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Katja84
Joined: 06 May 2007
Posts: 165
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 Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:34 pm Post subject: Questions on writing applications |
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Hi everyone!
I have just missed (quite deliberately) my PhD deadline for next year and I'm thus once again thinking of heading for China, but need some advice on where to start. I am thinking of simply sending any university I can get contact details for my application (I am slightly desperate, yes) but I'm wondering whether there are any differences in how you would write applications to China compared to the UK.
1. Is there anything I should take into account as a non-native speaker? Should I at all mention the fact that I don't speak English as a first language (i.e. should I tell them I have a decent accent etc) or should I let my application speak for itself (I have degrees from the UK)?
2. Should I add hobbies, responsibilities, awards and things that I would add if I were applying in the UK? If I mention that I was the president of the Friends of Palestine society at university, will I scare them off? If I add that I graduated first in my class, will they simply think I'm lying?
3. I did a 30-credit TESOL module at university, and I have not done a CELTA or any other courses. My lecturer offered to put together a letter stating what we had learnt in the course - should I ask her to?
4. Do you add a covering letter to your CV? Will it need to be tailored to the university in question (seeing as I will need to apply to a fair few)?
5. What do I do with references? Should I add 'available upon request' and let them contact my referees (uni lecturers) should they wish? I have a reference from a previous Chinese university where I taught as part of an exchange project - should I send it along?
6. When do you apply? As a non-native speaker, I am unsure of whether it is better to apply early or apply late...
Sorry for all the questions, I am sure there are posts here that have discussed some of the questions but I have kept an eye on the board for a while and the search function confuses me... So any advice would be much appreciated - especially related to how I can improve my chances of finding a job as a non-native speaker! |
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El Macho
Joined: 30 Jan 2006
Posts: 200
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| Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 11:52 pm Post subject: Re: Questions on writing applications |
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| Katja84 wrote: |
| 1. Is there anything I should take into account as a non-native speaker? Should I at all mention the fact that I don't speak English as a first language (i.e. should I tell them I have a decent accent etc) or should I let my application speak for itself (I have degrees from the UK)? |
I would let your application (and photograph) speak for themselves.
As a white non-native speaker, your chances will probably depend on your qualifications compared to those of native speaker applicants. I think your UK degrees should give you a nice leg up, but who knows.
| Quote: |
| 2. Should I add hobbies, responsibilities, awards and things that I would add if I were applying in the UK? If I mention that I was the president of the Friends of Palestine society at university, will I scare them off? If I add that I graduated first in my class, will they simply think I'm lying? |
If you have an interest in Xinjiang (I bring this up b/c of your other post asking about schools in western China), I'd leave the Palestine thing off, myself. Xinjiang is a politically sensitive area, and I would want to give the impression of indifference to the politics of the Muslim world.
| Quote: |
| 3. I did a 30-credit TESOL module at university, and I have not done a CELTA or any other courses. My lecturer offered to put together a letter stating what we had learnt in the course - should I ask her to? |
I did something similar (complementing my foreign language major with a TESL minor from my uni's college of education), and have found it helpful to submit either a letter describing the course (number of credits, classroom hours, and teaching/contact hours) or pages from my uni's catalog describing the course.
| Quote: |
| 4. Do you add a covering letter to your CV? Will it need to be tailored to the university in question (seeing as I will need to apply to a fair few)? |
I think a cover letter is a necessity, but no need to go crazy tailoring it to each institution. A short paragraph about your interest in the city/region should suffice.
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| 5. What do I do with references? Should I add 'available upon request' and let them contact my referees (uni lecturers) should they wish? I have a reference from a previous Chinese university where I taught as part of an exchange project - should I send it along? |
Include the China reference and just say the rest are available.
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| 6. When do you apply? As a non-native speaker, I am unsure of whether it is better to apply early or apply late... |
I would start now and keep pestering them about it throughout the summer.
Good luck to you! |
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Teatime of Soul
Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 905
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 11:38 am Post subject: |
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How to write a cover letter, what to include, Letters of Reference and even samples are all available at:
http://www.middlekingdonlife.com
Good Luck! |
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evaforsure
Joined: 26 Jun 2004
Posts: 1217
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| Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:52 am Post subject: |
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| If you mean the site that's Talkdoc's web page, (past dave's poster), your gonna have to put a 'm' where the 'n' is.... |
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Itsme
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 624
Location: Houston, TX
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| Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 7:59 pm Post subject: |
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Don't disclose any information unless it helps you. There is no reason to say that English is not your first language unless you have a heavy accent and it's obvious.
You can jazz up your CV all you want but it may not make a difference because they will still try to get you to work for 2000 a year.
Applying early obviously has its benefits.
Other than that |
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