Application for position as EFL lecturer

I am responding with great interest to your advertisement on the Internet.  I am very interested in the position you are offering. Please consider my qualifications for the positions available.  I have enclosed my resume.

My career as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language has proven immensely successful and satisfying.  I regard myself as a very hard worker, conscientious and honest. My first priority has always been the holistic well-being of my students. I regard accountability, responsibility and integrity as important in my personal as well as professional life.

I have spent my teaching career in Asia, teaching Chinese students of all ages. They have shown to have very specific needs as far as second language acquisition is concerned and I have extensive experience to deal effectively with these. I get along well with my students, as well as my Chinese and foreign colleagues. I love my work and enjoy teaching university students. 

The past years have been very successful and rewarding. Every institution for which I have worked has been more than satisfied with my performance. To my knowledge I have never breached a contract or failed to carry out my duties and responsibilities to the letter.

My contract with Tianfu College will expire at the end of June 2013 due to visa restrictions applicable in Sichuan Province.  I will be available from the 1st of August 2013.

Thank you for your kind consideration.

Esmari van Tonder (BA, (Stell.SA)), MATEFL (Reading, UK))

SUMMARY OF RESUME

Career Objective:    EFL Lecturer - Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Chinese university students

Summary 

By the time I am ready to accept the position offered by your institution, I will have had 13 years full-time experience, teaching English as a foreign language to students of all ages:  primary to tertiary.  I have a special interest in developing suitable materials to meet and enhance the specific learning needs of my students. My primary focus is on listening and speaking, contrastive anaylysis and the impact of culture on the Chinese learning experience. As I am a student of the Chinese language, I find this field extremely interesting and it has greatly enhanced my knowledge and understanding, not only of Chinese culture, but the process and challenges of second language acquisition.

Professional experience:

Lecturer: SWUFE - 2010 - present

Duties:

Teaching listening and speaking to freshman using "Let's Talk" Books 1 and 2. My focus is on listening and pronunciation (Okanagan), fluency practice and vocabulary acquistion (for business purposes) and language learning strategies. I assist students in solving specific challenges regarding their listening and speaking, required cultural knowledge and future focus of their efforts in terms of their interests and job choices.

Lecturer: Yang-en University - 2005-2007 and 2008-2010

Duties:

Teaching Listening and Speaking to freshmen, using CALL (Sanako from Finland)

Facilitating an English corner once a week in which I teach a listening and speaking programme I developed online in conjunction, tailored to my students' specific needs

(The break is due to a car accident in South Africa. I had to spend some months in the hospital due to my injuries.)

Summer Teacher: Eastern China University of Technology, Fuzhou, Jiangxi Province - 2005, 2006, 2007

Duties:

Developing the curriculum for a 2-month long summer programme for students aged 12 to 18

Preparing materials with a focus on TPR, games, drama and art

Lecturer: Business English and EAP at Middlesex University, Zhuhai Branch -1 September 2004 to 30 June 2005

Duties:

-Teaching Business English, EAP and doing IELTS preparation for students who are planning to study abroad, mainly at UK universities.

-Testing and grading

-Developing and implementing additional, extra-curricular assignments for the improvement of students' listening and speaking abilities and Academic Vocabulary

Teacher:  English First, Xiamen City, Fujian Province, PRC  -5 July 2004 to 29 August 2004

Duties:

-Teaching a summer programme to children aged 6-14 years old.

-Teaching young adults Business and General English.

-Teaching businessmen Survival English for traveling abroad.

Lecturer:    Listening and Speaking to freshmen at Yang-en University - 1 September 2003 to 2 July 2004

Duties:

 -Teaching Listening and Speaking to 4 freshmen classes of 100 students per class

-Testing and grading:  conducting continuing Listening and Speaking evaluation

-Using multimedia in the classroom

-Developing and implementing additional, extra-curricular assignments for the improvement of students'

listening and speaking abilities

-Facilitating English Corner:  focusing on extended speaking practice for students for the benefit of improving their general conversation skills

-Acting as a judge at the English Speech Contest

English Teacher:  Kittivit Bilingual School of Songkhla, Hatyai, Thailand - June 2001 - July 2003

Duties:

-Teaching English to primary school children (Grades 2,3,4,6,7) using Let's Go, SRA Phonics and Flash Grammar (Speaking and Listening, Phonics and Grammar)

-Teaching an American international program to children of expatriates and Thai students with advanced English skills (History, Geography, English and Morals)

-Holding the position of Curriculum Supervisor for the bilingual section of the school, seeing that the curriculum is followed and that the standard of  teaching is maintained and increased wherever possible

-Thai teacher training and testing to increase their level of competency in English

-Supervising and supporting the international staff employed by the school, acting as an intermediary between management and staff, dealing with the day to day challenges of working in a foreign culture

-Dealing with parents on a daily basis

-Adapting and recreating syllabuses for the bilingual program as well as various holiday and summer programs

-Interviewing prospective teachers

-Implementing placement tests

-Preparing students to take the Cambridge Tests

English Teacher, Assistant to the Director of Studies: Kings School of English, Penang, Malaysia - July 2000 to May 2001

Duties:

-Teaching English to students aged 3 to adult, using Get Set Go, Profiles, and the Cambridge Series

-Creating and developing a task-based syllabus suitable for Chinese Malaysian Students:  Focus on drama and art as a language learning tool

-Preparing students to take the Cambridge test

-Conducting Oxford placement tests

-Developing and implementing extracurricular programs and activities

English Instructor:  English Language Services (ELS), Penang, Malaysia January 2000 - July 2000

Duties:

-Teaching English to students aged 12 - 25 from all over Asia (70% Chinese) using Network, In Context, Headway and PD's in Depth

-Teaching Business English to adults

-CALL

-Conducting placement tests

-Testing and grading

Education:

University of Stellenbosch, South Africa - BA  1986

Norwood English, Ireland - TEFL Certificate  2001

University of Reading, England - Masters Degree (MATEFL), Teaching English as a Foreign Language, 2008 (with Honours)

References are available upon request. A letter of recommendation (required for obtaining a visa) will be available from SWUFE with the completion of my contract.

I include a photo, a copy of my passport as well as copies of my degrees.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should any additional information be required.

Yours sincerely,