We published an advertisement for teachers in one of the national newspapers and had a good response -- about 80 cv's turned in to date. I spent the weekend calling folks in for interviews, which we'll have on the 21st of this month. (I've put together a hiring committee.)
Many, many applications for employment are from folks who have done degrees in history and geography. I surveyed people to see which program of study is considered the easiest. You'll never guess the answer! On the other hand, very few applications for sciences, especially agriculture.
Now one of the other challenges I am facing is fraud. One of the applicants claimed to have completed a diploma in journalism and computers (an odd combination) at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland, Brisbane, Sydney, Australia. Now many folks here might be fooled by the document he submitted, but the first thing I noticed was the seal of the University, which is very much like the seal of the University of Maryland, USA -- complete with the emblems of the Calvert family, the founding family of MD. That was the first clue, and then I saw Brisbane, Sydney -- 12 hours drive from one another. Oh and the "stamp" is an image with an "M" with the words "images of UM."
Mind you, we have some good, honest candidates for teaching positions. Nevertheless, the lesson learned is "Hirer beware!"
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