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First Choice Letters And Personal Letters of Recommendation
This article explores the role of first choice letters and personal recommendation letters in private school admissions. It likely discusses their impact, how to approach them, and their place in the overall application strategy.

First Choice Letters And Personal Letters of Recommendation

The competition for places at some private schools is intense. When a school receives hundreds of applications for a hundred available seats, that indicates a very competitive admissions situation. If your child is applying to a competitive school, what do you do to ensure success? The school admissions staff isn't going to be much help. Indeed, more often than not, it will be sphinx-like about letting you know whether your kid stands a chance or not. Money is not an issue. You can afford the fees and all the extras. This school would be ideal for your daughter because you know that the school does an excellent job of getting its graduates into the best colleges and universities. You and your daughter were both impressed with the facilities, programs, and general feel of the campus when you visited. The admissions staff were professional but warm and friendly, as was everyone else you encountered during your visit.

So, what do you do? Do you push? Do you flaunt your wealth? Do you try to impress with your social pedigree? What about sending the school a first-choice letter? Will that help? Do you have the CEO of a Fortune 100 company write the school on your daughter's behalf? Do personal recommendation letters help? For the answers to these questions, you need to look at the private school admissions process and understand how it works.

This video offers a tour of Burgundy

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What About Teaching Overseas?

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What About Teaching Overseas?
With the job market looking bleak, teaching is an option many recent college graduates are considering. Teaching overseas has all kinds of attractive features. We look at private school teaching jobs and explain what is involved in finding one, applying and more.

If you are graduating this year, you probably have a game plan for finding a job in place. Naturally I wish you good luck with that and sincerely hope it works out. On the other hand should things not pan out the way you planned, why not consider teaching? We need teachers. We need talented teachers. In both public and private sectors. At home and abroad. I have several articles on finding , applying for and interviewing for private school jobs. So for the purposes of this article, we are going to look at teaching overseas.

Overseas? Yes, there are plenty of teaching jobs overseas. Hundreds of private schools in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean are always looking for qualified teachers. Of course, you probably have already seen dozens of emails from ESL schools in Taiwan. Are those jobs real? Yes, they most certainly are. But, caveat emptor. Do your research carefully. There are some lemons in the bunch. besides teaching English as a Second Language isn't all you are capable of doing, is it? Laura Light, Director of Educational Staffing for International Schools Services, explains what it is like to work in an overseas school.

We are not talking about only ESL teaching jobs. How about teaching in a country like Argentina? For example, let's say you are a Spanish speaking graduate with a degree in American language and literature from Brown

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Timeline for Finding a Private School Job

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Timeline for Finding a Private School Job
Finding a private school job takes time. Lots of time. This time line will focus your efforts on what has to be done and when it ideally should be done.

Finding a job in a private school is a process that takes many months, sometimes much longer, to accomplish. The following timeline assumes that you will be flexible and open-minded. Finding your dream job is not always possible. It is much more realistic to try to find a position that has most of what you are looking for now as well as the potential to turn into that dream job you are seeking.

Winter

  • Make arrangements to meet employers and be interviewed at the NAIS Annual Conference which takes place in February/March. Check the NAIS site for time and venue.
  • Review openings listed on Klingenstein Job Bank.
  • Review openings posted on various state, regional, and national association websites.
  • Attend interviews.
  • Negotiate job offers.
  • Request official copies of your transcripts, certifications, and degrees.
  • Notify your network as soon as you accept a job.
  • Send handwritten thank-you notes.

This video explains how to get your college transcript.

Without a doubt, the advantage which job seekers in the 21st century have over previous generations is being able to do it online. You can learn about any job opening the minute it is posted online. The same applies to niche employment such as teaching and administrative positions in private schools. At the very least, most schools will have an employment link on their sites. There may not be many listings depending on the time of the year. However, bookmark the

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Is It Too Late to Apply?

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Is It Too Late to Apply?
Starting the admissions process and getting into a private school in late spring and early summer is a challenge.

"Is it too late to apply?" is a nagging question many parents find themselves asking. The circumstances vary, of course, but typically you find yourself deciding in late winter or early spring that either you want to or have to get your child into a private school for the coming fall. Feeling that your child will be better off in private school is a circumstance which gives you the luxury of a flexible schedule. On the other hand, if your organization plans to relocate you, then finding a new school for your children becomes an urgent matter. Time is probably not on your side.

A friend of mine was facing the first situation. She was not happy with her child's public school. Therefore, in January, she and her husband decided to see if there were a place at a local private school about which she knew and of which she thought highly. It turned out that the school did have room, subject to the standard testing and formal admissions process. My friend did have to meet deadlines to complete her child's admissions portfolio, but she did not have the pressure which the second scenario of finding a school in a new city or country entailed.

The just-announced job transfer makes finding a private school in a hurry an absolute necessity. The resulting pressure is enormous. After all, you not only have to uproot and move your family, you have to find a school for your children as well.

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Don't Need Financial Aid? Step to the Front of the Line!

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Don't Need Financial Aid? Step to the Front of the Line!
The fallout of the economic and financial meltdown of 2009 was far reaching. Private schools did not escape the consequences either. But that may be a good thing for you.

Money always talks. When you pay cash for something, no matter what that something is, you will get a better deal. Or the vendor will offer a cash discount. Or perhaps you can negotiate better terms. Nowadays the same thing applies to getting into private school. Assuming that your child offers everything the school is looking for, if the school knows that you do not need any financial assistance, you can be virtually assured of acceptance. Why is that? What's changed?

This video reports on the ways that the pandemic has affected schools.

The Perfect Storm

World events have a direct impact on private school endowments. They can shrink as much as 20-30%, even more, when the stock market becomes a bear market. You and I can see how a school's finances are impacted by reviewing their tax returns, the Form 990. Form 990 is the tax return not for profit organizations file each year. Most schools file at the end of their fiscal year which typically is June 30.

Added to the market conditions are the vast numbers of jobs that have been shed as companies have folded or downsized. That means there are fewer parents able to afford private school without at least some financial assistance. Another factor is that many parents who were counting on sending their children to private school are scaling back their spending. The result is that there are

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