Job Discussion Forums

travellingchad · Joined: 05 May 2006 Posts: 10

Hey everyone,
I was just wondering what was expected in a resume for teaching English. I have worked as a Network Engineer for the last five years and have decided to head to Asia to teach. I have my degree in English and need to reformulate my resume to meet the needs of my potential position.
Does it need to stress education and work experience or should I focus on extra-curricular related information? If any of you have a good sample I would love to see it as I am trying to get this all together soon. Thank you for your help.

BigWally · Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 11:33 pm Post subject:

I think the most important things to stress are (in no particular order):

1) Native English Speaker (preferrably from Canada, USA, England, Australia)

2) Caucasian (although this sounds racist, many schools are looking for a "white" face, others dont care, they will say ABC accepted [Asian, Black, Caucasian]or {thanks Ki}[American Born Chinese])

3) Enjoy working with children

4) University Degree

I basically used the same resume that I had used for my previous job (working for Rogers Communications in the Sales Division), with only a few alterations detailing my extra work with kids.

Hope that helps out a bit!

Cheers Surprised

Serious_Fun · Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 1171 Location: terra incognita

Ki · Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 475

Big Wally,

I think ABC refers to American Born Chinese.

Emphasise your degree. Emphasise your age (if you are below 35). Emphasise any teaching experience, no matter how minor. Emphasise any Chinese language skills if you have any.

BigWally · Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 10:06 pm Post subject:

Ki,

OOPS! Embarassed

You are right. Sorry bout that!

Although, I have seen the abbreviation used both ways, with brackets indicating what it stands for in some cases. I'll edit my original post to reflect this.

Cheers!

(you know its nice to be flamed in such a polite way!) Laughing

travellingchad · Joined: 05 May 2006 Posts: 10

Would a few of you tell me what you think of my resume? Am I being succint and descriptive enough? I really am having a hard time incorporating the Caucasian, American, Age thing... Any ideas?

Objective
American, 26 years of age and Caucasian, seeking to utilize English degree to obtain a position as an English teacher.

Education
B.A. Degree in English
Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA�
Concentration in Education and Creative Writing. 2006

A.S. Degree in Computer Science
A.A. Degree in Liberal Arts
Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA 2001

Accomplishments

Teaching Assistant, Sonoma State University�
Administered English 101 class instruction.�
Trained ESL students in correct English usage.�
Prepared lessons and daily exercises for classroom of forty students. 2006

Volunteer Student Tutor, IHMS School�
Helped students with difficulties in all academics.�
Corrected student papers and assisted in classroom management. 1996-2006

Camp Counselor, Meteor Ranch�
Provided excellent support for mentally and physically disabled campers.�
Created and administered daily camp activities. 1996

Career History
System Administrator, Amy�s Kitchen, Inc.�
Instructed users in correct computer usage.�
Assisted ESL employees in day-to-day computer difficulties.�
Oversaw installation and operation of country-wide computer systems. 2005-2006

Rate Lock Coordinator, Homecomings Financial, Inc.�
Educated brokers on loan rate system.�
Customer support for international operations. 2003-2005

Network Engineer, Windsor Vineyards�
Administered and serviced 30 plus NT, 2000 and Unix servers.�
Supported help desk for 300 users. 2000-2002

Network Admnistrator, BrainLAB, Inc.�
Taught international users how to operate medical computer equipment.�
Traveled to Germany to assist in network operations. 1999-2000

*References available upon request.

Dr_Zoidberg · Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 12:54 am Post subject:

Let's be blunt. travellingchad, they don't give a shit about your resume. Be white and under 30. That's all they're looking for.

BigWally · Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 3:17 am Post subject:

dude, with that kind of resume you'll be able to contact any school, and if they have openings, you'll have yourself a job...

like zoidberg said, you have the 2 most important criteria down, everything else is barganing chips

Ki · Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 475

Just be prepared for the demo and you will be fine.

drewteacher · Joined: 03 Oct 2005 Posts: 62

Under 30?! I'm 48. Will I have a problem? 7 years teaching experience, award winning writer, business background, B.S. Degree, CELTA. Thanks.

BigWally · Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 5:53 am Post subject:

this may pose a problem for you as many schools are looking for "young faces"...although i have read that its not impossible to find work over the age 30, just harder to come by...

travellingchad · Joined: 05 May 2006 Posts: 10

What is the Demo???

Ki · Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 475

Depending on the school and age group a demo (demonstration) is where you prove that you know what you are doing in a classroom. They can be daunting at first but you get used to the procedure. Usually 20 min long. Try to interact more with the students rather than teach them. Smile a lot and look like everyone is having fun. Keep it simple and you should be fine. The resume will put your foot in the door but it is the demo which will get you the job.