Job Discussion Forums

[Oreen Scott]

I've completed a file of "stuff" to bring along when visiting potential employers here's the list:

1. curriculum vita - which does include a small photo, my age, education and work experience - condensed into one page - I have a second page of references but I'm not sure if I need the second page while seeking out possible employment

2. A one page synopsis of my educational philosophy

3. My CTESL practicum teaching report

4. Three letters of recommendation from teachers I have worked with

5. My TESL Canada Federation Professional Certificate

6. A Certificate in recognition of a series of Adult ESL Volunteer Workshops I attended sponsored by the Director, Adult Language Training Branch, Manitoba Labour and Immigraition

7. My Communications certification specializing in Public Relations

8. A few samples of newsletters I published while employed in the newspaper industry.

9. My Bachelor of Arts and Certificate to Teach English - both of which are now certified by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, translated into Spanish and legalized by the Consulado General De Mexico.

I'm not sure I need a cover letter. So, I haven't put one together

I'm thinking I should bring the entire file with me when seeking employment. But to have copies of only the one page CV to drop off if I don't get an on the spot interview. A sort of enlarged business card.

Am I on the right track?

[/b]

[ls650]

You really only need (1) and (9). Some of the other items might be useful to have but aren't necessary.

Frankly, some of the items are overkill, and I can't see many employers being interested in spending much time reading through them. Even at the university level, you really want to keep your paperwork short and sweet: a brief cover letter, a resume (two pages maximum), and your degree and certificate with apostilles/legalization.

[Oreen Scott]

Thanx LS - I agree with you. I'm simply following instructions from my practicum instructor.

No harm keeping a file just in case.

So, would you attach a cover letter to a CV when dropping off in hopes of an interview at some point in the future?

What would your cover letter contain that isn't on the resume?

[dixie]

[Oreen Scott]

Hello Dixie:

As an aside, I miss your dog. Hope he'll revisit the forum someday.

Thanks for the suggestion, it makes sense.

You asked about the type of position I'm seeking.

I'm accredited to teach adults. Therefore I don't feel qualified to teach children. However, I've been tutoring an 8 year old South Korean child while in Nanaimo and she's been a delight. I love her eagerness to learn and am amazed at how much she remembers from one session to the next.

My ideal position would be with a univeristy language centre. However, I think I'd really need to luck into that because I have limited teaching experience and if I were the person hiring at a university my ideal candidate would have a Master in TESL or applied linguistics.

A language school ought to be fairly easy. I don't however relish the idea of travelling around half the day on a bus. So, students would need to come to the school.

I would like to live in a realitively small city. Just spent four days in Vancouver. Although born and raised in Vancouver the city I grew up with is not the city it is today. Too much development, too much traffic, too many people hurrying from place to place.

I forgot which street, which parking lot, and where in the massive parking lot I had parked the rental car. It was a nightmare.

I'm entering Mexico via Juarez, but quickly moving onto Chihuahua, then onto Creel. I'm thinking Zacatecas is where I may start looking for work. I'm not sure.

[john_n_carolina]

....and copies of all those things also, just in case. or i suppose, leave the same file with a relative/friend that could make copies and send them down fairly fast??

[ls650]

You can bring the extra docs with you, and if you are applying to a particular position that might want those skills, have them ready to offer.

[jfurgers]

[Oreen Scott]

I believe I can purchase a bus ticket in El Paso that will take me to Chihuahua. I'm assuming the Greyhound bus goes only as far as Juarez and I will need to transfer buses.

Hopefully the bus depot is as safe as any place in Juarez can be.

My attitude is that I'm entering a war zone.

Americans, and I suppose to a lesser extent, Canadians send money and guns south - Mexicans send drugs north. So, I think all the border towns are pretty dangerous places.

[jfurgers]

[notamiss]

[Oreen Scott]

[MO39]

[sweeney66]

You will be perfectly safe changing busses in Juarez. Just take normal precautions with your cash and documents. I've done it half a dozen times without a hitch. Your continuing ticket will be on another bus line. The driver of the greyhound should tell you the name of the bus line and the number of the bus. I think they have an agreement with ADO here in Mexico. On the Mexican bus you will want to have a sweater handy because the air conditioning can be freezing.

[Oreen Scott]

Thanks for the advice Sweeney. I'm not too concerned about transferring buses, but I'm prepared to have a meltdown if the bus terminal is crowded, noisy and confusing. And I do plan to move on asap.

Can anyone recommend a hotel in Chihuahua?

I've penciled in Hotel Del Cobre at $30.88 Canadian/night? The address is Calle Decima Y Progreso No. 51.