For many of us, our parents or grandparents graduated from high school, walked into a permanent full-time job, and stayed there until retirement. That’s not the case for the majority of people these days.
Many ESL professionals are on short-term contracts, working at multiple locations, or looking for their next way to earn a living. TESL Ontario makes every effort to stay relevant for its members, and a recent member survey showed the need for this topic to be addressed.
On the first day (November 1) of this year’s annual conference, the first hour of the Career Connections event will be a Career Booster Forum. A 3-person panel of ESL professionals will share their individual ways of having used their ESL training to develop alternate ways of earning a living, outside of the traditional classroom. This event is open to all conference registrants. Why not check it out? Who knows, you just might be introduced to a new career path that will change your life!
The second segment of the Career Connections event is open to all TESL Ontario members; being a conference registrant is not a requirement. Those who are not attending the conference should bring their TESL Ontario membership card. This is an open house format, allowing you to allot as much or as little time as you’d like for attending this segment. You can stop in for a short time or spend an extended time there; you’ll have that flexibility.
Responding to feedback from last year’s event, Career Connections has secured a more central location within the conference and has increased the number of employers on site. This is a great opportunity for members to meet prospective employers, ask questions, and get valuable information that just may open new employment doors. For many people, it’s certainly worth checking it out to see what jobs are in demand and what locations are interested in hiring. Not all employers will have immediate hiring needs, but it’s always good to take the opportunity to meet face-to-face with prospective employers.
Mark your calendars – November 1st from 12:30 to 1:40 for the Career Boost Forum (conference attendees only), and 1:40 to 4:30 for Career Connections (open to all TESL Ontario members). If it does result in a new and challenging career change for you, we hope you’ll share your story in a future TESL Ontario blog post.
Post written by Francine Beattie
