Checklist

from October 2010

The good thing about suddenly having almost a year before taking off for the other side of the world means I have time. Time to ignore rumours and hearsay - or at least take them with a Very Big grain of salt - and seek out actual facts. And I have time to filter through the scads of information...and actually seek out information.

And I have time to get organised.

Ah, organisation. It really is a nice thing. At least when it comes to paperwork. And that's where this list (straight from ADEC via Teach Away) comes in. For those of you who were wondering, this is what you need to bring to your IPI. This year, anyway. Terms and conditions are always subject to change.

1. passport-size photos: 4 physical AND in jpg format.
2. pasport details page: 2 colour copies AND in pdf format.
3. highest certified degree: colour copy AND in pdf format. (Certified is the key word. The one you have hanging on the wall behind your desk is not.)
4. completed security form (which you'll get from Teach Away): original, signed w/passport-size photo attached - don't skip the religion question*. The religion you write in must be a named religion.** And if you're Muslim, indicate sect.
5. current/most recent teaching cert: colour copy AND in pdf format. Make sure it's certified (the one you have framed probably is not.)
6. current CV or résumé: printed copy AND digital (pdf or MS Word). Your CV must detail and be supported by documentation of qualifications, teaching license and years of experience.
7. recent (within the past year) CRC: original. You can get your criminal record check through: state police or FBI. Prices and time it takes vary.
8. 2 letters of reference: originals. Teach Away does not provide an online reference capability or a form. If you don't already have your reference letters in your portfolio, get them.

Notes:

Do not submit originals (unless specified). Make sure hard copies of documents are clearly labelled with your name and recruiting agency (Teach Away in my case). Digital copies must be submitted on a CD or a USB memory stick, and files must be labelled as follows:

All digital documents must be submitted in a single electronic folder named: SURNAME_Firstname (e.g. SMITH_John)

Individual files within the above named electronic folder should follow this naming convention: SURNAME_Firstname_document (e.g. SMITH_John_passport)

*For Jewish applicants...well, you're in a bit of a sticky spot. Make sure you have no Israel stamps in your passport, as Israel is not recognised as a nation by the UAE or most ME nations (this goes for all applicants, regardless of religious affiliation). While my research (minimal, I admit) does not show Jewish people are barred from living and working in the Emirates, this could prove a stumbling block for your future employers.

*part 2: Americans, if you are negligibly or not at all religious, being American pretty much makes you culturally Christian. That's how pollsters come up with those percentages (The US is 84% Christian) every election year.

**A named religion does not include atheist, secular humanist, nihilist, polygamist or any other -ist you can think of (except Buddhist...so almost any other -ist). Keep it simple, friends.

Most of this paperwork is easy to collect and can be done for under $10 at Kinko's. Or at home if you have a scanner and a spare USB drive. Getting certified certificates (highest degree, teaching cert) can take a couple of weeks and may or may not include a fee for the service. Passport photos can be done for under $20 - and really, having a stash of them floating around will probably come in quite handy overseas. Same goes for colour copies of things like your passport page, etc. But I've mentioned this before. Depending on where you have it done, your CRC could take anywhere from a few minutes (some county sheriffs) to a few months (which is the time listed by the FBI, but is about 2 months longer than my CRC took when I got it from them).

My portfolio

Look how professionally it stores all your documents (including a couple of stand-out lesson plans).