Job Discussion Forums

[Ecrivain]

I'm curious about the weight given to letters of recommendation in Latin America. I know this could vary country by country, school by school, but I'd like to read about your experiences. From my own research and reading, I've seen a wide range. In Asia (Japan in particular), it seems that they are critical, with some schools requesting several letters of reference. It looks like some training programs even require them! I haven't seen as much emphasis on them in my readings about Latin America, but experience tends to tell the tale. What have you noticed?

My situation in particular, if it helps: I have a BA in English (with an emphasis on literature, not grammar or education). I'm strongly considering a 1 or 2 year stint in Costa Rica beginning in the first quarter of next year. I plan to take the CELTA course from Instituto Britanico in San Jose. This would be a career change for me, as I currently work in the IT field. Would a letter of recommendation from my current employer (assuming I could even get one, depending on how we part ways) even be appropriate? I do currently volunteer with a literacy center, where I assist with an adult ESOL class (doing mostly administrative work, not teaching). I could, perhaps, get a letter from one of the teachers there. Would that be worthwhile / helpful?

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

[keepwalking]

Letters of reference can't hurt - assuming they are good! I bought copies with me of mine, with email details of the writer on each and offered them with my CV. Some places checked them by contacting the writer, some just read them, others didn't even ask to see a CV or certificates. That was in Peru - don't know about Costa Rica. When you do the CELTA course there will be some teaching practice there so you should be able to get a reference from your tutor on that course. The voluntary work you do will also be a good reference to get.

Good luck

[denise]

I've got hard copies some stored up from previous employers and grad school professors, but unless a place specifically asks for them, I don't send them. I've got full contact details on my CV. I know that my current supervisors contacted my references, and I think that their recommendations really played a big part in me getting the job.

d

[JZer]

From my experience in Korea, in country references are the most important. They usually don't bother to contact references in North America. Korean bosses seem to want another Korean to vouch for your work.

[Guy Courchesne]

That's been my experience too, but with Koreans in Mexico, even in an informal network.

[Ecrivain]

I went back to find some of the job applications that had given me the impression that references were absolutely required. I could only find a few that mentioned references, and only one that actually asked for letters. For some reason, it seemed like there were more. I had a fear that I would need to enter Costa Rica armed with stacks of letters of recommendation. Still, I'll try to make a good impression on my CELTA instructors in case I need to use them as references.

Intercultura Language School:

[Guy Courchesne]