Unbelievable but true.
Postbox letter from Rob
Rejected for a teaching position on the grounds of being a Buddhist!
Show me that you love me
The Bangkok freak show, and my response to John Wilson.
Last month John Wilson, the director of a Language Institute in Thailand, wrote an article for www.ajarn.com. It was an article about creating a good impression at job interviews.
Those crazy interviewees
A tongue-in-cheek look at some rather eccentric teachers
I’ve always been wary of religious types. Let me be the last man to begrudge anyone the right to have a faith but there’s a time and a place. Sunday morning in church springs instantly to mind. But if I ever saw the name ‘Jesus’ written on a lesson plan I would subconsciously file the teacher under ‘one to keep an eye on’.
Can you start on Monday?
What lies behind that oft-heard request?
This request often means the organisation you are joining is less than adept at hiring procedures and is pressed for time. The ‘power-dressing princess’ delegated to find new recruits may have had little aptitude for the practicalities of recruitment.
First impressions count
Get the basics right first
Here are some valuable interview tips derived from my experience as the academic director of the Language Institute at DPU.
Speechless
Passing the dreaded job interview
There does seem to be one thing that an overseas teacher can do to add luster to the resume... learn the language. Easier said, than done (though language is less done, than said). For those planning on living overseas for a long period of time language skills are invaluable.
Go on, give us a job!
No degree? No teaching certificate? No experience?
All you've got is the language you learned as a baby. Is it still possible to get a job teaching English in Thailand? Ajarn.com picked eight random phone numbers from the jobs offered board and called them up. Dangerous things happen when ajarn.com's got time on its hands. (Names have been changed to avoid causing embarrassment. And there's certainly plenty of that)
Racism in the TEFL industry
The Hines-Ward effect
Yes racism still exists in America and other Western nations. But there's a difference. Here in many parts of Asia, there is no classification of racist acts because no distinction is made between the racist act and the racist person.
No Saturdays, no kids, no evenings and no TEFL certificate
One woman's quest to find a teaching job through informal interviews
Kathy Willis from the USA contacted me to say that she was going to spend a whole week interviewing for teaching jobs in Bangkok. Yes sir, she was going to run a finger down all those banner ads on the ajarn.com homepage and hit the mean streets in search of suitable employment.
How to land a job
The very basics
If you send your application and don’t get a reply, it means that you didn’t make the shortlist. It’s usually useless to call the employer and try to find out why you weren’t contacted. There a big chance the employer found someone more qualified for the job or maybe you didn’t meet the job requirements.
