David's ELT World

The TEFL Tradesman is venturing into previously uncharted territory, with these articles by or about some of the most famous (and infamous names) in the UK Tefl scene.

Lindsay Clandfield (hooray!!)

Paul Lowe (boo!!)

Mario Rinvolucri (erm…)

Tessa Woodward (aaargh!!!)

The follow up to my earlier article appears not on this blog but on Alex Case’s excellent TEFL Tastic. I did this for two reasons, firstly so that everyone coming here can find their way to this excellent blog and, just as importantly, vice versa.

Read what I wrote by clicking here.

Over the the ELT World forum, Naturegirl321, author of the excellent TEFL Tips blog, recently raised this issue:

‘So here’s the thing, After six years I’ve learned to have a backup plan. Something always goes wrong. For example, here are reasons I’ve backed out of contracts after I’ve signed.

1. They said that since I lived in China I would have to first be quarantineed in Thailand for 15 days before going to Taiwan. This was during SARS.

2. I was told that there were mandatory prayer sessions afterschool.

3. The school was closing because one of the partners was embezzling money.

4. Teachers decided to stay so they didn’t need me.

5. After 3 tries and 2 months, I finally got a CRC notarised by the state of IL, sent it to be notarised. My mom put it ontop of the microwave and promptly recycled it the next day.

6. After two months of waiting for my invitation letter, I decided that they were too unorganised and went with another school.

Now I’ve accepted three positions and signed three contracts. And so far, they all seem like really great schools.

Don’t get me wrong, my intention isn’t to play one school off the other and say, “well, X school offered me Y, unless you give me a higher salary, I won’t teach at your school. ”

Now obviously I can’t start at all three schools. I know that the truth is the best method, but who wants to hear that you’ve signed with other schools just in case things don’t work out?

Any ideas on how to get out of contracts without stepping on people’s toes?

Any suggestions? Feel free to comment here or join the chat on the forum.

The following is a message from Martin Holmes, the creator of Hot Potatoes, which is probably the best tool for creating online teaching exercises and one I’ve been using for years:

May is Charity Month for Half-Baked Software, which means that for the whole of this month, we’re donating all the money we receive for Hot Potatoes and Quandary licences directly to charity; the University of Victoria has waived its percentage, Stew and I have waived ours, and the company will cover ongoing costs and taxes out of its pocket, so if you buy a licence we’ll give the entire amount of the licence price to charity.

More details are here:

http://www.halfbakedsoftware.com/charity.php

Also, please note that licence prices are very cheap right now: A single-user Hot Potatoes licence is only $20 US, and a Quandary licence is also only $20 US. Buy now, get it cheap, and let the money go to charity.

Most of the people you know and work with persevere in making dumb decisions that they know are clearly wrong. The worst thing is, you’re a person that someone knows and you’re just as guilty of doing stupid stuff in their eyes. The good news is that there is almost always a good reason why people do dumb stuff, so below are the first few in what may prove to be a long list of reasons why we all act like idiots without even knowing it.

‘If everybody else thinks so, then I guess we should…’

This is a basic human trait commonly known as conformity. People make decisions based on what they think and not what everyone else thinks, right? Give me a break. Pressures such as the general group consensus are only too often enough to get people to do things that they know are wrong (fixing attendance sheets, giving inaccurately high exam grades, etc.).

Does this sound familiar?

Your school emphasises the importance of students passing exams to be able to take a course at a higher level. This was an important factor in you deciding to join this school. Unfavourable economic conditions suggest that those students who fail their exams won’t be willing to shell out money to take the course again. Other teachers agree to give a large number of students a ‘helping hand’ to make sure they return for the next course. What do you do?

Actual research says:

A famous experiment by Solomon Asch, in which one participant and several experimenters (in disguise) were asked to announce their judgment about the length of several lines (which line was longer then the other, etc.) supports the notion of peer pressure and conformity. The experimenters were instructed to give incorrect answers to easy questions. Astonishingly, about one third of respondents gave wrong answers because of the pressure of their peers. Conformity is an incredibly strong factor in decision making, so don’t assume someone is bad for making choices based on peer pressure.

‘Mine, mine, mine… you can’t have it’

This is known as the endowment effect: it is surprisingly hard for people to throw away, give away or sell things that are past their prime. One theory for this is that people tend to place a higher value on objects they own relative to objects they do not.

Does this sound familiar?

Have you ever tried to take back a copy of a course book a teacher has been using that’s annotated with lesson plans, notes and answers, even though it’s now been replaced by a new edition? How about getting supplementary materials from someone who last semester used the book you’re now using. Did you wonder why they were so unwilling to share, even when you were willing to reciprocate the favour in some way?

Actual research says:

An experiment conducted in an office by Kahneman, Knetsch and Thaler looked at how difficult it was for people to part with the coffee mugs they used every day. It found that randomly chosen mug owners had to be paid around $7 for it, while randomly assigned ‘buyers’ were only willing to pay around $3. So it’s likely that your colleague values things they already have more than they would if they didn’t already own them.

Don’t judge people too harshly for doing this, they simply place a lot more value on the things they have than you do.

‘Listen, we’ve come this far… so let’s just keep going’

Those in the know refer to this as the sunk cost bias. While we know that the past is past and we can’t get back money or time that we have already spent, many people irrationally take costs, time, money, or other resources which have already been consumed and can’t be recovered into account in their decision making.

Does this sound familiar?

Your school persists on using a Headway-type series despite it being grossly inappropriate for the ESP courses you’re teaching. Better options are available, but a lot of time and effort has been put into developing grammar and vocabulary exercises, course programs, etc., not to mention the agreement with the supplier to use the book in exchange for a bulk buy discount. Word of mouth feedback from students suggests that people aren’t satisfied with the courses and aren’t recommending them, but surely too much has been invested to switch now.

Actual research says:

Barry Schwartz discusses this issue in ‘The Paradox of Choice’, examples of such behaviour include taking into account how much you spent to get your car fixed last time, how long you have been dating someone, how much you invested in a stock, or how many troops have been lost in Iraq so far, when trying to decide if you should persist.

If the American government can’t get past this, give the admin at your school a break for adopting this posture

‘Me, me, me!’

Not to be confused wit ‘mine, mine, mine…’ egocentric bias refers to the fact that putting yourself in another person’s shoes is harder than it sounds for most people.

Does this sound familiar?

Certain teachers seem to regularly claim more responsibility for themselves for the results of a successful class than an outside observer would credit them with. Besides simply claiming credit for positive outcomes, which might simply be self-serving, it’s interesting that the same teachers also cite themselves as overly responsible for negative outcomes as well.

Actual research says:

In a study conducted by Sukhwinder Shergill and colleagues at University College London, pairs of volunteers were connected to a device that allowed each of them to exert pressure on the other volunteer’s fingers. The researcher began by exerting a fixed amount of pressure on the first volunteer’s finger. The first volunteer was then asked to exert the same amount of pressure on the second volunteer’s finger. The second volunteer was then asked to exert the same amount of pressure on the first volunteer’s finger, and so on. Although volunteers tried to respond with equal force, they typically responded with about 40% more force than they had just experienced. Each time a volunteer was touched, they touched back harder, which led the other volunteer to touch back even harder. Is this why parties in a conflict invariably think they are both right?

So, here are the first four examples of stupid behaviour that can be explained in a perfectly reasonable way, if you take the time to think what’s causing the behaviour. Knowing the causes of such behaviour may not enable you to get past such actions, but it will give you a better insight into why it occurs.

More from the folks who are in need of a little extra schooling. Can you spot the mistakes in each of these signs?

Here are six of my favorite pieces of piss poor job search advice, for you to read and ignore at all costs:

1. ‘Only send your resume via an online job ad or the school’s web site, anything else is a waste of time’

The job ad may ask you to do this, but that’s exactly why you shouldn’t leave it at this; everyone else will be doing the same thing. Successful job seekers use friends, contacts and anybody else in their network to make contact with a potential employer. Playing by the rules often gets your resume to exactly the same place as everyone else. Ask yourself, do you want the same odds as everyone else, or better? If you’ve got a way into the decision maker’s office, use it.

From experience:

I already knew my current boss as she is a friend of my former boss. I’d met her at conferences and been to workshops she’d given. Although we have a ‘strict’ online application policy, I emailed her my resume and got an interview immediately, despite having not followed the accepted application process.

Ignore advice that instructs you to send one resume via the school’s web site and wait to hear from them. Do as they ask by filling in the form online but go beyond this. Even at this stage, extra effort to get you noticed.

2. ‘Wait for them to call you’

You can’t wait for schools to call you back. You just can’t, alright? You’ve got to call and follow up on the resumes you’ve sent and the applications you’ve made. If an ad says ‘no calls’, use your connections to put you in touch with someone who can put in a word with the hiring manager.

From experience:

When I was looking for my first job, I applied to several schools. A couple of years later, I happened to be sitting in a bar with someone who turned about to be the recruiter at one of the schools I’d applied to. I’d found a job fairly easily, so didn’t bear a grudge that he hadn’t at least called me, but I did ask why. He openly explained to me that either a) he’d filled up his desired number of interview slots before he’d gotten to my resume, or b) he’d called me but the phone was busy or he couldn’t get through, so moved on to the next applicant. Simple as that; no job for me.

Don’t sit and wait for the call to come. Your resume is in a stack with 100 others, and if you don’t take steps to push it up to the front of the line, no one else will.

3. ‘Never send a paper resume, they never get read these days’

The response rate for sending snail mail letters is pretty high, and the approach is friendlier. A surface mail letter can increasingly often get you an interview in a case where an e-mail would get ignored or spam-filtered.

From experience:

One friend of mine sent her resume and cover letter via postal mail to a major university in the UAE and got a call a week later from a recruitment manager wanting to interview her in London, where she was living at the time. She showed up at the interview to see a fax copy of her actual, signed letter and resume sitting on his desk. An e-mail might have ended up in the spam folder to be forgotten forever. Don’t rule out the old-fashioned method.

What do you think recruiters do when they receive an e-mail resume? That’s right, by posting your CV, you are saving them the task of opening the email, downloading the attachment, opening it and then printing it. Whatever you do though, don’t use brightly coloured paper, stick to classic white.

4. ‘Bombard them with everything you have to make sure you get noticed’

Give them your CV, your cover letter, and your time in a phone call or face-to-face interview, but don’t give anyone your list of references or other documentation until it’s clear that mutual interest to move forward exists (usually after two interviews).

From experience:

A friend of mine decided to apply to a place I was working a few years ago, not a bad place and a definite step up from where he was working at the time. I arranged for an informal drop in meeting with the woman who did the hiring. A couple of days later, she came up to me and said, ‘I know he’s a friend of yours, but…’ He’d not only given his CV, but also practically a whole photo album of pics of him in the classroom and DVD with a video of one of his lessons. The HR lady told me that the pictures were total overkill and the lesson, which I was forced to watch as ‘punishment’ for some reason, really wasn’t very good: Too much too soon and my friend not only got noticed but had effectively applied his way out of consideration.

Let the employer know that you are happy to talk to see whether your interests and theirs crisscross. If there’s a good match and you want to take it further, you’ll feel better about sharing more time and energy on whatever measures they’ve constructed to weed out unsuitable candidates.

5. ‘Don’t bring up money’

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Do bring up money. In the first interview, make reference to expecting a salary that reflects your experience and skills. By the second interview, let the employers know what your salary requirements are before they start getting ideas that they can get away with paying you loose change for your hard work.

From experience:

I know a few recruiters and the thing that bugs them the most is going through an hour-long interview with someone, only for their final question to be about the money and then get up and walk out because it was unsuitable for their needs. Worse still, some candidates will accept positions despite having no intention of taking the job because they have already been offered a better compensation package elsewhere. Recruiters I’ve spoken to generally just wish that interviewees would be open about their expectations, for everyone’s sake.

If your requirements are beyond what they’re willing or able to pay, not mentioning it will be a huge waste of time, yours and theirs. Also, if you take the job without talking about money, you’ll have nothing to complain about when your first salary is nothing like as much as what you were expecting. You’ll be surprised how often this happens. Set them straight, professionally, at the first opportunity.

6. ‘Don’t write a personal mission statement, it looks pretentious’

The summary or objective at the top of your résumé is your own, personal mission statement; it tells whoever is reading it, ‘This person knows who they are, what they’ve done, and why it matters.’

From experience:

The same friend who blew it with the photo album and dodgy video lesson had actually gotten off to a great start. Although I no longer work at the university, I still know the HR lady and bump into her from time to time. She still brings up my friend, mainly because of his gross overdoing it, but also because she can practically remember his mission statement word for word after almost five years. It instantly made a great impression.

Your Summary shows off your writing skills, shows that you know what’s significant in your background, and it offers a focal point to your resume. Don’t skip it, no matter how many people tell you it’s not necessary or important.

Feedback on and additions to this list will be greatly appreciated, looking forward to your comments as ever.

The folks who wrote these are in need of a little extra schooling. Can you spot the mistakes in each of these signs?

Another lunchtime chat with the boss, another great idea for a blog post. Although, technically speaking, she now only has to deal with formulaic online job applications, my boss has years of experience of weeding out rubbish CVs, the reasons she suggested why yours might be ending up in the garbage are sometimes startlingly simple. Now, it’s one thing to garble meaningless rubbish in everyday life, but when the wrong words appear on your resume it sucks and it will cost you a chance at landing a job. The words I’m referring to are all too common, wherein lies the problem. They litter the average resume with ‘buzzword badness’. Managers who do the hiring can and do identify such words in seconds, leaving your resume work worthless. To help you land that job interview, which, let’s face it, should be one foot in the door, here’s how to turn six crappy resume words into selling points that set you on the way to landing the job.

Crap word #1: ‘Experienced’

So, are you experienced? You are? That’s great. What on Earth does ‘experienced mean? For the love of God, say what your experience entails. Saying you’re experienced at something and laying out the facts of that experience are two very different approaches. Guess which one you should be doing…

BAD: ‘Experience in teaching ESP.’

GOOD: ‘Developed, taught and received feedback on a sixteen-week ESP syllabus for Chinese mechanical engineers which was adopted by a chain of schools in Shanghai.’

Managers want to know exactly what experience, skills, and qualifications you have to offer. Tell them concisely without just saying, ‘I am experienced.’

Crap word #2: ‘Responsible for’

Buddhist monks have set fire to themselves in protest over less. Of course you’re responsible for something… but how many, how long ago, who, what or why? Rather than waste the hiring manager’s time reading a vague list of responsibilities, be specific and use quantitative figures to back up your cited skills and accomplishments.

Managers want the cold, hard, numerical facts. Write percentages, monetary savings, and figures of students brought into the school to best explain your accomplishments. Be specific so as to get your point across quickly and prove you have what it takes to get hired.

BAD: ‘Responsible for IT in classes.’

GOOD: ‘Developed a series of PowerPoint presentations for common grammar structures that have been used throughout every branch of the school I worked for.’

If your resume avoids vague ‘responsibilities’ and sticks to facts detailing figures, number of people managed, budget innovations, student bums on seats, you’ll get the job interview.

Crap word #3: ‘Excellent written communication skills’

If you have excellent communication skills, you don’t need to say so in this most important of written communications. If you need to write this, it means that in fact you don’t have excellent written communication skills. This phrase is very, very bad and must die. It’s on most resumes. Is it on yours? Go on, check now and remove immediately.

BAD: ‘I have excellent written communication skills.’

GOOD: ‘Developed a jargon-free online course guideline that reduced related email queries from prospective students and enabled intake to increase for several courses.’

If you’ve got specific writing skills, say what it is that you write and how you communicate. Are you writing ‘can do statements’, or course materials? Whatever you do, be sure to give the details.

Crap word #4: ‘Team Player’

Awful; just plain ghastly. What job do you think this is? Are you joining a bloody football team? If you don’t want to be joining the unemployed ‘team’, get some hard facts behind your job pitch.

BAD: ‘Team player who works well in both large and small groups.’

GOOD: ‘Worked with students in large groups and on a one-to-one basis, software developers, course book writers, and prospective customers to increase the quality of language services offered.’

Do yourself a favour and explicitly say what teams you play for and qualify the teams’ achievements.

Crap word #5: ‘Detail Oriented’

What the bloody hell does ‘detail oriented’ mean? I know English is the fastest growing language in the history of civilization, but this is one phrase too far. Give the specifics to the details with which you are oriented. Please, I implore you, orient your reader to the details, there’s a good chap.

BAD: ‘Detail oriented language instruction professional.’

GOOD: ‘Proofread the school-developed course books and online materials currently used by 25 language schools throughout Mexico.’

If you have specific details, share them with the person doing the hiring. Give the facts, the numbers, the time lines, the monetary figure or the quantitative data that sells your skills.

Crap word #6: ‘Successful’

What’s wrong with you? Will you also include a section labeled ‘abject failures’? Hopefully you’re only listing successes on your resume. So, if everything is a success, then why write the s-word? Show your success by giving solid, real-life examples of what you’ve done to be successful and let your skills, qualifications, and achievements speak for you.

BAD: ‘Successfully taught the English course.’

GOOD: ‘Not only maintained student intake for the English for mule farmers course, but also enabled a 42 percent increase in intake for further mule farming courses due to word of mouth recommendations.’

When it comes to success, don’t be shy. Brag, sing your own praises, sell your skills and say why you’re wonderful.

So, there you go, six of the crappest words or phrases that might be on your resume. By focusing on the facts, detailing the details, and qualifying your qualifications, you may just land yourself the job interview.

Here’s an interesting finding from the National Geographic:

Even before they can babble a single word, babies in bilingual households may get a head start in life, according to a team of scientists in Italy. Rather than confusing babies, hearing more than one language gives newborns a mental boost, according to the new study, which tested seven-month-old infants.

“In many European countries, parents are wary of giving a bilingual education to their kids and try to speak only one language,” said study author Jacques Mehler of the Language, Cognition, and Development Lab at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy. “They are afraid [their children] might suffer when they get to school and so on,” Mehler said. “Because of our results, I doubt that very much.”

Read more of the article here.