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Post by loftus on Jul 10, 2004 20:38:52 GMT 7
I was wondering about thr initial contact with future employers. Myy own opinion is that it should be solid and professional from the start. Any ideas?
Or am I just over-thinking the whole process?
MIke
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jul 10, 2004 21:34:07 GMT 7
I've been on both sides of the hiring equation here, and solid and professional is definitely a must- at least if you want to go somewhere decent and discriminating (by China standards...) From what I saw, and from what other managers have told me, the best ways to make sure your resume ends up in the trash can include: 1) Using bad English. If you're going to sell yourself as a teacher of the language, for God's sake demonstrate some ability to use it yourself. You simply can't imagine the slush that comes in as a result of a job ad. 2) Not meeting the qualifications specified in the job ad. If the job ad specifies that you must have a college degree, and you don't have one, you're pretty much wasting everyone's time by submitting a resume anyway. 3) Asking questions that are plainly answered in the job ad- or in the web site that the job ad points you to. Nothing screams "Moron!" quite like asking how much a job pays, when the pay is specified in the ad. And companies post info on web sites precisely so they don't have to answer the same questions 10,000 times. Employers like people who can read...start by reading the ad before responding. 4) Being unable to meet the basic structure of the job. For example, I had one applicant who wanted to start a 7-week Summer class 2 weeks late so he could finish a house closing. I invited him to hit the road. 5) Being too demanding up front. "Dear Sirs, I'd like to apply for your position but that salary isn't nearly big enough and you should double it for me. And you need to provide me a special apartment out in the clean air on the edge of town and send a car for me every morning. Etc., etc., etc." Establish some communication before talking turkey. Many schools have some wiggle room for negotiation with a good teacher, but you've got to be reasonable. Schools have constraints on what they can pay you and give you as benefits. If the advertised deal isn't at least fairly close to good enough, you're probably wasting your time by responding. 6) Trivializing the work. Managers want teachers who will view their job as a JOB, to be taken as seriously as any other job anywhere else, not simply a gateway to travel or language lessons or gong fu classes or buggering young boys or whatever it is you're really coming here to do. I'll wager that NONE of us came here primarily to teach, and we all have other agendas, but you still have to give the job the importance it's due. 7) Being weird and/or whiny and/or unhealthy. Using your cover letter to express hope that the school will help you find a good wife, or complain that the rest of the world has been unfair to you for your while life, or how you hope that your advanced liver cancer won't be an obstacle to living in China, probably isn't the best idea. If you can stay away from these things (which based on the applications I've reviewed must be harder than it seems) then most school managers are probably going to be absolutely thrilled and delighted to hear from you.    |
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Post by loftus on Jul 10, 2004 21:40:05 GMT 7
Thanx for the response. I sorta had thos eideas already in mind. I guess doing management and hiring is the same in most professions.
But, I was wondering more about the initial inquiries lets say the initial email to respond to and add. Do people usually keep all these records about a person/ Or is it more after the contract is offered that people start paying attention to you. I.E. should my initial email be like a Letter of Introduction or an email from an old aquaintance, if this makes any sense?
MIke
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jul 10, 2004 21:46:00 GMT 7
Ah. Formal is probably the way to go here. I didn't like applicants who seemed really stiff and pedantic, but the ones who acted like I was a long-lost friend gave me the willies. Find a middle ground.
I can't speak for all the other managers, but I always kept every scrap of correspondence I got from an applicant. If I actually hired the applicant, I kept the correspondence permanently- even after the teacher had finished their contract and moved on.
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Post by loftus on Jul 10, 2004 22:00:49 GMT 7
Yeah I guess its better to assume everything will be kept and keep it on a purely bussiness level. Thanx Raoul  |
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jul 10, 2004 22:07:09 GMT 7
Mon plaisir, mes ami.  |
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Post by loftus on Jul 10, 2004 22:57:21 GMT 7
Que? No Habla Pasty  |
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Post by con's fly is open on Jul 10, 2004 23:22:55 GMT 7
Raoul dit son plaisir, simplement. Il est tres gentile, et son mots sont a raison.
Mangez les flocons du mais!
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Post by loftus on Jul 10, 2004 23:45:31 GMT 7
Es la lengua de la gente simple.
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Post by MagMag on Jul 11, 2004 10:12:10 GMT 7
just had an initial contact ...... I was taken into a classroom ...three women fondled my degrees lovingly but weren't all that interested in what my name was......sat down in chair desks and said "OK Teach for 10 minutes"
I can usually bullpoo the leg off an iron pot.... have been an esl teacher for more than eleven years but you know, I couldn't think of ONE single thing to say. They suggested I teach them about "shopping" in Australia..was rendered speechless.
I just want to get a part time job....any advice would be appreciated.
maggie
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jul 11, 2004 13:52:30 GMT 7
I just hate that "OK, give us a sample" poo, especially if it's spur-of-the-moment, and am becoming increasingly resistant to doing it. I would sometimes request it of an applicant if my boss insisted- but I'd always let them copy a chapter from a book, and come back a different day to teach it.
If you get hit with this on the spot, try explaining that you never enter a classroom unless you are thoroughly prepared for a specific lesson. Offer to come back later. This at least makes you look diligent and professional, if you do it right.
If they insist, and you want the job badly enough to take this minor abuse, try a pronunciation drill. It's relatively content-free and you can almost always find a test subject with a pronunciation problem that you can work on. I've developed some little drills that feature sounds many Chinese students difficulty have making or distinguishing, and I use one of those.
Part-time jobs have literally grown on trees in every Chinese city I've lived in. The hard part is selecting the best ones.
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Post by MagMag on Jul 11, 2004 19:18:10 GMT 7
At least I'll be expecting it the next time... didn't know this is what happens.
maggie
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jul 11, 2004 22:31:24 GMT 7
I went interviewing for some English-school jobs a while back and they ALL insisted on this. Seems to be the current vogue.
Just for fun, you're often reviewed by people who speak no English and couldn't tell a good teacher from an entrenching tool. These things typically have real students in attendance, and my suspicion is that it's these students whose opinion really makes the decision. Most Chinese schools don't give a wet slap about competent...they want popular.
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Post by con's fly is open on Jul 11, 2004 22:59:01 GMT 7
Aye, there's the rub: they really want a standup comedian, a Mr. Bean who will behave flamboyantly and foolishly the way a Chinese national never could. If you have to do this, just remember that it's style, not substance, that counts. Look them in the eye unapolegetically, and they've found their (wo)man.  |
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