Red tape and the ESL teacher

In fact, real red tape was used in the early 16^th century by the Spanish administration of Charles V. It was used to bind important dossiers that required the attention of the Council of State: the rope was used for all other routine administrative dossiers. Since most trainee and novice ESL teachers will be heading abroad, here are a few tips about those documents that you will generally need in order to be able to deal with the red tape and thus seamlessly apply for an overseas TEFL post.

Don’t forget, make sure your documents are in order: the onus is on you.

Normally, as a trainee or novice ESL teacher, you must make sure that you have the following documents before you make any job applications or approach an embassy for a visa:

(1) a valid passport;

(2) your TEFL certificate(s);

(3) a criminal records bureau (CRB) check;

(4) at least two spare passport photos; (4) a current curriculum vitae; (CV); and

(5) academic references. Don’t forget, if you have any queries relating to documents, visas, or procedures, always come into contact with the embassy of the country you intend to teach in: the embassy will always be able to help you. If you don’t have a valid passport, then you should apply for one well before you decide to apply for an overseas post. Always apply directly to the government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-passport-office. 

Avoid copycat sites: they will charge a fee just for completing your application form – but you will still have to send it off to the passport office and pay the full fee for the issue of a passport. An individual CRB can be obtained from the CRB site.

You will need to request an ‘individual CRB check’: it’s a quick procedure that can be done online in about five minutes. http://www.personnelchecks.co.uk/dbs-(crb)-checks/individuals/.  For those of you that intend to remain in your own country, you will normally only require the following documents when applying for an ESL teaching post:

(1) your TEFL certificate(s);

(2) a current curriculum vitae; (CV);

(3) academic references. You will also be required to provide some form of proof of identity: this can provide by means of a driving licence or a passport. The CRB check is normally carried out by the potential employer: for which you may be charged a fee.

Although red tape can be an irksome experience, by having the correct documents and patiently following the prerequisite procedures – you will achieve what you have set out to do; indeed, you may even become a bit of an expert and thereby be able to help your colleagues. In fact, real red tape was used in the early 16^th century by the Spanish administration of Charles V. It was used to bind important dossiers that required the attention of the Council of State: the rope was used for all other routine administrative dossiers. Since most trainee and novice ESL teachers will be heading abroad, here are a few tips about those documents that you will generally need in order to be able to deal with the red tape and thus seamlessly apply for an overseas TEFL post. Don’t forget, make sure your documents are in order: the onus is on you.

Normally, as a trainee or novice ESL teacher, you must make sure that you have the following documents before you make any job applications or approach an embassy for a visa:

(1) a valid passport; (2) your TEFL certificate(s); (3) a criminal records bureau (CRB) check; (4) at least two spare passport photos; (4) a current curriculum vitae; (CV); and (5) academic references. Don’t forget, if you have any queries relating to documents, visas, or procedures, always come into contact with the embassy of the country you intend to teach in: the embassy will always be able to help you. If you don’t have a valid passport, then you should apply for one well before you decide to apply for an overseas post. Always apply directly to the government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-passport-office. 

Avoid copycat sites: they will charge a fee just for completing your application form – but you will still have to send it off to the passport office and pay the full fee for the issue of a passport. An individual CRB can be obtained from the CRB site. You will need to request an ‘individual CRB check’: it’s a quick procedure that can be done online in about five minutes. http://www.personnelchecks.co.uk/dbs-(crb)-checks/individuals/.  For those of you that intend to remain in your own country, you will normally only require the following documents when applying for an ESL teaching post: (1) your TEFL certificate(s); (2) a current curriculum vitae; (CV); (3) academic references. You will also be required to provide some form of proof of identity: this can provide by means of a driving licence or a passport. The CRB check is normally carried out by the potential employer: for which you may be charged a fee. Although red tape can be an irksome experience, by having the correct documents and patiently following the prerequisite procedures – you will achieve what you have set out to do; indeed, you may even become a bit of an expert and thereby be able to help your colleagues.