Dear Career Advisor:

I just graduated from Shortwood Teachers’ College and I am now seeking a job in the Home Economics Department at a secondary school. Could you please help me find some agencies that I can sign up with which will tell me when there are available jobs?

Regards

Dear Reader:

Congratulations on the successful completion of your training for entry into the noble profession of teaching. You are now well positioned to begin the next phase of your career journey, that of the job search.

You may register with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Labour Market Information System at

www.lmis.gov.jm. A simple Internet search for employment agencies in the Caribbean will provide you with a listing of the more popular job boards and recruiting agencies.

Please note, however, that for your job search to be effective, you cannot rely on only one method. Especially for teaching jobs, you must do the legwork and apply directly to the schools for which you have interest. Information received from an official at the Ministry of Education confirmed that each school, under the direction of the board chairman, advertises and selects to fill its own vacancies. Therefore, making direct contact with schools is not to be ignored.

Here are few tips for your search strategy.

i. Make your job search your job — Be prepared to commit at least 20 hours or more each week.

ii. Search newspapers and job boards for vacancies.

iii. Make cold calls — Apply to or make contact with schools that have not advertised vacancies. Be sure to follow up on your applications.

iv. Utilise your network — Actively market yourself, highlight your skills and the fact that you are available for service to teaching.

v. Use social media — Update your

LinkedIn or other professional profile.

vi. Prepare résumé — Your application documents should reflect your professionalism.

vii. Create a reference list — Seek recommendations from lecturers and past teaching practice supervisors.

viii. Build a portfolio — create or update an e-portfolio of teaching achievements, eg excellent unit or lesson plans and pictures of home economics projects you have done.

ix. Review potential interview questions.

x. Prepare nuggets of achievement — Be prepared to share synopses of your teaching skills and classroom management practices, eg how you effectively utilised strategies to raise students’ achievement.

All the best.

Sincerely,

Career Advisor

Carolyn Marie Smith is Assistant Vice-president of Student Affairs at Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville, Manchester. Submit your questions to her atcareeradvisor@ncu.edu.jm