The next month is going to be one of the toughest for any teacher looking for a job.  The panels are only beginning to clear and advertisements are starting to trickle onto the recruitment web sites.  Last year, approximately one thousand teachers were unable to secure positions in Ireland.  While many were able to survive on maternity leave and other substitute work, there are another couple of thousand teachers entering the jobs market and there are very few jobs available.

As a principal, I tend to see a lot of job applications, particularly in the last few years.  Like most other schools, mine receives  hundreds of applications each year and we have to whittle them down to the interview stage.  With competitiveness for positions at an all time high this year, how do you get your application to stand out, particularly now with standardised application forms?  In this article, I’m going to share some ideas that I’ve heard, seen and even smelt!  I’m no expert in this area but some of these tips might give you the edge over someone else and, at very least, give you an interview.

I guess I only really have one main tip.  Tailor your application to each school.  While I realise that most people may be applying for hundreds of positions, it is vital that your application looks like you care where you’re teaching.  Let me explain further.

Ethos

Firstly, I’d suggest you make sure you know what type of school you’re applying for, that is, the ethos.  You wouldn’t believe the number of CVs I receive promising to uphold the Catholic ethos of my school.  This would be great if I wasn’t principal of an Educate Together school.  My chairperson loves being referred to a Reverend Chairperson! While the majority of positions in schools will be in schools with a Catholic ethos, be careful not to oversell yourself as someone you aren’t.  I’m sure schools can see right through over-enthusiastic proclamations.  Likewise, in a multi-denominational setting, make sure you understand that multi-denominationalism does not necessarily mean multi-culturalism.  It really turns me off when I see someone saying that they would be perfectly suited to my school because they have worked in Asia or Africa with several different nationalities where nobody spoke English, etc.  While that might be ok for some schools, not all multi-denominational schools are havens of multi-culturalism and diversity.

The School’s Talents

I also think it’s a good idea to try and mention something about the school that it might be well known for.  For example, they may be well known for GAA or gardening or technology.  Most schools have web sites so find out.  However, don’t just write something bland that could fit into any template.  For example, don’t write something like:

From your web site I can see that your school is an inclusive, welcoming and enjoyable place to work in.   This is an atmosphere that would suit someone like me.

Be specific.  Notice things that the school is proud of.  For example:

From your web site, I see that your school has won several awards in chess. I have played chess for a number of years and would relish the opportunity to take part in the continuing success…

There must be something that the school does that you do, so find it out.

Why has the job been advertised?

Another idea is to find out why the job has been advertised.  For example, if it is because of the school expanding, mention that you are excited to be applying for a growing school.  If it’s for something else, tie it into the application somewhere.

Be different.

Before standard application forms came out, it was not unusual for CVs to come in different colours, on scented paper or in oversized envelopes – just to stand out a little more than the others.  Now the form makes it difficult to stand out from the rest.  However, simply being different and interesting can have huge benefits.  Have you ever won or done something unusual?  I remember having my successes as a 14-year old on my CV until I got established as a teacher.  When I was 14, I represented Ireland for chess.  Apart from making me a nerd, it showed that I was able to take something and get good enough to play for my country.  While other teachers may have other accolades such as playing GAA for their county, these small things can make a difference.  I have seen some wonderful hobbies and interests on applications that have nothing to do with teaching.

The vast majority of applicants do sell themselves on their musical or sports abilities.  Almost anyone who went to college in Ireland has a level one certificate in coaching something.  Although, there’s no harm putting them on an application, try and find something else to stick down to make you stand out a bit more.  One person made bookmarks and popped them into envelopes.  These bookmarks said: “Also available for sub work, call XXX on 08…”  Anyway, this applicant stood out and I’m sure, if nothing else, she got lots of sub work.  And before you all start making bookmarks, it’s been done now so think different!

Spelling and Grammar

It’s always dodgy to write an article like this encouraging you to use perfect spelling and grammar as I have probably made several typos in this article.  However, in a job application, I have heard of interview panels who will throw away applications with spelling and grammar errors.  Common mistakes include these: “principle” instead of “principal”, “your” instead of “you’re”, “there” instead of “they’re” and “loose” instead of “lose.”  Just be careful.

The main lesson here is to not give into the temptation of creating almost replica applications to schools.  It is probably better to send out 5 really good applications to schools than 500 generic templates.  It’s likely that some schools are going to get over a thousand applications for jobs this year so you are really going to have to tailor your application to get noticed.

What are you doing on June 29th?  Are you winding down ready for the final day of term?  Before you do, and if you’re around Portlaoise, it might be worth checking out Bloggers International’s first event.

Bloggers International is the coming together of the KLCK (Kilkenny, Laois, Carlow, Kildare) Blogging Group and the Chipping Norton Social Media Group.  There’s going to be a big panel discussion on all things social media and it sounds like it’s going to be great fun.  While the event is more than likely going to have a fairly business angle to it, for educators like myself, it is great to know the types of innovations that are going on in real Irish businesses.

One of the main things we teachers beat ourselves up about, (as do the media), is our own confidence in using technology and social media tools like Facebook, Blogging and Twitter.  It turns out we’re not alone.  Most of the people attending these events are small businesses who can’t pay for web designers to do all that stuff.  It turns out we’re not alone and they all have the same issues that we have.  I have already met some very interesting people and every week I learn something from some expert who gives a talk.

With the joining of these two groups, it looks like the event will have even more capacity for learning and I expect that it will be a fairly popular event.  The event is sponsored by Carlow/Laois-based company, Blacknight. I will be tweeting questions and answers from the evening using the hashtag #bi11 so come along to the Heritage Hotel in Portlaoise on 29th June.  Not a bad way to end the school year.

Press release from Promethean:

Promethean is offering free training sessions to both new and existing users. These courses are designed for beginners and intermediate users, are suitable for teachers who wish to learn how to use the software more effectively, utilise the tools and save planning time.

Each course will include the following:

·    Start the software

·    Customise the interface

·    Insert resources

·    Manipulate objects

·    Add and format text

·    Use the Spotlight and Reveal Tools

·    Multipage select/edit

·    Set up page turn effects

·    Using layers to support lesson development

·    How to utilise Promethean planet

These sessions are designed for Promethean users only, however anyone wishing to see a Promethean Interactive Whiteboard and ActivInspire is very welcome.

For a list of venues please contact:

Samantha Clewes
Teaching and Learning Consultant.
Promethean
T: 0044 (0) 1254298598
M:00353 (0) 876636618
E: samantha.clewes@prometheanworld.com

Conference News from CESI

1. The Frog Blog & SCC English

Whenever anyone asks the experts for examples of high quality
education blogs in Ireland, two blogs that make the list every time
are the Frog Blog  http://blog.sccscience.com/ and SCC English
http://www.sccenglish.ie/ . We are delighted to have driving forces
behind these two blogs presenting at this years conference. In their
talk Julian and Humphrey will talk about the ways their blogs have
developed and expanded, their benefits for students and teachers, and
the extent to which they reach beyond the school to wider blogging,
educational and intellectual communities. They will also discuss their
use of podcasts, Twitter, self-publishing and other tools.
2. Cloud Computing for Communication

Simon Lewis has been an advocate of cloud computing through his award
winning blog at http://anseo.net t. At this years conference he will
talk about how cloud computing has transformed how every member of his
school communicates with each other. He will give an introduction to
what cloud computing is and why he thinks it suits the education
sector especially. By using Google Apps, Facebook, Twitter and more,
Simon will give an insight to why everybody in the school knows
exactly what’s going on all the time.  The talk will be aimed at both
primary and second level

3. Learn about EPICT – The European Pedagogical ICT Licence

EPICT (The European Pedagogical ICT Licence) is a comprehensive,
flexible professional development programme for teachers in how to
pedagogically apply ICT skills successfully into teaching practice.
The presentation will include details on how the EPICT programme
relates to the Irish curriculum, the benefits to the participants and
the centres providing the course. The programme is being launched in
January and a full update will be given on the day. An insight into
the available modules and the range of optional modules will be
available, the core concepts, programme structure and links to the
NCCA ICT Framework. Both John Hurley and Pat Brennan will bring their
own experience in education to the presentation and will be able to
answer any queries that arise.

4. Using Someone Else’s Shoes in the Classroom

Someone Else’s Shoes is a pilot e-learning package on multiculturalism
that has been developed by staff at the School of Communications, DCU.
It aims to educate students about the causes and effects of migration
and to explore intercultural relations between people in their wider
social and political contexts. It also aims to develop users’ critical
media skills. The workshop will give teachers a hands on opportunity
to explore the various features of the package with a view to
assessing its suitablity for use in their own classrooms as well as
providing an opportunity to participate in the pilot research of the
project.

5. Post-Primary Maths and the Interactive Whiteboard

David Keaney has long been a pioneer of the use of Interactive
Whiteboard technology in the classroom. http://www.cbiproject.net/ at
this years conference he will present features of the IWB which may
enhance the Post Primary Maths classroom. He will look at tools
specific to various brands of IWB as well as generic tools that can be
used with any IWB platform in conjunction with Dynamic Geometry such
as GeoGebra. He will also discuss/demonstrate interactive websites and
other resources that are available.

6. Registration

You can register online at http://www.cesi.ie/conference-2011.
Registration for the CESI Meet event on Friday 4th is now closed as
the even has been booked out. Registration for Saturday 5th is still
open. Don’t forget if you pay online with your credit card or via a
PayPal account you will get a discount. Details are on the website.

7. Reminder about Times and Venues

The Friday Evening CESI Meet will take place in The Heritage Hotel
from 7 – 9pm with social to follow. The Saturday Conference Programme
starts at 9am sharp and will run until 4.30pm. Registration desk will
open from 8:15am. A map showing venues is now accessible at
http://cesi.ie/conference-2011-map.

8. Subscribe to CESI’s Twitter Feed

Follow CESI on Twitter at @cesitweets to keep up-to-date on all things
CESI, and use the hashtag of #CESI2011 for specific information on
this year’s conference, including real-time tweets from attendees and
participants on Friday evening and Saturday.

Press release: Wukomi Media have released a universal iPhone and iPad app ‘Dr. Moku’s Hiragana Mnemonics’ which teaches basic Japanese by using humorous or easily remembered associations for every symbol in the Japanese Hiragana alphabet. The apps feature audio, two different learning modes and three different quiz levels. The free LITE version has all the features of the full version except that it
teaches a limited number of symbols.

After meeting the love of his life, Amaye, on a business trip to Japan three years ago, Project Developer Richard Christy vowed to conquer and learn the Japanese language as fast as he could. When Amaye explained to him that the complicated and intimidating Kanji can be spelt with a simpler alphabet called Hiragana the idea for Dr. Moku came to him. “Once I knew that Japanese could be broken down for children I decided that I could break it down even further for impatient thirtysomethings like me!” he says.

“When formulating the idea I drew my own crude mnemonics in a ratty
notebook. But it wasn’t until I passed them on to Bob Byrne, a childhood friend who is now a professional cartoonist, that the idea really showed promise. It was great to have him involved. He added his own unique flair – bringing the learning system to life with inspired touches such as the Dr. Moku character”

Richard continues, “Hiragana is the crucial gateway to the Japanese language and the very first thing you need to learn. Initially we hoped for a working understanding in one day. But we were delighted to find it could be even less. One 12 year old girl in the test group learned Hiragana in about 30 minutes”.

Richard, who now speaks fluent Japanese, married Amaye in 2010. The
happy couple are currently working on more new teaching applications using
the same fresh and fun approach to learning.

Learning Japanese may seem like an impossible task but with Dr. Moku
you will be amazed at your ability to learn and recall. Perfect for the complete beginner, young or old, this is the fast, fun and foolproof way to master the first essential step in learning Japanese.

If you want to rapidly increase your learning power or just impress your friends, with Dr. Moku’s Mnemonic learning system you can automatically and effortlessly master Hiragana without even trying.

For more information, see  http://drmoku.com

At BETT 2011, the world’s largest annual educational technology event, Ricoh will partner with BioStore to showcase its latest document security offering: biometric authentication for its multi-functional products.

Utilising biometric authentication technology, developed by BioStore, helps education facilities in a number of ways. Firstly and most importantly, the use of fingerprint technology is the safest possible way to identify a user, optimising the on-site safety of students.

Unlike card and password protected authentication, biometric characteristics cannot be misappropriated through bullying or
harassment.

Secondly, by incorporating biometric technology with printers, educational establishments create a more secure environment and one where they are able to oversee their document workflows more strictly, manage print costs and ensure that only vital documents are printed.

Ricoh consultants will join BioStore and many of its other partners in the education sector on stand H20 to demonstrate biometric authentication on its multi-functional devices. Educational establishments using any BioStore application, whether it is registration, cashless catering or door access, can easily extend the system to Ricoh’s extensive hardware range, leveraging and securing their investment further.

Ricoh will also be present on stand W25 to exhibit their latest GelSprinter(tm) technology, which offers affordable and environmentally-friendly desktop printing; ideal for the education sector. Ricoh Supplies will be alongside showcasing their office consumables and supplies range.

To find out more, visit the Ricoh stand and the Ricoh Supplies stand. To discover more about Ricoh security offerings, please visit www.ricoh.ie