• Home
  • About The Book
  • About The Author
  • Bookstore
  • Teaching in Asia Blog
  • Contact
Michael Allan Charles

References or Be Careful What You Ask For

12/25/2015

0 Comments

 
Be careful what you ask for!  It is true that some hiring committees do not even check references, but in any school you would want to work for they do. When I was a professor at OISE, every student asked me if I they could use my name as a reference. If I thought they were great, I told them so and often said something like it would be my pleasure and here is what I would say. 

If I did not think they would be a good teacher I also told them that. I said something to the effect that they could use me if they wished, but here is what I would say and I told them exactly what I thought of them as potential teachers. I assume they did not use my name. 

Now on the other side of the coin, I am asked to write reference letters for teachers I have had when I was the principal and it is often a difficult task. After all, my integrity is on the line as well as the teacher's future livelihood. I have to walk a very fine line often but an experienced hiring person knows what to look for in a letter and can often determine the quality of the candidate from what is not said as much as what is said so I am not too worried about what I don't say. 

Picture
Here are the challenges for you. If you are a new teacher wanting to work overseas, who do you give as a reference?  I guess the best bet would be to ask your teachers where you have student taught. A novel idea, I think, is to get a few students to write some words about you because they are so much more telling than any teacher would write and certainly more truthful if you can stand the truth. 

If you are in mid career, they always need t see the name of your present principal but if that is not going to be so good, you can ask your department head to write something for you or some of your teaching colleagues. In fact, I would actually get them to write something ahead of time and keep a file of reference letters. that you can show or send if they are required. Please read what I said previously about resume writing, because if your resume is no good no amount of letters will help you.

If you are retired and you have no immediate supervisor ( other than your spouse!) you have a challenge. This is where you keep all of your notes and letters that you accumulated over your career and use them explaining that you are retired. 

If you want to teach in Asia, the older you are the better it is because age is respected. If you look at TIE online, they actually tell you which countries there are age restrictions so this is a helpful web site. 

Picture
Good luck with those references. You will see and experience things you simply could not experience in the Western World. Let me know how it goes and if I can do anything to help. I am always available to help and/or hear your stories. 
0 Comments

Creating a CV to impress

12/15/2015

0 Comments

 
I found this on Linked and thought it was useful.
A CV for the 21st Century;  Advice from an international Principal 
Guest blogger and experienced Head Teacher/Principal Jane Knight offers practical advice to job seekers

As a Headteacher and Senior Leader for the past fifteen years I have read through many CV’s in the search for new staff members. However, recently I found myself in the position of rewriting my own CV as I began to look for a new leadership challenge – but where to begin? From an employer’s perspective the last thing I wanted to create was a document that was more a testament to my ability to insert pictures, use colour text and a range of different fonts. Neither did I want to write a CV that was ten pages long documenting my life history in great detail. Keep in mind that your CV is your professional advert and you want to interest your prospective employers just enough to want to meet you and interview you further. So whether you are applying for your first job, twenty-first job or a promoted position in the UK or overseas, here are my top tips for creating a CV that will be remembered for all the right reasons.


  • How do I get in touch with you? These should be the first things on your CV. Your name, address, landline and mobile phone numbers, email and Skype ID areessential.
  • Who are you…briefly? Much favoured is the short personal summary. I say short and I mean short but to the point. Written in the third person stating your years of teaching, highlights in terms of skills, experience and what job/role you are looking for. Maximum 100 words. This can easily be tailored for each application if needed.
  • What have you done so far? If you are newly qualified list your teaching practices stating the school, role and dates. Go on to list your duties or responsibilities. If you are an experienced teacher list a maximum of the last two schools you worked in. Make sure to include extra-curricular involvement.
  • What makes you special? List a maximum of ten key strengths you have as a teacher or leader. Consider attributes and attitudes and make sure you mention children somewhere.
  • What have you done that has had an impact? Highlight your professional experience related to Learning and Teaching and if you are moving towards a promoted position Leadership and Management. Include any initiatives you have implemented and can show impact on learning. Mention any recent internal or external or personal professional development that you think is relevant for the role you are applying for. Do not list every course you have ever attended.
  • What else can you bring to us? List five to ten of your hobbies and interests making sure if possible there is something that could enrich a school’s extra-curricular activities.
  • What else have you done? List any previous school roles stating the school name, your role and the dates you were there. Include any summer jobs or previous careers that may demonstrate a wider range of skills. There is no need to include teaching practices.
  • What are your qualifications? Although you might feel you want this section at the beginning of your CV. It will very much what you want to highlight and is relevant for the role you are applying for. List, from most recent, the university, college or awarding body, the dates of study and the qualification gained. Only list your A-levels or equivalent if they were achieved in the past five years. Make sure you include your Teacher Reference number or GTC registration number.
  • Who will vouch for you? Your two or three referees must include at least one previous Headteacher/Principal and line manage and if you are newly qualified, a tutor or mentor teacher. Another can be a personal referee, someone who may be linked to one of your hobbies or interests. This may seem obvious but please make sure that all your referees are happy to take on this role and that their contact details are up to date. It is well worth contacting them prior to sending out your CV or completing an application form to forewarn them as completing a reference can take some time.
 
0 Comments

Resumes...Do's and Don'ts

11/13/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture
I have been a principal at various international schools for a long time and I have seen literally tons of resumes. I can tell  you what I do immediately. If there are any mistakes in spelling or syntax I throw them immediately in the trash or in this digital age just delete them.  You might think this harsh, especially considering all of the mistakes I make in this blog but a blog or email is totally different from a resume. A resume is a thoughtful precise summary of your working career and we want and expect perfection. If you cannot give me your best work on a piece of paper, why would I think you could perform in the classroom?

Secondly, if it is too flowery, which is the style in many countries like the Philippines or India I immediately discard. Get to the point immediately. Principals are busy people and do not have a lot of time to sift through descriptive accounts of your life.

Thirdly, do not list every workshop you ever attended.  It is not helpful for me to know this. I am far more interested in what you learned at the workshops than whether you attended or not.

Fourthly choose which experiences  you wish to highlight wisely depending on the job you are applying for. You have done tons of teaching either in your practice teaching or your teaching career. The challenging thing is to figure out what is important to note for the school you are applying to. For example, if you coached basketball and the school has a basketball program, you may want to mention that in your resume.
Picture
Do's

Read the ad carefully and find out everything you can about the school and I mean EVERYTHING. Contact someone at the school if you can and get the inside "scoop"

If you know they want someone with language skills, coaching experience, classroom experience, team player and so on I would be inclined to write my resume in that order. That is, have a section on each of the skills they are looking for. The advantage of this is twofold. It shows you are an individual who created their own template for a resume and secondly you are handing the principal information on a platter about your skills. I can't tell you how boring it is to see the same Word template on a hundred resumes for the same job. It is just human nature to pick a resume that stands out. 

Make sure you include a flattering picture where the reader can see your eyes and ensure that your clothing is appropriate. Make sure you look professional. Attach whatever other information the school is looking for such as a police report, educational documents and passport. Failure to attach what they require can also mean immediate disposal of your application. 

Make sure your references are willing to say nice things about you. Surprisingly, when I call references about a candidate I am often shocked when they tell me what a bad experience they had with a particular candidate. Phone or write your references before hand and ask their permission. Hopefully, if they are going to give you a bad reference they will tell you and if they do....do not use their names. 

Send the materials in a manner that was asked. For example, some schools want everything on a PDF form and others insist on Word and so on. If you are rejected, you want to make sure you are rejected for the right reasons, not based on incomplete applications... so  Just do what they ask for.

By the way, if you are rejected after an interview do not despair. It is probably a good thing because you would not likely have been a good fit in that school. Just keep applying until you get the job you want. 



Picture
in the next installment, let's get to the interview stage and I will tell you the do's and don'ts of an interview. 

2 Comments

    Categories

    All
    Cultural Differences
    International Teaching
    Interview
    JIan Ghomesi
    Malaysia
    Myanmar
    Phillipines
    Practical Details
    Principal In Asia
    Resume
    Singapore
    Teaching Jobs In Asia
    Teach In Thailand
    Thailand
    Vietnam
    Volunteer Teaching
    Where To Buy Book
    Where To Teach
    Writing A Novel

    Author

    Michael Allan Charles is the first time author of It All Started In Mandalay

    Archives

    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Buy Here
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.