Your international education application package is your best marketing tool as you move your job search beyond the borders.
It serves as a key marketing tool as you work to introduce yourself to different schools. Accurately characterize yourself while communicating your best attributes as a teacher. Representing yourself as a professional of superior quality should be your goal.
Use your application package to set yourself apart from your competition. As international teaching opportunities grow more popular, the degree of competition increases, and you will want to deliver top-notch application materials for each role you seek consistently. The combination of a top-quality application package and a strong strategy can put you way ahead of the other candidates.
The purpose of your application package is to get you a job interview with the recruiter. The interview may be face-to-face or by telephone or video, but you should always aim toward converting your resume submission to a conversation.
Keeping this goal in mind, you need to assemble your job application package with all the essential documents and information that will set you apart from the competition.
All of the reputable schools will require an interview with you either in person or by phone or Skype so you can both have a chance to meet. I would be suspicious of any school that offers you a contract through the mail or by email without first having an interview.
Not only is an interview essential for the school to determine what teacher will best suit their needs. Determine if the school will be a good fit for you as well.
For an interview, you are interviewing the potential employer to the same extent they are interviewing you, and you want to take the time to make sure you will feel comfortable working with them. If you are making a career change to teaching, your interview could be slightly different.
You may be required to fill out an application form when you apply to a position through an online job board, but most international schools don’t work this way. International schools usually rely on the quality of candidates’ application packages to give them an idea about the candidate’s caliber.
Your application package should include these items:
- Letter of Introduction or Letter of Intent or Cover letter
- Philosophy of Education Statement
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae
- Reference Page
- Copies of Written Recommendations
- Copies of School Transcripts, Certifications, and Diplomas
- Work Visa Eligibility
As these documents will make up your job application package, it’s important to keep them together and present them as a cohesive unit. Use the same letterhead for each document and the same font, style set, and formatting to create an overall style for your application package.
As well, it’s vital to take the time and effort to ensure all of your documents are targeted toward your job target of international teaching. Your cover letter, resume, and philosophy statement should all target this job objective to land an interview. Preparing for the job interview is equally as important.
In a job market that is full of competition, having professional, well-written, and attractively presented teaching documents can generate interest, even for candidates who are less qualified and experienced. That is why your application package is important to your international teaching job search.
If you are interested in professional assistance to get a leg up on the international job market competition, check out the teacher and administrator packages.
