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Many countries in Asia have experienced a tremendous economic growth in the past twenty years, which has led them to being economic giants. However, many of these countries lack the natural resources every country needs, which is why they are forced to turn to international trade in order to ensure continual success. Everything related to business, diplomacy, science, literature, mathematics, etc. is in English at the international level, which makes this language indispensable for the future of Asian countries.

Like many other students all over the world, many Asian students lack the ability of conversing in English although their school curriculum includes English grammar and vocabulary. English is a very important language to them for two reasons: it is an advantage in the fierce competition for a place in a prestigious university, either national or abroad, and it provides tremendous headway for future employment opportunities. This explains the numerous ESL jobs offered in countries such as Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, and so forth. Teaching English in Asia has turned into a multi-billion dollars industry because of these specific needs for trained professionals.

Native English speakers are generally preferred for the ESL jobs in Asia, be cause they are considered to be the most appropriate teachers for the conversational English that the Asians need to master, so that they can communicate easily with Western people. Those who wish to apply for one of the numerous ESL jobs in Asia should also know that no knowledge of the country’s language is necessary, as English training is often performed in the direct method, which is speaking nothing but English in the class.

The largest offer of ESL jobs comes from Japan, where as many as ten million students study English for conversational purposes. This is the reason why the huge demand for English instructors is not addressed to professionals only. Amateurs can also apply for ESL jobs in Japan, or any country mentioned above, but once again native speakers of English are preferred. The demand for English teachers is huge and constant because many of these instructors make the ESL jobs a temporary occupation. Many of them only teach there for a year, or less, due to the fact that they have no training, qualification or experience and are always in the search for something new. Some of these foreign teachers of English enjoy their stay in Asia, and find the salary very attractive. Furthermore, they can increase their income with private tutoring, and some of the established private tutors are known to earn as much as $100 per hour.

These ESL jobs are both full time and part time, and most of the applicants are under the age of forty. The Asian students are of all ages and occupations, from preschool to college students and from housewives to business people.

Those who decide to teach in one of these Asian countries will sign a contract, whose terms vary according to location. Aside from the salary, which is well above the cost of living, teachers have numerous benefits such as health insurance, one month’s pay as a bonus, transportation costs. The use of a car or accommodation, or both, may be provided by some schools.

If you are looking for more information about ESL jobs or to learn about teaching in Asia please visit http://esljobspot.com

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The Apple iPhone is an amazing device that invites  creativity. You’ve probably said to yourself: ‘I wish I  could do that on my iPhone.’

With the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK), programmers can make your ideas reality - even if you yourself don’t know the difference between a C-pointer  and a SQLite database.

More than 200 iPhone application projects have already  been posted on Elance.com. Check out these tips in this article to get  your project kick-started.

We focus on the development of applications for the Apple iPhone, and we asked Nick Dalton, iPhone SDK specialist, to give Elance buyers a few tips on how to scope and post an iPhone Application project. Here’s what he had to say:

The iPhone is an amazing device that invites creativity. If you’re an iPhone owner I’m sure you’ve said to yourself: ‘I wish I could do that on my iPhone, or I have a great idea for an iPhone application’.

With the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK), programmers can make your ideas reality – even if you yourself don’t know the difference between a C-pointer and a SQLite database. But before you go ahead and post your application idea to the buzzing iPhone project area on www.Elance,com. here are some pointers to get your project kick-started:

Study the Masters

Apple has already spent a lot of time thinking about how to present information and build interactive applications on the iPhone. The applications that come with the iPhone are the results of this research. Study them in great detail and try to apply as many of the user interface metaphors as possible to your application.

Not only will Apple be flattered if you imitate the user interface in their applications, but they actually mandate it to a great level of detail as described in their Human Interface Guidelines.

Dream in Color Screens

Most applications for the iPhone will be very visual. Therefore it makes sense to provide your requirements as screen images or sketches. You don’t have to be a graphics artist to do this effectively. An iPhone programmer is looking for the following information:

- The type of layout each screen should have

- The buttons on the screens

- The actions associated with each button

The exact shape and format of your screen sketches is secondary. As long as they are readable, it’s a great way to communicate your application design to a programmer.

Be Realistic About Your Budget

Look at other iPhone projects posted on Elance to get a sense for the bid amounts on these projects. Read the descriptions of these projects to see if they seem to be larger or smaller projects than what you have in mind. If you set your budget to under $500 for something that is realistically going to take a programmer two months to implement, you are not likely to attract many bidders.

From a programming perspective, some things are easy to do on the iPhone, while other seemingly simple things are very time consuming. For example the beautiful cover-flow animation used in the music application on the iPhone should be simple to use in other applications. Unfortunately you can’t. If you want this animation within your application it will have to be written from scratch, probably costing a one month of work.

If you talk to an approved iPhone developer early in your application design process you can learn how to get most out of your budget by avoiding the things that are really difficult to do on the iPhone.

Don’t Be Too Original

iPhone users already know how to do certain tasks on their phones by convention. For example, if you tap an item in a list that has a > icon next to it, you expect to be taken to another screen with more information about that item. If your application needs similar functionality, don’t be creative and come up with a new way to solve the same problem. Use the conventions already established by Apple.

New conventions are difficult to establish especially with the touch interface because there is no way to discover how your application works on the iPhone. Unlike a website where you can hover with the mouse pointer over areas that look like you can interact with them and a tool tip or the status bar will reveal some clues to you.

Know Your Limitations

The current version of the iPhone SDK, which is used to write applications for the iPhone, has many restrictions and limitations. Some of them are common sense, e.g. you can’t send text messages from an application. Imagine an application that sends out thousands of text messages without your knowledge, who is going to pay the phone bill for that?

Other restrictions are maddening: applications cannot access the log of phone calls, or interact in any way with the calendar or the music stored on the iPhone.

To Apple’s credit, the iPhone SDK is an amazing piece of software especially given that it was publicly released as a Beta just three months ago. Some of the shortcomings listed above will likely be addressed in future releases of the SDK.

As a buyer with an idea for an iPhone application, you should educate yourself about these limitations before you spend too much time designing an application that is impossible to implement. Talk to a developer or company that specializes in iPhone development (and there are many available on Elance) and they can help you get on the right track from the start.

About

Nick Dalton (username: 360mind) is an experienced iPhone SDK specialist and Elance.com service provider. He has 15+ years of background in programming, and currently focuses his business, 360mind, 100% on the development of iPhone applications. For more information on Nick, check out his book, 101 iPhone Tips and Tricks.

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When a ESL/EFL/TEFL school searches for a new teacher for an open ESL/TEFL/TEFL teaching position, they already have an image of the teacher they want. Every school has certain qualities they feel a teacher must have to be successful. Those qualities can be many things depending on the needs and location of the school. While the qualities that each school considers important may vary, there are usually shared qualities that all schools would consider important to the job.

The experience or background of a teacher is the most important quality a school looks for so your resume should highlight the qualities they are looking for. If they are looking for an ESL/EFL/TEFL teacher for kindergarten students, it may be best to highlight lessons that contain activities that you have initiated and prepared at your previous schools. In addition, if you are looking at a position for a content subject such as science or math, highlight your knowledge and education (i.e. degree) in that area. This is especially important if you are a new teacher with little or no experience. Regardless, you should also have all academic qualifications available for the school to preview before you go for an interview. Most schools want to review the qualifications prior to hiring or considering applicants for a teaching position and will sometimes pass on teachers who don’t submit these items for review when applying. Each ESL/EFL/TEFL school is unique so the best thing would be to have a cover letter that speaks to that school and the teaching job they are looking to fill. Don’t just have a blanket letter and resume that you mass mail to any potential school looking for a teacher in the hopes of gaining employment. It may be beneficial to have a list of professional highlights that you can copy and paste into a cover letter based on the requirements of the position.

Another important consideration for schools is the personal qualities of a teacher. Most schools are looking for a long term commitment from a teacher so they want to make sure that teacher will fit within their school. The obvious qualities that come to mind are personable, positive and flexible/patient because these qualities will carry over into the classroom and interaction with your future students. In addition, the school will look at a teacher’s qualities with regards to their professionalism because there is much that is required outside of the classroom such as preparing lessons, creating worksheets and tests and the always popular grading of assignments. In other words, they will want a teacher that is organized and committed. If they feel that the teacher can’t be depended on, they may not consider them a viable candidate. One of the things that may highlight a teacher’s lack of commitment is a resume that shows numerous ESL/EFL/TEFL teaching positions over a short period of time. Remember that you will not be judged strictly by your qualifications but on the sum of who you are as an individual.

The factors that go into a school’s decision to accept a teacher are varied and many so it is impossible to cover them all. Regardless, cover the basics looked for in any teacher for any teaching job and then identify the unique characteristics or qualifications of a particular position. Remember that looking for a teaching job, like many other employment searches, is about selling yourself and the best way to do this is by identifying what the employer (i.e the school) wants.

 The following is an abbreviated list of characteristics posted by a teacher in response to a UNICEF request to “What makes a Good Teacher?”:

Positive - The teacher thinks positively and enthusiastically about people and what they are capable of becoming.  Sees the good in any situation and can move forward to make the most of difficult situations when confronted with obstacles. Encourages others to also be positive.

Dependable - The teacher is honest and authentic in working with others. Consistently lives up to commitments to students and others. Works with them in an open, honest, and forthright manner.

Organized - The teacher makes efficient use of time and moves in a planned and systematic direction. Knows where he or she is heading and is able to help students in their own organization and planning. Can think in terms of how organization can be beneficial to those served.

Committed - The teacher demonstrates commitment to students and the profession and is self-confident, poised and personally in control of situations. Has a healthy self-image. Encourages students to look at themselves in a positive manner, careful to honor the self-respect of the students, while encouraging them to develop a positive self-concept.

 Motivational - The teacher is enthusiastic with standards and expectations for students and self. Understands the intrinsic motivations of individuals, and knows what it is that motivates students. Takes action in constructive ways.

Compassionate - The teacher is caring, empathetic and able to respond to people at a feeling level. Open with personal thoughts and feelings, encouraging others to do likewise. Knows and understands the feelings of students.

Flexible - The teacher is willing to alter plans and directions in a manner which assists people in moving toward their goals. Seeks to reason out situations with students and staff in a manner that allows all people to move forward in a positive direction.

Knowledgeable - The teacher is in a constant quest for knowledge. Keeps up in his or her specialty areas, and has the insight to integrate new knowledge. Takes knowledge and translates it to students in a way which is comprehensible to them, yet retains its originality.

 Creative - The teacher is versatile, innovative, and open to new ideas. Strives to incorporate techniques and activities that enable students to have unique and meaningful new growth experiences.

Patient - The teacher is deliberate in coming to conclusions. Strives to look at all aspects of the situation and remains highly fair and objective under most difficult circumstances. Believes that problems can be resolved if enough input and attention is given by people who are affected.

You can also practice answers to typical teacher interview questions like the ones on the following sites:

Virginia Polytechnic Institute

 Resumes for Teachers

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