gathering documents: updating the resume

Okay, I have to admit this here. It just took me a solid hour and a half to update my resume and tailor it to TEFL positions. Wow, who knew? And you know what is funny? It wasn't even the information, it is all of the formatting that takes a long time! I also did two, one in a more traditional manner and one like this:

I wasn't sure about this one, but once I finished, it turned out beautifully! My sister is a talented editor, so she is taking a look at both of them for me. Bless her heart. It would be so embarrassing to send them off with a mistake. I have learned that you want at least one other pair of eyes looking at anything that you will send off for a job, two pairs is preferable. 

It is amazing to see how much my resume has developed since I first started university. That one had that I was a nanny on it. I'm now to the point that I can actually have two specific sections for work experience: teaching and additional. Even though most of my teaching experience has been volunteer and oft times informal, it is teaching experience nonetheless. (If you are like me, put it on your resume, just make sure to mark that it is volunteer.)

My friends, be bold on your resume. It doesn't have to be some massive bomb of awesomeness, but don't be afraid to show what you've done. It might be difficult to get that on a single piece of paper, but do it! If you are in America and looking for a TEFL job, put your resume on A4 paper - it is a setting in Microsoft Word (since the rest of the world uses that size). It is a bit larger and can help you out a bit. 

Brag a bit. But don't get cocky. Pride and confidence are two very different things.

Good luck with those resumes!

If you want some additional help, check out Teaching House's TEFL Job tips sections. I will be doing a cover letter next and this site has been a real help for me.

finding fingerprinting....

Even though I did not apply to EPIK, which requires an apostilled background check (now formally known as a Criminal Record Check or Criminal History Report, both of which just sound pretentious in my opinion), I am planning on getting a background check as a just in case for my other TEFL applications. It seems that several countries' visa requirements--especially Asia--include a background check of some sort. Background checks are valid for six months (from the start date of your contract), so if you are wanting to start a TEFL job in August, you can get one now.

(Alas, I just cancelled my dental insurance only to find out that I have cavities that need to be filled. As such, I will be waiting until next month to do my CRC. Darn.)

But, in my research so far regarding getting your background check, it is easiest to go through an FBI-approved channeler. It will be a bit more expensive (ranging from $50-100) but it will come a lot faster than trusting that to the FBI office alone. Now, in terms of getting the fingerprinting for your background check there are several options. You can do biometric fingerprints which then are automatically sent to the FBI or a a background check service. You can do electronic fingerprinting and have the copies either emailed (as a PDF) or mailed to you. And finally, you can be old school. Get the ink on your fingers and do an actual card. This can be done at a local police station. There are even business (such as mailing facilities) that specialize in fingerprinting for a cheaper price.

Of all of these options, I am leaning toward the old school fingerprinting. It is the cheapest. I'll be on the safe side and do two cards worth of prints, just in case one is not readable. I emailed a biometrics company about doing them there (which was in Denver, so that wasn't exactly a selling point) and they are extremely particular on the reason why you need one done. Alas, not worth the effort or gas money. So, do your research! Find out what works best for you and your budget. There will be a lot of options to choose from.

a word about language changes: applied linguistic series

"All languages change over time, and vary from place to place. They may change as a result of social or political pressures, such as invasion, colonisation and immigration. New vocabulary is required for the latest inventions, such as transport, domestic appliances and industrial equipment, or for sporting, entertainment and leisure pursuits. But a language can also change by less obvious means" (British Library). 

No two people on this planet speak identically. Even if both individuals grew up in the same family, place, are the same age, even twins, the way we speak is unique to each of us. Applied linguists are able to track a person's speaking and writing patterns, how they say words, what word they choose over others in certain contexts. It is actually extremely difficult to write or speak in the exact way that another person does. 

Change is viewed in both positive and negative light. There are many that view that contemporary uses of languages to be degrading and harmful to society. In this I don't disagree: there are certain uses of English that I do not appreciate, such as vulgar music, profane terms, and abusive speaking. However, change is also positive. The British Library states:

"Most contemporary linguistic commentators accept that change in language, like change in society, is an unavoidable process — occasionally regrettable, but more often a means of refreshing and reinvigorating a language, providing alternatives that allow extremely subtle differences of expression. Certainly the academies established in France and Italy have had little success in preventing change in French or Italian, and perhaps the gradual shift in opinion of our most famous lexicographer, Dr Johnson, is instructive. A contemporary of Swift, Dr Johnson, wrote in 1747 of his desire to produce a dictionary by which the pronunciation of our language may be fixed and its purity preserved, but on completing the project ten years later he acknowledges in his introduction that:

Those who have been persuaded to think well of my design, require that it should fix our language and put a stop to those alterations which time and chance have hitherto been suffered to make in it without opposition. With this consequence I will confess that I flattered myself for a while; but now begin to fear that I have indulged expectation which neither reason nor experience can justify.

Johnson clearly realised that any attempt to fix the language was futile. Like it or not, language is always changing and English will continue to do so in many creative and — to some perhaps — frustrating ways."

Really, this statement says it all. Even though changes in language, even if this is referring to just English, can be frustrating, it is part of the creative process. We can learn to manipulate and produce language in a myriad of ways that allow us to be part of that process. 

a word about linguistic vs communicative competence: applied linguistics series

Guy Cook, as previously mentioned, explores various topics in his book Applied Linguistics. One topic that is very thought provoking is his exploration of linguistic and communicative competence. Linguistic competence is defined as is the system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers of a language, whereas communicative competence is a term in linguistics which refers to a language user's grammatical knowledge of syntax, morphology, phonology and the like, as well as social knowledge about how and when to use utterances appropriately. Thus, the core difference between the two is the knowledge of the language and the ability to appropriately and fluently use the language. 

Linguistic competence is an unconscious act. This means that the user of the language has access to vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and other language tools that allow he or she to use the language. Yet, just because one knows the language does not mean that they are able to communicate. 

This is where communicative competence steps in. Canale and Swain (1980) break this down into three categories:

1. grammatical competence (a knowledge of the words and rules)
2. sociolinguistic competence (a knowledge of appropriateness)
3. strategic competence (a knowledge of the appropriate use of communication strategies)

Language teaching has grown in the past decades from a linguistic focus to a communicative focus because what good is learning a language if one cannot put it to use? There are many who look up words one by one, yet they have no understanding of the grammar. There are others who understand the grammar and do not know the words. Yet, as linguistic competence increases, there are those who are so focused on saying things "right" that they miss the point of language: to communicate.

In the language classes that I have been apart of, there was always a push to communicate first. Though the linguistic understanding was crucial, the ultimate goal of the class was to communicate in a practical setting. Being able to assist in a TEFL classroom these past months has really taught me how important it is to TALK. Some many people get sacred and won't speak because they don't know how to say it. Oh, how I understand. But you cannot avoid speaking when learning a language because it is a productive skill, and a vital productive skill at that.

Communicative competence stretches beyond that of linguistic competence. Once we have the rules and functions down, it is important to be culturally aware. There are certain connotations to words that one needs to be aware of as not to offend, certain body language actions that are too much or too little. These are two of many communicative skills that one needs to be aware of to truly find fluency in another language.