Travel The World And Teach - Landing That Perfect Travel Job!

By Eli McGeever
Ok, so you'e on your way to becoming an ESL teacher! You'vejust completed your TESOL/TEFL course and are keen to startteaching. One thing lies in your way: finding an ESL job.
In this article we will discuss three main areas related tolanding that perfect job! We will look at defining what you wantout of your new ESL job, what to do to stand out from all theother ESL teachers applying to same the job as you and someuseful hints and tips when it comes time for the telephoneinterview!
Before you even start your ESL job search you need to define,for yourself, what you are looking for. You can't find what youaren't looking for! Spend a couple of minutes answering thesequestions:
* Where do you want to teach? Which country, which area?
* Who do you want to teach? Do you want to teach children oradults or both? There are many ESL jobs that cater to teachingadults or children as well as a mix.
* How many hours do you want to work? Be realistic here; don'twrite down five hours a week because you will be hard pressed tofind it. A common contract usually stipulates around 20-25teaching hours a week.
* How much is your new ESL job going to pay you? This reallydepends on the area you are intending to go. Select your areaand look around at a few different offers to get a feel for whatthe pay is like.
* How long are you going for? Generally, recruiters look for aone year commitment. You will usually get your return airfarepaid for as well travel insurance (if they require you topurchase that in advance). For anything less than a year, expectthat your bonuses will be reduced proportionally.
* What other inclusions do you expect from your new ESL job?Think about things like accommodation, utilities, furnishings inyour new home and meal allowances etc.
Ok. So you now have a description of your perfect ESL job. Youhave been looking on a few ESL job websites (www.simplyesl.com,www.eslcafe.com, www.eslbase.com) and you have found an ESL jobthat you think is perfect for you. Chances are some other peoplehave also come across the same job. In this section we'll talkabout what to do to make your application stand above allothers. We'll take a look at answering the recruiter's questionsand defining yourself as a great ESL teacher.
Firstly, I want you to go back to the ESL job ad and make alist of everything that they are looking for. Done that? Good.We want to make sure that we not only answer those questionsclearly but let them know that we can do a lot more! If they caneasily see that you fulfill all their requirements then you areone step closer to getting that telephone interview, if not thenyou better start looking for another job.
While your prospective employer is reading your applicationthey are (whether consciously or subconsciously) creating animage and a personality for you. You want to help shape theopinion in your favour. We can do this by listing yourattributes (no, this doesn't mean listing your height, weight,hair colour etc), i.e. listing the things that make you a goodESL teacher. You may consider something like this (again look atwhat the school is looking for and play it to your advantage): I am:
* Dependable * Energetic * Patient
The list goes on. However, just because you can see the benefitof one of your attributes, it doesn't mean that your employercan. When applying for your ESL job you need to tell them WHYyour attributes make you the ideal candidate. For example, youcould say something like this:
I feel that motivation plays a big part in the learningprocess, with my energetic personality, I help to get studentsexcited and interested in learning.
Here, I identified a potential problem in the ESL classroom andthen solved it by using one of my personality traits. This tellsthe employer that if they want their students excited andmotivated to learn, they better let me have that ESL job! Don'tover do this! You don't want to come off as boastful and so youshould only include one or two of these problem solvers. Yourresume should be short and sweet, while still filling all therequirements that the employer asked for.
Now your application should answer ALL the requirements thatthe employer has asked for as well tell them why they MUST hireyou! Now you're one step closer to landing your ideal ESL job!
In the next section we'll take a quick look at your telephoneinterview.
Congratulations! You have applied to your perfect ESL job andthey have asked you for a telephone interview. This is usually atime where your employer will ask you a few questions about whatyou would do in classroom situations. Interviews vary fromrecruiter to recruiter, so we've decided to include a fewgeneral tips about telephone interviews.
* Speak clearly - If they don't think you can speak clearly,they won't hire you for an ESL speaking job.
* Answer the question you were asked!
* If possible, be at a computer with internet access, just incase they ask you something that you may stumble on, you canquickly Google it.
* If they gave you any materials prior to the interview, suchas hypothetical questions or pre-interview questions etc, pleasemake sure you have them on hand during the interview! They maybe looking to see how you will use the materials they have givenyou.
* Thank them for their time and the opportunity.
You've done all that you can. I wish you all the success inyour new ESL job!
About the Author: http://www.simplyesl.com/http://www.inesljobs.com/
Source: http://www.isnare.com
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