Too much qualified?

sid
Posts: 1392
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:44 am

Re: Too much qualified?

Post by sid »

Unless you're teaching English as a subject, your English is just fine for teaching in English. There are some awkward phrases, but absolutely nothing that hinders communication. I recommend you find a native English speaker to help revise your letter and CV, shooting for a cadence that's more "Mother Tongue", and focus on tailoring your register to typical international school lingo. Can you get a few experienced school leaders to review it, the ones who do the hiring at your school?
And I'm seriously amused at the number of people speaking harshly about your language, while employing various grammatical errors. Te he he.
Rutabaga
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 4:52 am

Re: Too much qualified?

Post by Rutabaga »

I don't buy the overly qualified argument. I know others who have PhD's and especially in subjects like science and math, this should not be a hindrance. Good HL math teachers are not a dime a dozen and a lot of directors like to advertise that they have teachers with higher level degrees. I agree that the cover letter could be improved, but not just for the English, but also for the content. One thought that I had is that it is mainly a listing of qualifications, which are on the CV anyway, without much to say about teaching philosophy. There is also a lot of focus on what you want out of the job, rather than what you would bring to the job. If I were hiring, I would want to know what sets you apart from other math teachers. And being French doesn't have to be a disadvantage. A lot of schools are looking to show that they are more international and if you've been teaching this long in English, clearly the language isn't a problem, although the language of the letter could use some polishing.
Olivier1810
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 12:35 am

Re: Too much qualified?

Post by Olivier1810 »

Thank you Sid and Rutabaga for your answers.
Last edited by Olivier1810 on Tue Feb 07, 2017 7:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
Olivier1810
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 12:35 am

Re: Too much qualified?

Post by Olivier1810 »

Thank you Sid and Rutabaga for your answers. I followed your advices and asked a recruiter at schooll to "fix" my cover letter. I'm teaching only in english since 21 years now, from Universities in USA to schools in asia or in the gulf and I never had any problem of understanding from my students. The only time was when I was teaching In Columbbia University in New york and students were recording me, and the voice recognition didn't work onmost of my words...lol.. I don't even speak french at home as my wife and kids just speak english...but I still have 1% of answers..

here is the updated cover letter:

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing in response to the employment opportunity available on your website.
I am a qualified Math Teacher with 18 years of experience, currently teaching at Aqaba International School in Jordan. I am now looking to work for a unique School where I can use my expertise to further educate ambitious students.
I have a strong educational background where I studied Mathematics and Computer Science at the Universities of Grenoble, Lyon and Chicago. I hold a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Computer Technology and Programming Language. I earned the Aggregation (Middle/High School and University credential) which is the highest level that you can hold to Lecture in France.
I taught 5 years in the South of France before joining the faculty at the Lycée International de Los Angeles. I then taught the Middle and High School French and IB program at San Diego (SDFAS). My next position was at the Lyceum Kennedy in New York where I taught the International Baccalaureate to IB1 and IB2 standard and higher level.
I married a South African woman 6 years ago and subsequently moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, where I taught the IB Diploma and Cambridge IGCSE. Working in South Africa was very difficult and as such I decided to go back to work in international education. I gained further valuable experience in Indonesia (IGCSE for grade 9 and 10), China (grade 7 to 12) and Egypt (IB1 and 2 high level).
I believe that my experience and education make me a strong candidate for this particular opportunity in teaching. I have vast experience in international positions where I have been exposed to the IB and the IGCSE curriculum in addition to teaching practices from many different cultures. I believe that this blend of experience will make me a valuable asset to your team.
As requested I am enclosing my resume along with referees and a recent passport photo.
Please feel free to contact me via telephone, email or Skype (ID is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) should you require additional information.
Thank you for your consideration and time and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours Sincerely,
Olivier Attias Ph.Ds.
pgrass
Posts: 79
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 6:50 am

Re: Too much qualified?

Post by pgrass »

It's too long. You have included your whole resume in your cover letter. Employers want to find out about your experiences and qualifications through quick and easy bullet points in your resume, not read through two pages of cover letter to find them out.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Discussion

Post by PsyGuy »

I took the liberty of paring your letter down.

Dear (INSERT ACTUAL NAME OF LEADERSHIP),
I am writing in response to your employment posting for (INSERT TITLE OF ACTUAL VACANCY).
I am a fully qualified Math Teacher (French Aggregation) with 18 years of experience, currently teaching at Aqaba International School in Jordan. I have considerable experience in international education with both the IB Diploma and the IGCSE curriculum.
I am now searching for a unique school where I can grow my expertise to further educate ambitious students. I believe that my extensive background of experience and academic accomplishments would make for a strong asset to your school's faculty and academic mission. (INSERT SPECIFICS OF YOUR BACKGROUND AND THE SCHOOLS MISSION HERE).
As requested I am enclosing my resume along with referees and a recent passport photo.
Please feel free to contact me via telephone, email or Skype (ID is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) should you wish to pursue my application further.
Thank you for your consideration and time and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours Sincerely,
Olivier Attias Ph.D.

I tried to keep as much of the original letter as written. Intro/cover letters should be brief; highlighting your core strengths, and adding a touch of personal insight, while showing some degree of personalization between the candidate and the IS.
mathgym
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:44 am

Re: Too much qualified?

Post by mathgym »

I agree with Dredge and a few others. Your cover letter is written in poor English, with many grammar, verb conjugation, and some spelling errors. It's probable that schools aren't getting past your letter to even look at your CV. Sorry...you really need someone to rework your letter.
sid
Posts: 1392
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:44 am

Re: Too much qualified?

Post by sid »

Your revised cover letter reads much better than the first, in terms of use of English.
The content remains, as suggested above, too focused on the data that should rightly be covered in your CV.
PG's revisions represent a better overall balance, with the very important requirement that you tailor each letter to match the position for which you are applying. You will have to include several sentences, at a minimum, about why you are the right person for the specific school and post, demonstrating knowledge and insight about your target school.
And please have someone work with you on those targeted sentences, as you did on your revised letter, so that the English reads professionally.
As I mentioned before, your English is just fine for teaching positions. But before you can teach, you have to get to the interview stage, and unless your documents are great, you won't make it to the short list. Remember you are competing with many others, and recruiters can be ruthless in cutting down a stack of 50 applications to 3 for the interview stage.
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