How to Apply for a Teaching Job: What NOT to do

With September fast approaching, more & more teachers are starting to panic about their job situations and lack thereof.  So they start to look abroad, and apply at the very last minute to teach in London, England with Classroom Canada and Classroom America.  Some of these teachers are fabulous, and have been doing their research and will be ready to depart in the next two months.  I don't judge them - I myself applied at the very last minute to teach in the UK and was on the plane in my own classroom within one month of applying.  I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for that last minute panicked decision.

I do, however, judge teachers' applications by their cover letters & CV's.  Every once in a while, I figure it's good to point out the glaring mistakes I see almost every day.

1.  Don't write "Dear Sirs," I got this one yesterday and my jaw dropped.  It shouldn't - I should be well used to this one by now, but I'm always shocked to see "Dear Sirs" on a Cover Letter.  

At first I wondered, "Maybe they are ESL?"  But no, this particular teacher has years of experience teaching in Canadian public schools & even has some senior management experience.  Shocking right? 

Don't write "Dear Sirs."  It should be very obvious why not, but since I clearly need to spell this one out, here goes.  Education is made up of women and men.  In fact, ALL occupations in the world are now made up of women as well as men.  Writing "Dear Sirs" shows your assumption that senior management is made up of men.  In this case (and in many, many others), it's not.   

Oh, and I have a name.  Find it. Use it.  Get an interview.  Yes, it is that easy.  Use "Dear Sirs" though and  good bye madam.
2.  Don't write about how this teaching job will be so good for you.  You want the job - of course it will be good for you!  Why are you the right teacher for this job?  What will you add to the school?  What experience do you have?  Be specific and don't fluff it up to fill the page.  When applying to teach in a specific location, talk about why you love that place.  So, if you want to teach in London, tell me why. 
You can apply anywhere in the world, so why London? 

If you are applying to teach with Classroom Canada, why this agency?  There are hundreds and we're all very different.  So why us?  Don't know?  Go back and do your research!  Then apply. It only takes a day online to find out about us - I think we're worth at least one day. 

3.  Don't just send a CV.  Don't be lazy.  Write a cover letter.

If you're still not sure how to write a great cover letter that will get you a teaching interview, read this post.  In it, I show you an outstanding cover letter that I actually read over & over again because I was so dang excited.  When I interviewed the teacher, I asked if I could use her letter as an example of what to do and she agreed.  And guess what? She's now teaching in London with us and doing a fantastic job.  No big surprise there!

In a few months I will interview her for our Coffee Time Series, which you will see at the right hand side of this blog.  I interview teachers that are successful in their teaching in London to show you what qualities & traits they have and what mistakes to avoid. 

For my advice on how to write a CV or Resume, see this post.  And finally, for the teacher photograph, read this post by my sister. It's hilarious and very useful.

Resources for Teaching in London
Classroom Canada website
Guide to Teaching in London: A Survival Guide for Canadians ebook
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Canadians & Americans in the UK blog  

Professional Development for Teachers in London, England

Classroom Canada & Classroom London will be offering Professional Development Workshops for our teachers & teaching assistants in London, England from November 1st-5th, 2010.  I will be posting the exact details in the next few weeks, but we usually cover:

• behaviour management in London schools (for daily supply & long term teachers)
• literacy & numeracy curriculum for primary school teaching
• Special Educational Needs
• how to get the teaching job you actually want
• socials to help teachers make new friends (including a 5km run around Central London where our office is located, a London Scavenger Hunt which is ridiculously fun & silly & always our most favourite event of the year)

If you're looking for more Professional Development events for teachers in London, check out this amazing event scheduled for October 15th and 16th 2010.  You get 2 full days of workshops on everything to do with teaching children with Special Educational Needs, and the workshops are very affordable. They sell out quickly though, so be sure to sign up right away.  I highly recommend that all teachers in London attend at least one of the workshops.

Resources for Teaching in London

Classroom Canada website
Guide to Teaching in London: A Survival Guide for Canadians ebook
Sign up for our newsletters
Canadians & Americans in the UK blog

Teaching Jobs for Canadian & American Teachers in London, England

Can you believe that school starts in just a couple of weeks?  Our new teachers are madly packing their suitcases & gearing up for their adventures in teaching in England, while our experienced teachers are out surfing, sailing and enjoying summer for as long as they can.  I absolutely love this time of year.

Want to teach in London, England with Classroom Canada or Classroom America?

For the next few weeks we will be conducting interviews with teachers and teaching assistants for positions that start in November 2010 and January 2011.

For all those teachers and teaching assistants who are thinking about moving to London to teach, here's what we like to see:

Secondary Teachers with the following teachable subjects (at least 2 of this list): science, math, computers, design & technology. There will be limited positions in: English, History, Geography and Modern Foreign Languages. Secondary Teachers with experience in Primary Teaching and Special Educational Needs will be prioritized.

Primary Teachers - particularly those with experience across all age groups.

Special Educational Needs Teachers. Mild Learning Disabilities, Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties and Severe Learning Disabilities.

Teaching Assistants & Early Childhood Educators. Experienced teaching assistants, nursery & reception teachers (ECE's).

For all of these positions, we are looking for the following skills & experiences:

• Experience abroad in some capacity is a definite asset. Teaching ESL, volunteering abroad, working abroad.
• Flexibility, adaptability and a "can-do" attitude.
• Inner-city teaching experience is a definite asset.
• Outstanding references.
• Ability to teach across various subjects and age groups.
• Sense of humour.
• Optimistic, positive approach to teaching and living in London.
• Involvement in extracurricular activities (sports, drama, clubs, dance...anything that shows your interest in learning outside of the traditional classroom).

To apply to join our team of outstanding teachers and teaching assistants, just send your resume and cover letter to apply at classroomcanada dot com. Be sure to outline why you want to teach in London, and specifically why you want to work with Classroom Canada. You will need to be eligible to work in the UK, so be sure to check out the visa page on our website.

Resources for Teaching in London

Classroom Canada website
Guide to Teaching in London: A Survival Guide for Canadians ebook
Sign up for our newsletters
Canadians & Americans in the UK blog

Back to School Advice

Back to School Advice from Dave Koechner

I can't believe it's almost the end of summer!

Are you excited for school to start? 

Resources for Teaching in London

Classroom Canada website
Guide to Teaching in London: A Survival Guide for Canadians ebook
Sign up for our newsletters
Canadians & Americans in the UK blog

Teaching in England vs Teaching in Canada - Who Wants to Be on TV?

A while back I wrote an article for Sarah Ebner's blog School Gate about the differences between teaching in London and teaching in Canada.  The Times Online has started to charge to read their paper so I'm not sure if you can still access it but you can certainly try to here.

Since then, a media company has contacted our London Office to interview Canadian teachers for a program they are developing for Teachers TV. The focus is on the difference between teaching in London and Canada.  WOW!  How exciting is that?  I constantly tell our teachers to check out Teachers TV before they depart to teach in the UK, and now they are contacting us to chat about Canadian teaching vs London teaching.  Love it!

If you're interested in being on television and helping others understand what it's really like to teach in Canada and London please contact me asap (you can email me directly - Victoria AT classroomcanada DOT com) so I can get you in touch with the TV folks.  They've expressed a special interest in those teachers from Alberta, but will also consider teachers from across Canada. 

Resources for Teaching in London
Classroom Canada website
Guide to Teaching in London: A Survival Guide for Canadians ebook
Sign up for our newsletters
Canadians & Americans in the UK blog 

Classroom Canada Toronto Social: Our teachers from past, present & future

I'm in Toronto now after a whirl wind tour which started in Seattle and ends next week in Barrie, Ontario.  I'm exhausted. In fact, I can't even tell you where I am tomorrow because every day I feel like I'm somewhere else.  Interviewing, meeting amazing teachers, making great connections, eating out, staying in hotels...I can't complain - It's a fabulous life!  But...well... maybe it's time I hired someone to help out in these kinds of tours?  What would you do if you were me?

The photos in this entry are from a social we did in London in November 2010.

Tonight we have our Toronto teacher social which is by far my most favourite part of this kind of a trip.  I get to see teachers that taught with us 3 years ago, 2 years ago, this past year as well as a group of newbies to Classroom Canada who are heading to London in the fall.  It's always super-fun because the teachers who are back home in Toronto have stories to share about teaching in London as well as teaching here in Ontario.  The new teachers get to know what we're all about, what it's really like to teach in London (the good, the bad and the ugly!) and Toronto area, and they also get to know me a bit better. 

We go to a British Pub, have a few drinks and just enjoy the conversations & new friends made.  What I love most is meeting all the new teachers & seeing them meet each other for the first time in Toronto, because I know that they'll be soon traveling around Europe together.  Tonight is the start of their adventures!  Lucky ducks.

I'll be back in our British Columbia office on August 19th, when I will be going through the stack of CV's and cover letters that I've received over the past few weeks. If you applied, and wonder why I haven't called you yet, please just call me after the 19th. That's the best way to reach me and why wait around waiting for the phone to ring?  My number is on our website.

Resources for Teaching in London
Classroom Canada website
Guide to Teaching in London: A Survival Guide for Canadians ebook
Sign up for our newsletters
Canadians & Americans in the UK blog