions back home could not bargain into our contracts. Do yourselves and your classrooms a favor. Take a risk and do what few dare to do: teach abroad.

Teaching Jobs Abroad The bulk of teaching opportunities abroad are for English teachers. Simply being a native speaker of the English language may be all you need to find a job and obtain a work permit in many countries of the world (see Work Abroad, ordering information on the inside back cover). Formal credentials in Teaching English as a Foreign (or Second) Language (TEFOL or TESOL or ESL) can be obtained in a one-month course (see our annual listing of ESL training and placement programs, page 68). Qualified K-12 teachers have another range of options: Scattered around the world are at least 800 U.S.-style international elementary and secondary schools which employ around 35,000 American educators. To find a position in one of these schools you can either conduct your own job search--using the resources listed in Transitions Abroad's book Work Abroad and revised and updated by William Nolting each year in the September/October issue of Transitions Abroad--or sign up for one of the recruiting fairs listed below. The Employment Connection ("The Source"), an online service provided by The College of Education, Placement Services, The Ohio State Univ. (address below), contains all postings received through its offices. Subscriptions cost $25 per quarter. Other web sites listing teaching jobs abroad (both ESL and K-12) are described by William Nolting in "Work Abroad Web Sites," in the September/October issue of Transitions Abroad and on our web site, www. transabroad.com. In compiling this list of recruiting fairs for the coming year we had the assistance of Frederick B. Viaux, Education Information Services, P.O. Box 620662, Newton, MA 02162-0662; (781) 433-0125--a consultant on teaching abroad. Recruiting Fairs Attending a recruiting fair is probably the easiest way to find a teaching job overseas. Some fairs charge fees; others are free. Most charge a fee if you are offered a job. Some restrict the number of participants or have early registration deadlines. International Schools Services, Educational Staffing, P.O. Box 5910, Princeton, NJ 08543; (609) 452-0990, fax (609) 452-2690; staffing@issmeimail.com. Fair dates: Boston, MA, February 10-14; Houston, TX, February 24-28; Philadelphia, PA, June 25-27. Credential files must be received six weeks before fair dates. Univ. of Northern Iowa, Overseas Placement Center for Educators, SSC-19, Univ. of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0390; (319) 273-2083, fax (319) 273-6998; overseas.placement@uni.edu. Fair date: Cedar Falls, IA, February 19-21. Office of Placement Services, Ohio State Univ., 110 Arps Hall, 1945 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43210-2741; (614) 292-2581, fax (614) 688-4612. Fair date: February 12-14. For registration materials send check or money order for $5. Forms must be returned no later than January 29, 1999. National Assn. Of Independent Schools (NAIS), 1620 L St., NW, Washington, DC 20036; (202) 973-9705, fax (202) 973-9700. Fair date: February 24-28. NAIS primarily serves independent schools in the U.S. European Council of International Schools, 21B Lavant St., Petersfield, Hants Gu32 3EL, U.K.; (011) 44-1730-68244, fax (011) 44-1730-267914; 100412.242@compuserve.com. Fair dates: Melbourne, AUS, January 3-5; Vancouver, CAN, February 15-18; London, England, February 4-7, and May 6-9. Very early deadline. Contact early. TESOL, 1600 Cameron St., Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314-2751; (703) 836-0774, fax (703) 836-7864; conv@tesol.edu. Fair date: New York, March 9-13. Primarily a convention for ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers. All levels. Good placement opportunities worldwide. International Educators Cooperative, Inc., 212 Alcott Rd., E. Falmouth, MA 02536; Tel./fax (508) 540-8137. Fair dates: Houston, TX, February 19-21. The focus will be on jobs in Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Spain. Assn. Of American Schools in South America, AASSA-Teachers Search, 14750 NW 77th<^> <^*>Ct., Suite 210, Miami Lakes, FL 33016; (305) 821-0345, fax (305) 821-4244; aassa@gate.net. Fair dates: late November or December 1999, write in September for exact dates. Openings for schools in Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Placement Director, Faculty of Education, Queen's Univ., Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada; (613) 967-4902, fax (613) 967-8981. Fair date: February 5-7. Search Associates, P.O. Box 636, Dallas, PA 18612; (717) 696-5400, fax (717) 696-9500; In Canada: (613) 967-4902, fax (613) 967-8981. Fair dates: Cambridge, MA, February 7-10; Carmel, CA, February 19-21; Bethesda, MD, June 23-25; Houston, TX, February 19-21, and six other locations worldwide. Career Services and Placement, Michigan State Univ., 113 Student Services Bldg., E. Lansing, MI 48824-1113; (517) 355-9510, fax (517) 353-2597. Fair date: February 15. Faculty of Education, Univ. of Calgary, 2500 University Dr., NW, Calgary AB T2N 1N4, Canada; Tel./fax (403) 220-5627, fax (403) 282-7574. Fair date: summer, 1999. Call for details. Teacher Recruitment Int'l., P.O. Box 177, Tumby Bay, Australia; (011) 618-86-88-4260, fax (011) 618-86-88-4222. Fair dates: Sydney, January 8-10; Melbourne, March 26-28, and April 13-25.