Job Discussion Forums

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

Before you leave to go to a new job. Ask your current employer for a reference letter/proof of employment.

Have it say something to the effect that you are a great teacher, well liked and popular with the students and teachers at your school. That you participated in extra curiccular activities, were on time to work. Willing to help out.

Also, get the dates that you were employed and have it stamped with the offical stamp of the school and written on their letterhead.

Then when you are applying to jobs (or grad. school) you can prove that you have experience and should be paid more than people without it. More and more people ask for proof that have indeed do have experience. They won't believe that you have a degree without seeing it, so why should they believe that you've taught before? Some people lie on their CVs. so have documentation of prior jobs can help!

Be sure to proof-read it for mistakes!

Lynn · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 696 Location: in between

Very interesting! Did you write the letter and then have your employer sign it? Or did he write it himself?

I don't think my employers would take the time to write a letter for me. I'm just a part-time teacher from a staff of 80 teachers in a big school. And at my other school, the manager is Chinese and doesn't have a computer.

This summer I had an interesting chance to see what my employers at my school really thought of me. I was the office manager at a summer camp for inner city boys. I was in charge of all the paperwork for campers and staff. I had to do all the calling to check references for our staff.. I coudln't do my own reference, so my co-worker called my ESL school manager. I still had to file it though, and of course I looked at it. I wasn't very impressed. It was just okay.

Oh well, I think I'm still going to ask for that letter. It doesn't hurt to try.

Thanks Naturegirl!

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

An excellent tip! It's so much easier to get it taken care of while you're still there than to have to track down former employers a couple of years later--that gets to be a major pain in the wazoo.

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naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

[quote="Lynn"]Very interesting! Did you write the letter and then have your employer sign it? Or did he write it himself?

I don't think my employers would take the time to write a letter for me. I'm just a part-time teacher from a staff of 80 teachers in a big school. And at my other school, the manager is Chinese and doesn't have a computer.
quote]

You could always write it yourself. Or have the manager handwrite it. If the person's English isn't good, you write. Tell them that you like to keep a record of your emplyment

KarenMarie · Joined: 14 Nov 2003 Posts: 60

more advice on this, please...

tammy · Joined: 07 Jan 2004 Posts: 45

Good advice! I've given up on trying to get hold of my previous employers and asking them to send me a ref letter. Wish I'd got one before I left - many schools I apply to now do tend to ask for proof of teaching experience.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

biffinbridge · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 701 Location: Frank's Wild Years

The whole issue of references in this game is tosh.I received excellent references from IH Bydgoszcz in the nineties and was asked to come back.Years later,the new DOS,who had been a teacher refused to give me a reference quoting 'incidents' that happened while we were both at the school in 96.Another company I worked for in the ME gave everyone pretty much the same reference.Half the time they're not checked and half the time they bare no relation to your teaching skills anyway.Write them yourself and set up a network of 'dummy' ex- employers,(who are your mates and can bullsh... a bit),really it's the best way. By doing this you have great references and give a poke in the eye to all those cowboy bosses you've done runners from in the past and who would shaft you given half the chance.Problem solved.One of the tricks I use is to give a name and give his/her title as 'school owner'....thus avoiding any tricky pedagogical questions that may arise.

Trojan Horse · Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Posts: 61 Location: Europe

Depends where you're applying to and how desperate they are for teachers. Some institutions DO follow up (British Council, also universities in a lot of countries), but I guess if your friends know the story, it'd be ok. I always get employers to give me a written reference before I leave a job. I've generally been asked to write them myself and they get typed up and signed by your employer who then adds a paragraph or so at the bottom. Just goes to show how worthless these things are really.