ESL Jobs Forum

[Zub]

Hi Peeps

Any tips on how to write a good covering letter for a language school?

Zub

[camelcarl]

Werd-up Zubster,

The same rules for writing a good cover letter apply to all industries. Keep it short, concise, talk about how you can benefit the organization you are looking to work with...and always get a few friends to read it over before sending it out.

Also Zubster...don't sent generic cover letters...tailor it to each place you are applying to...put some commetns in there that show you have actually researched the organization.

CC out!

[Guy Courchesne]

Good tips there above. I'll add something as it came up recently for me.

As someone who reviews perhaps a dozen resumes per day, the cover letters that really irk me are those that contain any of the following lines:

"I am looking for an opportunity to experience your wonderful culture"

I thought you were loooking for a job? I see this as code for either sucking up too much or that the teacher will be off experiencing local pub culture rather than be working.

"I am happy to have the chance to learn <insert country's language here>"

It's okay to want to learn the language, but save mentioning it for the face-to-face interview.

"I am so happy to be able to bring my <first world country> skills to help those in need in your <developing country>"

Probably okay for missionary work, but not for employment in a language school. This one always sends up a red flag for me.

Hope it helps. For further reading, I wrote an article on the face-to-face or phone interview relative to Latin America, and ESL Employment has been so kind to keep it up in their ESL Articles section.

http://www.eslemployment.com/esl-articles.htm[/i]
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