Job Discussion Forums

[bradwelljackson]

I don´t mean to be disloyal to Dave´s, especially right here on his site, but the thing is, he might very well be a victim of his own success. To wit: many times when I answer an announcement on his job board, the school will say something like "Do to the high volume of applicants, we may not get to your resume". I don't like this attitude. If I were a backpacker teacher who was just starting out, only trying to find a way to fund my travels, then of course I would have to put up with this. But I'm not one of those, and I don't want to hear this from schools, since they come off as arrogant. So then, is there another site with a job board that doesn't have such a "high volume of applicants"?

[nomad soul]

Frankly, you'll find those "Due to the high volume of applicants..." statements on job postings on other sites as well; they're especially common on ads for the better, highly-desired teaching positions. Employers and recruiters use these types of statements to inform job applicants not to email them for information or status updates because 1) the process of reviewing CVs and applications will take some time; and 2) only those who have been shortlisted will be contacted. Moreover, be aware that despite the posted job qualifications and experience, employers still get bombarded with CVs from applicants who fall short of the requirements, which wastes the time of those having to sift through and review applications.

Some possible options:

1) Find out who the hiring manager is. Address and email your cover letter and CV directly to him/her as well as sending your documents to the email address listed on the job posting.

2) Make sure your cover letter and CV will grab the reviewers' attention by a) applying only for those jobs you are strongly qualified for; b) tailoring your application package to the specific job to make yourself stand out; and c) ensuring your submission is error free, complete, and professional looking.

3) If it's a school that you've been chomping at the bit to work at, in order to get your name placed at the top of the pile, consider sending your CV and cover letter right before peak recruiting season, even if positions haven't yet been posted. Also, be aware some employers avoid the high-volume traffic generated from public job boards by only posting their openings on their own website.

4) If feasible, attend job fairs targeting the employers you want to work for. Ditto for joining TESOL organizations and attending conferences for professional development and networking opportunities. Also, consider presenting at these events.

5) Make yourself an active presence on the employer's facebook page to get your name out there. Use Linkedin to build and maintain your network of contacts with others employed in the region, cities, or schools where you want to work. However, only link with people known to you. Otherwise, be very professional when requesting a connection to those you don't know, but don't get discouraged if they don't respond back with an accept. In fact, making yourself known on the employer's FB page should lead to Linkedin connections with other "fans" and "friends" of the school.

[naturegirl321]

The ones I look at are:
higheredjobs.com
the Chronicle
the Guardian
TESOL.org
jobs.ac.uk
a FB group for foreign profs in Korea

There was a good website called profsabroad.com but now the guy is trying to make money from it and charging people to see the adverts that he copies from other sites. I don't know. If you're willing to check sites, it might not be worth it. If you want all the info compiled it might be. They're not original adverts though, ie, he doesn't have employers posting directly on his site.

Sometimes CL can be hit or miss.

There are also sites dedicated to certain countries, ajarn, tealit, koreabridge, etc.

[bradwelljackson]

I wish to thank both of you for your responses, but, dam, Nomad, you really get around with your thorough answers, don't you??!! : ) I wanted to PM you and thank you personally, but I don't think you have that feature. Anyway, as I say, I wish to thank you both. What do you guys think of ESLboards.com?