The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

Five Tips for Applying to our First Priority Teacher Application Deadline

November 22, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

Applications to work at YES Prep have increased significantly this year over last.  To give you some context, last year, we had about 1,600 applications to join our team.  This year, upon writing this blog post, we already have close to 800 and we haven’t even hit the busy time of year yet.  With such an increase in application numbers, we are able to be even more selective in our choices for hiring teachers.  Better teachers means we will be able to serve our students better and increase our pace to transform Houston.

In the coming school year (2011-2012), YES Prep will be growing enormously.  We will have six full grade levels for which to hire great teachers and we are adding a new campus.  There will be opportunities to teach and lead in every content area and grade level.  If you are considering becoming a teacher after graduating from college, transitioning careers, or you are already a teacher looking for a different kind of environment, you should definitely get your application in during this deadline.  Here are some simple tips to consider when applying:

• Do your research.  As someone who reviews nearly every application, I am looking for people who have clearly done research when applying.  The work that someone puts in to research us really comes through in how they craft their essays (for teaching positions) or letters of intent (for non-instructional roles).  Research can vary and can include everything from talking to current employees, visiting a campus or digging for information on the website. 
• References:  The application is a little bit confusing when it comes to references and we are trying to clear this up.  We want you to include your references, but letters of recommendation from them are OPTIONAL!  They are not required to apply.  You can simply complete the reference section without letters of recommendation.  We will contact your references after the interview process is completed.
• Read this blog: http://yesprep.org/TheAnswer/full/the_ideal_yes_prep_teacher/
• Take your essays seriously.  A majority of the people who do not get offered an interview do not take the essay portion of the application seriously enough.  Either candidates do not put in the necessary effort or they fail to truly answer the question.  My suggestion is to advance to that section of the application, take a first crack at the essays, save them and come back to review them later.  In the meantime during your break, you might spend some time on our blog www.yesprep.org/theanswer.
• Make sure your resume truly reflects the things you have accomplished in your career.  Many times, candidates are cheating themselves when crafting their resume.  We want to see your accomplishments and your leadership.  Make sure those things shine through when writing your resume.  And, please do not use the templates provided by Microsoft Word.  You are smart and creative on your own.

These are just a few tips to help you navigate the application process at YES Prep.  We are looking forward to seeing some wonderful applications this coming Sunday and anxious to start interviewing in the first week of December! 

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