So many job seekers, so few employers was the sight at Monday’s Mid-America Educators’ Job Fair in the Convocation Center.

One-hundred and twenty-seven employers were at the fair, tending to over 1,500 job seekers not only from NIU but from other schools in Illinois and even laid-off teachers.

But instead of a short chat and an exchange of business cards and resumés, most of the employers conducted official job interviews on site, making for long waits and lines.

“The lines are really long here,” said Jake Larson, senior social science teaching student from Eastern Illinois University. “I’ve been here for about 2 1/2 hours, and I’m standing in line for my third interview, so I wish I could have talked to more people.”

With job security suffering in the American economy, the number of jobs at job fairs are suffering too.

Last week’s NIU Job Fair had over 100 fewer employers than last year’s fair while the Mid-America Educators’ Job Fair had 51 fewer employers than last year.

Many of the fair’s longer lines were for local employers based in St. Charles, Gurnee, Joliet and Chicago. But some employers expressed doubts for students to be able to find full-time employment for their first year in the Chicagoland area.

“I don’t think students can afford to be picky when they already are,” said Elisa Maldonego, a teacher for the UNO Charter School Network in Chicago. “Students looking for full-time work in the Midwest should expect to get subbing jobs instead for the first couple of years.”

Many employers, however, were from beyond Illinois: all the way from Hawaii and Alaska, California, North Carolina and even England and the United Arab Emirates.

Mary Myers, associate director of campus and employer relations at NIU Career Services, said it was not an unusual sight to see diverse locations of employers.

“It’s very typical because NIU has a very strong reputation for the educators they produce,” Myers said. “While you may see an overabundance of educators in this area, many areas don’t have that and are short on teachers.”

Representatives from Hawaii, England and the UAE said in many cases, students working in their locations will be hired on for full-time positions for their first year.

Bob Greatrex, education consultant from the United Kingdom, said job prospects in the UK are still good, and with a growing student population, more teachers are needed.

“American teachers have a great reputation in England,” Greatrex said. “We’ve been employing a number of American teachers for a number of years, and our school principals tell us they’ve been doing a jolly good job.”

Robert Spellman, headmaster of the American Community School of Sharjah in Dubai, UAE, said going abroad offers invaluable experiences for teachers.

“You’ve got to be willing to get on that airplane to see the rest of the world because it gives you an insight that you would have never otherwise touched into,” Spellman said. “Experience from going beyond where you lived your life makes you a well-rounded teacher and more desirable for job positions.”