Job Discussion Forums

[acquisition]

I haven't found anything on this topic using "search," so here goes...

After getting the Celta, I got a good teaching job, but after only a few weeks, some bad personal problems came up (long story) and I had to quit and go home. I know it's wrong & unprofessional to leave a contract when the employer has treated you well, and I still feel guilty about it. Aside from this, I'm a responsible person and I couldn't see such a thing happening again, but does having this in my history make it impossible for me to get another decent TEFL job overseas? (Also, since I came home, I've gotten a few months' experience teaching ESL here and I'm expecting a good reference..) Any thoughts?

Thanks everyone

[denise]

I wonder what the consensus here is on the ethics of just leaving it off your CV. A gap of only a few weeks shouldn't stand out too much, and it sounds like you've got other teaching experience to include. But then, that might be considered dishonest. I'd like to hear what the folks who do interviewing and hiring have to say. I really don't know about this one...

d

[been_there]

Well, from the viewpoint of someone who has had to hire teachers (and had one or two go AWOL), I would say "Leave it on."

Of course, that is not going to help aquisition any. If I were his guidance couselor, I'd say leave it off, but honestly answer the question, "what were your last 3 jobs and why did you leave them."

And make darn sure you can prove to your next employer that it won't happen again.

[saint57]

Ethics?

I'm lucky I haven't been sent to prison for some of the mistakes I've made. They certainly won't appear on my resume.

What's wrong with saying you were travelling for a few months?

[Sheikh Inal Ovar]

You'd have to be mad to tell them ... especially in the beginner world of TEFL where schools are less than forthcoming to prospective clients about the experience and qualifications of some of their staff ...

[Dragonlady]

deleted

out of date

[jpvanderwerf2001]

[ShapeSphere]

Leave it off your CV. It was only a few weeks. You felt guilty and realise it was wrong and will hopefully not do it again. If you were a really bad person - you wouldn't be posting the question - because you wouldn't care.

It wasn't a dumb question.

A Chinese student once told me I had blue eyes. I told her, "they are brown". She asked, "are you sure?".

Now that is a dumb question.

[GWUstudent]

I also don't think its a dumb question. I always tailor my resume for the job I'm applying for, and have a section titled "relevant experience." I then list any experience I have had relevant to that position. I leave some jobs off. No big deal. If the employer then gives you a formal application to fill out, its still up to you whether you want to list a position you held for just a few weeks.

I have never felt obligated to list random temp positions I had for a week or so while in college or in between jobs. I wouldn't worry about it. If you have a solid recommendation from your current employer, that should suffice.

[acquisition]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies, everyone! I don't like being dishonest, but I think I'll probably leave it off the CV as I feel it doesn't reflect who I generally am as a teacher. However, that leaves me with one problem: the cancelled visa is permanently stuck to my passport. Do you think that will be a problem? Will an employer be looking through all the pages?

[Jetgirly]

I'm surprised that your high school Career and Personal Planning (call it what you will) teacher didn't address this topic in the tenth grade! It's not up for debate. Leave it off.

[ls650]

Don't be a ding-a-ling - leave it off! No one will query a gap of a few weeks, and even if they should ask, just say you were travelling. It's essentially true.

[sallycat]

i'd say leave it off. i assume the personal problems aren't anything you would feel like explaining to an employer in an interview.