Job Discussion Forums

basiltherat · Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 952

Ive been looking at some job ads recently on various tefl sites and am astounded at the quality of job ads. Some are so brief that they give you virtually no information on which you can base a decision whether or not to apply and others that are so long, you just feel like clicking the back button.
Some do not mention salary and one even failed to mention the email to which one should apply through.

'Come to .. (place in China)... for an unforgettable teaching experience !', says one ad only.

Another, from Estonia, would take 20 minutes to read.

As CVs have a maximum length and are obliged to contain particular information, so an ad should be likewise.

What do others think ?

*sigh*
regards
basil

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

I'd rather have more information than less. (Within reason, of course--20 minutes is a bit too much time to spend reading a single ad, I'd say.)

If I'm going to go to the trouble of putting together an application packet--a CV, cover letter, recommendation letters, passport photo, and all of the other items typically asked for--I want to make sure that it's a job that I actually want. And I want the school to put some effort into recruiting, also. A one-line ad indicates to me a degree of laziness on the school's part--like they know that there are sooooo many willing applicants out there that they really don't need to try to sell themselves.

I have in the past applied to those one-liner schools, but only because it's super-easy on tefl.com. One click and your online resume is sent. No effort on the school's part; no effort on my part.

d

Snoopy · Joined: 13 Jul 2003 Posts: 185

I didn't even apply for the job I now have in Thailand, just posted my CV on the Jobs Wanted Resume Board and received an offer almost immediately. Obviously some research was required, but I found my employers more than willing to answer my questions and put me in touch with people already working here. It saved an awful lot of frustrating applications. It's early days yet, but it seems satisfactory.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Chinese ads often come complete with an impressive list of statistics: X thousand student enrollment; X hundreds of hectares of built-up area, and the number of faculty members, etc., and the usually have obligatory mugshots of provincial princelings and Party cats.

The ads therefore give you the impression you are being offered the special favour of working at an elite institution of the CCP.

Those Estonian schools probably are being wseaned off the socialist blood bank and are still learning their advertising ropes. That's why they are perhaps too verbose.

nomadder · Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 3:02 pm Post subject:

Yes many should have more information. Salary and start date are always nice at the very least.

lagerlout2006 · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 985

I like the ones on chintefl that tell you how many books are in the library.

We have 1,724,879 books 34,721 periodicals and...MMM are you sure?

Dash off an e-mail to this place---they are obviously well organized.

nolefan · Joined: 14 Jan 2004 Posts: 1458 Location: on the run

a possible reason for the lack of info in the Chinese adds is that all the positions are roughly the same as far as what is expected of you (teach oral Englis).
It is smart from their part not to offer all the incentives up front because they always want to see how much they can get away with...... Why give you free internet when you could pay for it? Did we really say anything about a TV or a DVD player? When?