Want to know how to succeed in the TEFL job market? Bruce Haxton tells you how.

So, you’re thinking about doing a TEFL course, and it won’t be too long before you’ve got your crisp new TEFL certificate in hand – but what are you going to do with it?! Get a teaching job abroad and jet off into the sunset – that’s what! But how to get there? Never fear: here are my five simple tips for TEFL job success:

Tailor your resume to TEFL

We’re sorry to say it, but employers don’t want to know about that ska band you were in back in school. Keep it short and sharp – just cover what the job advertisement asks for in simple, direct language. Focus on skills that schools will value, like leadership, organisational and communication skills and how you’ve demonstrated you can use them.

Do your course with a provider that has a job placement service

Get your TEFL course provider to do the legwork for you! Many companies have TEFL job placement services which will match you with relevant suitable contracts on completion of your course. Just make sure you’re eligible to use it before you sign on the dotted line!

Always deal with a real person

Want to know where most of those applications addressed to ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’ end up? That’s right… the bin! One of the best routes to job success is to build up personal relationships with recruiters to make sure your application ends up in the right person’s hands, rather than the trash.

Use your mouse

The internet’s a marvellous thing – where before you might have had to traipse around a city handing out your CV, you can now get access to tens of thousands of TEFL jobs at the click of a mouse. Sites like www.tefl.com list positions from all over the world, which are just waiting for enthusiastic EFL teachers to fill them!

Keep it simple

Very often the person who’ll be reading your job application won’t have English as their first language. They won’t want to tackle an application full of flowery language – they’ll want one that’s simple to read and direct. If they can’t immediately see that you’ve got the skills for the job your application will probably end up being binned!

And remember, if finding a TEFL job feels daunting, the odds are with you: there are 20,000 TEFL positions posted online every month, meaning fluent English speakers with TEFL certificates are like gold dust in many countries!

About the Author

Bruce feels that teaching English abroad is the perfect opportunity for any English speaker to explore the world. As long as you’re a fluent English speaker, a TEFL course is your ticket to the journey of your life.

November at the Times is dedicated to a series of articles from Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa, the creator and writer of TEFL Tips, The LA Job List, and The Ultimate Peru List.

I’m all for asking for reference letters when you’re about to finish your contract. Getting a reference letter now rather than waiting until later has it’s benefits. First, your boss will be more likely to remember details about your position. Second, your boss is still there. If she/he moves on, you could easily lose contact. Third, you’re still working there and can remind your boss. Let’s face it, our employers are busy and might forget.

However, if you’ve left a job and didn’t get a recommendation letter, don’t worry, it’s not to late. You can still request one. You might have to remind your boss about details, such as when you worked there or what your responsibilities were.

Whether you’re still working at the institute that you’re requesting a reference letter or you have moved on, there are essential pieces of information that every reference letter should include. It might help you to give your boss the template below. Sometimes you may be asked to help your boss write your reference letter, this is especially common if English isn’t their first language. Just follow the template below.

Asking for a reference letter
Dear (Name)

My name is (name) and I worked at your institute (dates) as a (job title). I am currently applying for a position in/at (country or institute). In order to apply for this position I must submit reference letters and I would like to know if you would be able to write a reference letter for me. If possible, could you please include two copies- one for my application and one for my personal records. I understand that you are very busy and have included a template to help you. I greatly appreciate your help with my application. Thank you so much for your time to get this done quickly.

Sincerely,
(Your name)
(Your postal address so they can snail mail you the letter)

What a reference letter should contain

This is the basic information that a good reference letter should contain. You might want to give this information to your boss to make sure that they include everything.

● How you know the applicant.
● What the applicant did for you and when.
● What would make the applicant a good candidate for the position they are applying for.
● Any additional responsibilites: workshops, newsletters, level coordinator, student placement, etc.
● Letters should be on professional letterhead.
● Include your contact information (address, phone, email address).
● Include your position.
● Signature in ink on paper.
● Make sure it’s dated.

About the author

Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa is the creator and writer for TEFL Tips, The LA Job List, and The Ultimate Peru List. She enjoys answering people’s questions about TEFLing and Peru.

By Ronald Doherty

English is the dominant Internet and business language so making cash online (or offline) often involves English writing. More importantly perhaps, is the fact that everyday, but life-changing documents, resumes job applications, essays, term papers, business plans, loan and rental applications, and sales letters, are often written in English.

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How often has your next career or business initiative relied on the English writing in a document?

How often has the reader chosen someone else’s document instead of yours?

How often have subtle messages in the writing, often sub-conscious, swung a life-changing decision against you? Often, you will not be told the real reason.

English is a very complex and forgiving spoken language, but a demanding and unforgiving language in its written form. When people are talking, there is usually enough contextual and other information to work out the meaning. So, if the words are spoken in the wrong order, or wrong words, or incorrect grammar used, the listener can usually work out what the speaker really means. In conversational english, you can get away with a lot.

However, written English is not so forgiving and, once you hit the enter key, it’s too late. You cannot get your business submission, resume, proposal, or assignment back. It has to be right before submission.

Readers of written English, both online and offline, form very quick judgments about the written English used in critical documents. Micro- second judgements are formed when reading life-changing written documents like resumes, business letters, loan and tenancy applications, proposals, grant submissions, assignments, term papers, business emails and other forms of written communication. The writing in documents can be judged very harshly.

One of the problems is, where English is a second language, people tend to think in their first language and then translate into English. Often the translation process is done subconsciously using the grammar and other rules of their primary language. The results tend to jumble the grammar and syntax so their English writing becomes stilted and awkward. The writing loses its ‘flow’ and, in turn, confuses or irritates the reader.

This means, very often, the long hours, effort, and hard work and preparation put into the document begin to unravel at the last hurdle – writing the document in English. The written communication does not adequately reflect the character of the writer.

I used to work in a multi-cultural call centre in Australia and saw this happening a lot. Friends and colleagues would come to me for advice about writing their resumes, covering letters and various other written documents. Their writing was stilted, repetitive and difficult to read. I would work through the document, leave their ideas and concepts intact, but improve the flow and readability of the document so that the reader could more easily and quickly move through the written information.

Remember, the reader is the one that makes the final decision.

I am a writer and provided the service for nothing and in my spare time. They were friends and colleagues who just wanted to get an interview, find a better position, and move forward in life. I have the skills, love writing, and had a well paid job. I could afford to help people. Finding someone who will do that and charge nothing is a rarity.

However, why rely on the favours of others when software is available, an online English writing tool that makes English writing easy. English writing software can give your writing the professional edge that makes the difference between being read or left for dead.

About The Author

Ronald Doherty is a writer with a background in corporate change management and special projects, and now writes on business building and personal development. For more information on English writing please visit his site.

By Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa of the TEFL Tips website

Cover letters are just as important, if not more so than your actual CV. A Cover Letter is the first thing that an employer sees, so it has to make a good impression. Here are some tips on how to write a good teaching cover letter.

Dos

● Personalise it for each employer. You should address it to an actual person, not just Dear Sir or Madam, or To Whom it May Concern. Call the institute and ask who the director is and address your cover letter to that person.

● Briefly sum up your CV. Give a bit of information about your studies and experience.

● Tell why you want to work for them. Show the employer that you know something about them. If they are an IB school, state that you would like to put your theory into practice by working for them.

● Tell them what you have to offer. Why should they hire you? This is your chance to sell yourself. If you have experience creating exams, placing students, or being a head teacher, let them know.

● Be formal. There should be no contractions or informal language in your cover letter. Same goes for nicknames, use your legal name on your cover letter.

● End your cover letter asking for an interview. Remain positive that you will get the job and it will show the employer that you think you deserve the position.

● Write your contact information on your cover letter. Give your phone number and email so that they have a choice of how they would like to reach you.

● Go online and look for same cover letters. There are lots of examples out there.

● Have someone else read over your cover letter to make sure it makes sense and there are no mistakes.

● Update it when necessary. Take out the old information and put in the new.

Don’ts

● Discuss subjects that aren’t related to your job or career.

● State that you only want to stay for a few months.

● Talk badly about past employers. There’s no reason why you should say why you are leaving your current job.

● Talk about other people in your cover letter. That’s great that your mom’s a teacher, but how does that relate to you? Unless you helped her teach or observed her, don’t mention it. And when you refer to your mom, use her legal name, not “mom”.

● Rehash your entire CV. A cover letter is suppose to entice people to read your CV. If they both have the same information, there’s no point in reading your CV.

● Wait until the last moment to update it. You should update it every time you have something pertinent to add. Did you organise a talent show? Put that down while the information is still fresh in your mind.

About the author

Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa is the creator and writer for TEFL Tips, The LA Job List, and The Ultimate Peru List. She enjoys answering people’s questions about TEFLing and Peru.

By Kelly Blackwell

When you are getting serious about landing a teaching job abroad you need to consider how you are going to do it. Are you going to register with a international teaching job fair organiser like Search-Associates? Are you going to register with The International Educator (TIE) and get international teaching job alerts emailed to you daily? Are you going to trawl the internet for vacancies?

Whichever strategy or combination of strategies you choose to implement you will need to write an effective cover letter that sells you as the ideal candidate.

A great cover letter draws the recruiter in and leads them through your information and inspires them to look at your resume. It introduces you, outlines your experience and states why you are the best candidate for their position.

When writing your cover letter keep these suggestions in mind and you will increase the effectiveness of your letter:

Differentiate

While most recruiters are clued up enough to know that you are probably applying to more than just their international school, it is not good practice to make it obvious. When you write your cover letter you should include a sentence or two about why you want to teach at their school. Reasons you may include are; you have experience in the curricula offered, your children have experience in the curricula offered, you like teaching in small (big, single sex, co-ed) schools, or you have heard positive things about the school from other international teachers.

When you are differentiating you letter, address it to the recruiter if you can find their name on the website or from the advertisement and include the name of the school and location. These small, easy to implement ideas are the key to making each recruiter feel special and show them that you are interested in a job at ‘their’ school.

Be Selective and Adjust Accordingly

If you are job hunting as a teaching couple you need to have a couple of cover letters, or have paragraphs that you can cut and paste to make sure it is targeted. As a teaching couple you will ideally want to get a job at a school that has vacancies in your main teaching subjects. However, you may not be so lucky.

Teaching couples should lead with the strongest candidate and emphasise the experience and flexibility of the other teacher. For example, if you are a teaching couple with secondary maths and an elementary generalist you can apply for schools with openings in either of these areas. For an international school with a vacancy in the elementary school you would outline this person’s experience first and then you would discuss the maths teacher’s experience both in maths, in leadership, in extra curricula activities, etc. And vice versa if you find a school that has a maths vacancy.

Often school recruiters will do some ‘creative shuffling’ if they find a teaching couple they think will suit the school especially well.

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Short is Best

Keep your cover letter short; leave it to the other sections of your application pack to detail your education, experience and philosophy. The function of the cover letter is to provide a brief introduction of yourself and enough information to motivate the international school recruiter to read your resume.

If you have heard of the PowerPoint rule of 6 points per slide, 6 words per point then you will find this rule easy to understand and work with:

3-4 paragraphs, 2-3 sentences per paragraph.

If you are submitting your application by email, it needs to be even shorter because we have a lower tolerance for reading on a computer screen.

Here are just three ideas for making your cover letter more effective. Even if you have a cover letter already prepared, dig it out and check that it meets these criteria, you may be surprised at how more likely a recruiter is to read your resume if you follow these suggestions.

About the Author

There Are Over 4000 International Schools Worldwide, Get The Insider Secrets To Landing A Teaching Job Abroad Today! Get your free copy of Kelly’s free report, Escape the RatRace – TeachOverseas available exclusively from TeachOverseas.info