Job Discussion Forums

[TES]

Hi everyone,

While I�d probably be a long-shot candidate, I�m considering applying for the EL Fellow Program through Georgetown (found here: http://elf.georgetown.edu/).

Does anyone have any experience with or knowledge of this program that you could share? Or maybe a site that has reviews from past fellows?

Thank you in advance!

[naturegirl321]

I wish I could help. But I don't qualify, I think that if you've spent more than 6 years abroad, you can't apply, this is year 8 for me.

[denise]

I was offered a position in Burkina Faso, but the application process was so long and drawn out that by the time I heard from them, I had already accepted another offer. For something as bureaucratic as the ELF program, with as many steps as there are, as many documents to submit, etc., you've got to time it well so that you don't miss out on other opportunities while you're waiting.

d

[TES]

Thanks for the responses - it's a fairly new program (I seem to recall from the site), so wasn't sure how many here might have had experience with it.

Naturegirl: yes - they require that you've been in the U.S. at some point over the last five years.

Denise: I think you're right. I'll probably apply and see what happens, but keep on looking in the meantime. It certainly does look like a long process.

Thanks!

[paddyroyal]

Actually, I beleive the program has been around for quite a while and that it was administred by SIT before it went to Georgetown.
I went part way through the process and found it to be very efficient and accommodating. My problem was that they put me on rosters for countries I wasn't really interested in, and I took the risk of waiting for countries I wanted.
The program is clearly getting more and mor competitive, perhaps due to the job market. When I first started looking, it seemed to be geared toward folks coming ot of master's programs. Now they want scads of experience, either in curriculum development or teaching training, and there are a lot of reassignments, which seems counter to their previously stated goal of getting as many people out there as possible.
FYI, Latin America is the most competiive region.

[anyway]

I was an ELF for one year a couple of years ago. If you did a search of this forum, you probably saw my comments, so at the risk of repeating myself....

It is a great program, but a lot depends on the embassy as one of your main points of contact is the public affairs section. Mine was craptastic, so I left after one year although I enjoyed my host institution. Job duties can be highly ambiguous due to the nature of educational system around the world as well as the diplomatic nature of these arrangements (imho).

There is more than enough competition for these positions, which makes it a bit of a lottery. I would suggest that you indicate as few 'preferences' as possible. There are always hard(er) to fill positions and these often go to folks with less experience or the ELFs who want reassignment. Make sure you highlight your skills (other than classroom teaching) like materials development, assessment, training, etc.

Luck!

[spanglish]

Looks fascinating. I guess this is a sort of consolation prize for Americans because we don't have the British Council.

[TES]

Paddyroyal and Anyway: Thanks for sharing your experiences! It's also good to know the level of competition and have any idea of what they're looking for.

Anyway: Thanks for posting and mentioning your previous posts. I must have missed that thread when I did my initial search.

For anyone who is interested, here's that thread:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=61031&highlight=elf

If anyone else has participated in this program in the last year or two, I'd love to hear about your experience as well...

Thanks!