![\"writing](\"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/letter_of_reference_369003.jpg\" "\\"letter_of_reference_369003\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div>The Coveted Letter of Recommendation:\u00a0How &\u00a0When to Ask for One<\/h1><\/div>Discuss Schools that are great and not so great about supplying them<\/strong><\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>An outstanding letter of reference can be a non-stop ticket to a choice position in the location of your dreams. A lousy letter of reference, or none at all, doesn\u2019t necessarily have to spell doom. Here\u2019s some ideas to help you with your requests for letters of reference. We\u2019ve also supplied a Discussion Board where teachers can share information about schools that readily supply letters of reference, and about those that hold these letters over teachers\u2019 heads to keep them “in line”.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t leave school without one<\/strong>
\nDirectors, like teachers, move from school to school, and tracking individuals down for a letter of reference at a future date may be nearly impossible. Always ask for, and receive a letter of recommendation prior to departing your present school. At ISR we receive emails on a regular basis from teachers asking if we know how or where to find a particular director. Rule of thumb: Always make every effort to get a letter of recommendation at the close of your term of service.<\/p>\nTiming is important in life, love and getting a letter of reference<\/strong>
\nWe strongly recommend you don\u2019t ask for a recommendation letter by email, or immediately before\/ after a class, or while passing an administrator in the hall, or at any other random moment. The best approach is to arrange a time to meet with your chosen letter writer. This demonstrates you place a high level of importance on the letter, their time constraints, and helps them prioritize your request. At this brief meeting you can hand over a short page outlining your accomplishments and contributions to the school–let’s call it an outline of high points in your work at the school that may have been forgotten or overlooked by your supervisor. Do whatever you can to make the job of writing you a letter quick, easy, and efficient for your busy administrator.<\/p>\nPopping the question<\/strong>
\n\u201cCan you write a letter of reference for me?\u201d is not how to ask for what you hope to be a glowing report. The problem with this approach is you have no idea what will be written about you. Experience shows it\u2019s better to be definitive and say something like; “Do you feel you know my work well enough to write a good letter of recommendation?” or, “Do you feel you could give me a good reference?\u201d By asking in this way, your referee has an easy way out if they\u2019re not comfortable writing a letter for you. If the answer is \u201cyes\u201d, you\u2019re assured they\u2019re enthusiastic about your teaching skills and will write a positive letter.<\/p>\nLetters usually come from the top, but not always<\/strong>
\nInternational schools, like most entities, tend to be run by the one or two individuals at the top. As teachers, school directors hold our futures in their hands\u2013or so they may like to think. After two years in Africa, a teacher reports he had repeatedly upset the school director and principal with his endless suggestions for school improvement. \u201cYou\u2019re the type of person that\u2019s never happy!\u201d was the admin\u2019s response to suggestions. Our teacher reports, \u201cI knew one thing for sure, I wouldn\u2019t be happy with my letter of reference”.<\/p>\nFinding yourself saddled with a poor letter, or not receiving a letter of reference at all, does not always spell doom. Some schools have countless poor reviews on ISR. Pointing out you have been working at one of these schools may lead an enlightened interviewer to understand why you don\u2019t have a letter of reference from your immediate employer. Just the fact you will actually stick it out to the end of your current contract may speak volumes about you. Honesty is the best policy in such situations. Simply stating that you didn\u2019t fit in well with your previous director may suffice. Avoid details unless specifically asked. Strong letters from parents, a board member, principal, or school counselor may serve as a substitute for a director’s letter in such cases.<\/p>\n
Networking may be a good alternative to a poor letter of reference<\/strong>
\nNetworking is a viable way around a lack of, or poor letter of reference. A director with whom you had a favorable experience in the past may have moved to a location that interests you and a phone call or email may land you a position. It has worked for me in the past, more than once.<\/p>\nDoes your school treat letters of recommendation like a carrot on a stick?<\/strong>
\nReviews on the ISR web site tell of schools holding letters of recommendation over teachers\u2019 heads to keep them \u201cin line\u201d. Other reviews report on schools that have refused to supply letters until teachers submit formal resignations. One director even refused all letter requests because his staff was posting negative reviews about him on ISR. Then there are school directors who have been reported to drag their feet and require repeated reminders while others just never deliver. Prior knowledge of such poor practices is important when choosing a school. That’s why we created a special Discussion Board where you can share just such information.<\/p>\nShare and read about how various schools treat letters of recommendation<\/strong>
\nHas your school been forthright in supplying letters of reference for faculty, or have you found the opposite to be true? Here\u2019s an opportunity to share this information with colleagues. Teachers keeping each other informed is what International Schools Review is all about! Go to Discussion Board<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":2102,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3779"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3779\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Discuss Schools that are great and not so great about supplying them<\/strong><\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>An outstanding letter of reference can be a non-stop ticket to a choice position in the location of your dreams. A lousy letter of reference, or none at all, doesn\u2019t necessarily have to spell doom. Here\u2019s some ideas to help you with your requests for letters of reference. We\u2019ve also supplied a Discussion Board where teachers can share information about schools that readily supply letters of reference, and about those that hold these letters over teachers\u2019 heads to keep them “in line”.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t leave school without one<\/strong>
\nDirectors, like teachers, move from school to school, and tracking individuals down for a letter of reference at a future date may be nearly impossible. Always ask for, and receive a letter of recommendation prior to departing your present school. At ISR we receive emails on a regular basis from teachers asking if we know how or where to find a particular director. Rule of thumb: Always make every effort to get a letter of recommendation at the close of your term of service.<\/p>\nTiming is important in life, love and getting a letter of reference<\/strong>
\nWe strongly recommend you don\u2019t ask for a recommendation letter by email, or immediately before\/ after a class, or while passing an administrator in the hall, or at any other random moment. The best approach is to arrange a time to meet with your chosen letter writer. This demonstrates you place a high level of importance on the letter, their time constraints, and helps them prioritize your request. At this brief meeting you can hand over a short page outlining your accomplishments and contributions to the school–let’s call it an outline of high points in your work at the school that may have been forgotten or overlooked by your supervisor. Do whatever you can to make the job of writing you a letter quick, easy, and efficient for your busy administrator.<\/p>\nPopping the question<\/strong>
\n\u201cCan you write a letter of reference for me?\u201d is not how to ask for what you hope to be a glowing report. The problem with this approach is you have no idea what will be written about you. Experience shows it\u2019s better to be definitive and say something like; “Do you feel you know my work well enough to write a good letter of recommendation?” or, “Do you feel you could give me a good reference?\u201d By asking in this way, your referee has an easy way out if they\u2019re not comfortable writing a letter for you. If the answer is \u201cyes\u201d, you\u2019re assured they\u2019re enthusiastic about your teaching skills and will write a positive letter.<\/p>\nLetters usually come from the top, but not always<\/strong>
\nInternational schools, like most entities, tend to be run by the one or two individuals at the top. As teachers, school directors hold our futures in their hands\u2013or so they may like to think. After two years in Africa, a teacher reports he had repeatedly upset the school director and principal with his endless suggestions for school improvement. \u201cYou\u2019re the type of person that\u2019s never happy!\u201d was the admin\u2019s response to suggestions. Our teacher reports, \u201cI knew one thing for sure, I wouldn\u2019t be happy with my letter of reference”.<\/p>\nFinding yourself saddled with a poor letter, or not receiving a letter of reference at all, does not always spell doom. Some schools have countless poor reviews on ISR. Pointing out you have been working at one of these schools may lead an enlightened interviewer to understand why you don\u2019t have a letter of reference from your immediate employer. Just the fact you will actually stick it out to the end of your current contract may speak volumes about you. Honesty is the best policy in such situations. Simply stating that you didn\u2019t fit in well with your previous director may suffice. Avoid details unless specifically asked. Strong letters from parents, a board member, principal, or school counselor may serve as a substitute for a director’s letter in such cases.<\/p>\n
Networking may be a good alternative to a poor letter of reference<\/strong>
\nNetworking is a viable way around a lack of, or poor letter of reference. A director with whom you had a favorable experience in the past may have moved to a location that interests you and a phone call or email may land you a position. It has worked for me in the past, more than once.<\/p>\nDoes your school treat letters of recommendation like a carrot on a stick?<\/strong>
\nReviews on the ISR web site tell of schools holding letters of recommendation over teachers\u2019 heads to keep them \u201cin line\u201d. Other reviews report on schools that have refused to supply letters until teachers submit formal resignations. One director even refused all letter requests because his staff was posting negative reviews about him on ISR. Then there are school directors who have been reported to drag their feet and require repeated reminders while others just never deliver. Prior knowledge of such poor practices is important when choosing a school. That’s why we created a special Discussion Board where you can share just such information.<\/p>\nShare and read about how various schools treat letters of recommendation<\/strong>
\nHas your school been forthright in supplying letters of reference for faculty, or have you found the opposite to be true? Here\u2019s an opportunity to share this information with colleagues. Teachers keeping each other informed is what International Schools Review is all about! Go to Discussion Board<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":2102,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3779"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3779\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalschoolsreview.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
An outstanding letter of reference can be a non-stop ticket to a choice position in the location of your dreams. A lousy letter of reference, or none at all, doesn\u2019t necessarily have to spell doom. Here\u2019s some ideas to help you with your requests for letters of reference. We\u2019ve also supplied a Discussion Board where teachers can share information about schools that readily supply letters of reference, and about those that hold these letters over teachers\u2019 heads to keep them “in line”.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t leave school without one<\/strong> Timing is important in life, love and getting a letter of reference<\/strong> Popping the question<\/strong> Letters usually come from the top, but not always<\/strong> Finding yourself saddled with a poor letter, or not receiving a letter of reference at all, does not always spell doom. Some schools have countless poor reviews on ISR. Pointing out you have been working at one of these schools may lead an enlightened interviewer to understand why you don\u2019t have a letter of reference from your immediate employer. Just the fact you will actually stick it out to the end of your current contract may speak volumes about you. Honesty is the best policy in such situations. Simply stating that you didn\u2019t fit in well with your previous director may suffice. Avoid details unless specifically asked. Strong letters from parents, a board member, principal, or school counselor may serve as a substitute for a director’s letter in such cases.<\/p>\n Networking may be a good alternative to a poor letter of reference<\/strong> Does your school treat letters of recommendation like a carrot on a stick?<\/strong> Share and read about how various schools treat letters of recommendation<\/strong>
\nDirectors, like teachers, move from school to school, and tracking individuals down for a letter of reference at a future date may be nearly impossible. Always ask for, and receive a letter of recommendation prior to departing your present school. At ISR we receive emails on a regular basis from teachers asking if we know how or where to find a particular director. Rule of thumb: Always make every effort to get a letter of recommendation at the close of your term of service.<\/p>\n
\nWe strongly recommend you don\u2019t ask for a recommendation letter by email, or immediately before\/ after a class, or while passing an administrator in the hall, or at any other random moment. The best approach is to arrange a time to meet with your chosen letter writer. This demonstrates you place a high level of importance on the letter, their time constraints, and helps them prioritize your request. At this brief meeting you can hand over a short page outlining your accomplishments and contributions to the school–let’s call it an outline of high points in your work at the school that may have been forgotten or overlooked by your supervisor. Do whatever you can to make the job of writing you a letter quick, easy, and efficient for your busy administrator.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cCan you write a letter of reference for me?\u201d is not how to ask for what you hope to be a glowing report. The problem with this approach is you have no idea what will be written about you. Experience shows it\u2019s better to be definitive and say something like; “Do you feel you know my work well enough to write a good letter of recommendation?” or, “Do you feel you could give me a good reference?\u201d By asking in this way, your referee has an easy way out if they\u2019re not comfortable writing a letter for you. If the answer is \u201cyes\u201d, you\u2019re assured they\u2019re enthusiastic about your teaching skills and will write a positive letter.<\/p>\n
\nInternational schools, like most entities, tend to be run by the one or two individuals at the top. As teachers, school directors hold our futures in their hands\u2013or so they may like to think. After two years in Africa, a teacher reports he had repeatedly upset the school director and principal with his endless suggestions for school improvement. \u201cYou\u2019re the type of person that\u2019s never happy!\u201d was the admin\u2019s response to suggestions. Our teacher reports, \u201cI knew one thing for sure, I wouldn\u2019t be happy with my letter of reference”.<\/p>\n
\nNetworking is a viable way around a lack of, or poor letter of reference. A director with whom you had a favorable experience in the past may have moved to a location that interests you and a phone call or email may land you a position. It has worked for me in the past, more than once.<\/p>\n
\nReviews on the ISR web site tell of schools holding letters of recommendation over teachers\u2019 heads to keep them \u201cin line\u201d. Other reviews report on schools that have refused to supply letters until teachers submit formal resignations. One director even refused all letter requests because his staff was posting negative reviews about him on ISR. Then there are school directors who have been reported to drag their feet and require repeated reminders while others just never deliver. Prior knowledge of such poor practices is important when choosing a school. That’s why we created a special Discussion Board where you can share just such information.<\/p>\n
\nHas your school been forthright in supplying letters of reference for faculty, or have you found the opposite to be true? Here\u2019s an opportunity to share this information with colleagues. Teachers keeping each other informed is what International Schools Review is all about! Go to Discussion Board<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>