Business by Janice

This week I would like to pass on an excerpt from a book I’ve read recently which I think is very appropriate to the times we are experiencing.

The excerpt is from “Creating Money: Attracting Abundance” by Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer.

“Is a job, career or situation that used to work no longer working for you? Perhaps what you once loved to do has become  a “have to” or lost its sense of newness and aliveness. No matter what level of prosperity and abundance you have achieved, there may come a time when your picture of where you want to be, or think you ought to be, does not match where you are.

It is important to know when to change course. No job, business or activity will be perfect forever unless you are willing to constantly update it, for as you grow the things around you need to be revised. Sometimes a simple change will do. Other times the only way you will be able to go to the next level will be to let go of everything you have and  start over with something completely different.”

“Creating your life’s work doesn’t come from choosing safety and comfort over growth. It comes from choosing and taking the actions that help you get where you want to go. Learn to embrace your challenges with love rather than avoiding them. Start by doing something that is a slight reach for you; take on a slightly more challenging project than you normally tackle, or learn a new skill. When you do things that make you reach, the rewards are great. You will feel invigorated and energised afterward.”

“It is a challenge to love rather than dislike what you are leaving. If you focus on what you want, what you would love to have, and go toward it, you will have it. The more you dislike something, the more you may be stuck with it. One of the principles of the universe is that every situation in your life is teaching you how to love. You cannot leave something until you love it. You are tied to things you don’t like. If you hate something, you will be drawn to it again and again (even though the person or form may change) until you love it.  Once you love it, you are free from it.”

Food for thought!

It’s been some time since I’ve written a post related to the language training sector in Madrid so I thought it was time to remedy the situation before my TEFL readers completely abandon my blog!

The beginning of a new academic year is always unsettling for everyone, especially  for teacherswho anxiously wait for  timetables to get confirmed, but this year seems to be flowing really well. All our company clients are confiming to restart classes, we have new clients on board and the best bit of all is the quality of teacher profiles that we’re seeing. There seems to be a boyancy in the market that is reflected in all areas;my contacts in the sector are saying the same.

Teachers are applying who are properly qualified, with exceptional experience and it appears that the tightening up of “illegal” teachers, (those without working papers) has had an effect as we rarely receive CVs from teachers without papers now.

Are we at last seeing the start of a period where more participants in this market are taking it serously? I hope so. Even the clients are getting in on the act and CARING about the profile of teachers who  are assigned to their classes. This is great news.

Or perhaps our school is seeing the fruits of the long term investment in a humane and professional culture which ultimately attracts the type of client and teacher we  want to work with?

Although many of the teachers this post could be dedicated to won’t read this, I would like to say thank you for your professional applications and communication, and to your dedication to improving your skills which ultimately raises the reputation of our profession.

One tip I would like to give to teachers still looking for work - if your CV hasn’t had a response from a school you’re keen to work with, send it again - even though I myself organise the CVs I receive into appropriate electronic files, it’s often about timing. If I’m running out of available teachers so decide to do another round of interviews and several CVs land in my inbox that day, it’s often those teachers who will be contacted for interview.

And be assertive; follow up with a phone call. We receive so many CVs that some slip through the net. A quick chat on the phone may be just what is needed to make the difference between getting invited to interview or not. It doesn’t always work, but you have nothing to lose.

Here’s to a great year in English language training! I won’t be around much longer as I make my move  to Business Coaching but it would be very satisfying to leave with the feeling of “we did it”; we survived the recession, we came out the other side stronger, more positive than ever before and with an improved skill set all round.