 How
do I Market Myself for a China ESL Job?
How can I make myself attractive to a
potential ESL employer?
Two things are
important. One, make them want to hire you. Make
yourself an attractive candidate in every way. And two,
let them know you don't have the problems the last
person they fired had!
Attractive Candidate
Literally and
figuratively. Make sure your photo on your resume is
professionally done and that you are dressed
professionally. Men should be in a dress shirt and tie
- women - uh, I don't know what you call it - but dress
professionally, okay? Smile in your picture. Avoid
facial hair (men and women!) [But I do have a mustache
and beard so I am not following my own advice here,
okay?].
If you have
tattoos, a pierced anything, a Mohawk hair style - or
anything that makes you look less professional - hide it
as best you can. You are, after all, looking for a job
in a market that is much more conservative than your
own. Reveal your true self later - not during the job
hunt! Prepare yourself in the same way you would
for any job in your home country that you really want. Yeah!
More
Attractive
Highlight your
TEFL training if you have it (in particular - it shows
you are prepared and ready to go), any teaching/training
experience you may have (TEFL or not, paid and/or
volunteer), multi-cultural knowledge, travel experience,
multi-lingual skills (if you have them) - and anything
else that makes you appear ready, skilled, and
professional.
Your travel and
knowledge/experience with other cultures and countries
will reassure potential employers that you won't freak
out and run away after only a week or two on the job (it
happens more often than you would believe).
Special
Skills
Be sure to
highlight your special skills and abilities, and
anything you might have identified in your recruiters or
potential employers webpage when you reviewed it.
Eliminate the Negative
Write
specifically that you are reliable, can hold down a job
for long periods (if you can and have), highlight family
responsibilities - note if you are married, add anything
that stresses dependability.
Review potential
contracts and stress your positive side of any issues
related in it. For example, I once had a contract that
literally said, If the teacher gets drunk and breaks
the furniture in the classroom, he must pay for the
damages. What experiences that school must have had in the
past!
That was my very
first contract. Expectations of employers are often
reflected in contracts they will show you. Read
the contract carefully and try to counter any of the
negative issues.
FUNNY, you
only hear on the Internet about the BAD and
terrible EMPLOYERS - never anything about the
troublesome employees . . . Remember the Internet
often/usually/almost always presents only one side of
the story.
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"Twenty
years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do than by the
ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the
trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Discover." -- Mark Twain |
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