Exporting Your English Skills

Teaching English abroad has become just as common as studying abroad, offering an opportunity of adventure, particularly popular amongst recent college grads, before settling into the corporate world.

Why has interest in teaching English abroad recently spiked? Half the world’s population is expected to be speaking English by 2015. English is a first language for 400 million people and a fluent second for 300 million to 500 million more.

Cultural and economic reasons have thrust English upon the world stage as the new lingua franca, a common business language used for communications by people who do not share a mother tongue.

If you have ever considered living overseas and earning money at the same time by teaching English, the College of Extended Studies at SDSU and UCSD Extension offer programs that may be a perfect fit for you.

The 130-hour Teaching English as a Second Language/Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate program is offered through the American Language Institute, a division of SDSU’s Extended Studies. The program prepares novice instructors to live and teach English overseas.

A recent graduate of SDSU’s TESL/TEFL program in Saudi Arabia

SDSU Extended Studies is an approved provider for this and many other “education to career” funding programs through San Diego Workforce Partnership, Military Spouse, and Veterans benefits.

More than 150 graduates of the SDSU program have been employed in nearly 40 countries with the help of the American Language Institute’s job placement assistance program, which combines a solid teaching foundation with hands-on practical classroom experience.

“Traveling and living overseas has been a valuable and meaningful rite of passage for generations of Americans,” said Van Hillier, assistant director of the American Language Institute and course instructor. “Facilitating the process for those interested in such an adventure has been very rewarding.”

Hillier received his undergraduate degree at UCSD and his master’s at Rutgers University. He has been teaching since 1983 and has taught English at SDSU and Harvard as well as overseas in Saudi Arabia and Switzerland. He has also taught English as a foreign language in the U.S., Korea, Jordan, Japan, and Mexico.

In addition, UC San Diego Extension’s professional certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) trains teachers to use teaching methods and special techniques to rapidly increase their students’ proficiency and fluency. This certificate provides in-depth study and training in best practices and methodology for teaching English learners.

“The major goals are to provide training which results in highly advanced knowledge and skills in explaining the English language at every level: elementary, secondary, university, and adult, around the world,” says Roxanne Nuhaily, director of the English Language Institute and International Student Services at UC San Diego Extension.

Passion in the Public Sector

The last few years have proven difficult for the public sector. Falling public employment has been among the largest contributors to lingering unemployment in the United States since the end of the 2008 recession.

Tight budgets have forced a number of difficult decisions on policymakers and nonprofit leaders who have been forced to lay off public service workers in order to meet their monetary constraints. Although salaries often trailed the private sector, in the past the public service sector was able to attract talented employees with the promises of job stability, great benefits, and opportunities for advancement.

Recently, a study titled, the “Inspiring Excellence in the Future of Public Service” from The Centre for Organization Effectiveness, was conducted in alliance with UC San Diego Extension to uncover what brought people into the public sector in the first place and what’s changed in the landscape of serving the public.

This is the sector broadly defined as government (all levels), nonprofits, non-government organizations (NGOs), international development and education. More than 200 individual interviews and focus groups were conducted within more than 30 organizations representing state, county, and city agencies as well as municipalities and universities throughout California. Participants in the study ranged from graduate students to seasoned and retired public sector employees at all levels.

The Centre for Organization Effectiveness study reports that despite the economic challenges, workers are still attracted to public service. But, because job security and stability are not the draw they once were, study participants believe future public service employees will choose the field for other reasons.

For years, employees joined public service to make a difference and improve communities and in turn received job stability and benefits. A new generation of recent and mid-level college graduates are still choosing careers in public service because of a desire to do public good even though much of that job stability is diminishing.

The report noted there is a sense of idealism and a strong desire to contribute something significant and make an impact. Many public sector employees work in fields where they provide health care, maintain state and local infrastructure, provide protective services, and help educate the next generation of workers.

The majority of participants chose the public service career path because they felt compelled to serve people, their communities, and those in need of representation. Those drawn to public service were motivated by an overwhelming need to give back, to work for the greater good, and to make a difference with the work they do.

For a recap of the research, visit http://tcfoe.com/pdf/ResearchSummaryFinal.pdf

Choose a Company with Employee Development

How important is a company’s dedication to employee development when choosing your career path? Although such training may not be in the fore front of your career decision making, consider the effect employee development may have on your overall job satisfaction.

Two decades of private industry and academic research, summarized in 2010 by Tim Lohrentz of the National Network of Sector Partners, confirms that employee development can improve employer bottom-line profitability by increasing revenues and lowering expenses.

Many employers are skeptical about investing in employee development. Why not, reason many executives, just hire employees with the strengths to fill the jobs? That is a common miscalculation.

The measurements come from a variety of methods including surveys, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, tests, observation and performance records. A review of the employee development literature reveals the links to profitability in the following five main ways:

• Increased ability to take advantage of innovation

• Increased levels of employee engagement

• Reduced rate of employee absenteeism

• Increased quality of work or service

• Increased productivity

Employee development can also make you a happier employee. In 2008, HR World magazine reported on a study conducted by Spherion Atlantic Enterprises LLC, a staffing firm, in which 6 out of 10 respondents who received development or mentoring said they were very likely to remain with their current employer for the next five years.

Independent research by a local employer of 21,000 confirms the national trends.

“At Qualcomm, we’ve conducted two separate metrics studies of employees who worked with our internal career coaches to align their development with natural talents, interests, and motivators,” says Ed Hidalgo, senior director of staffing at Qualcomm and chairman of the Workforce Investment board of the San Diego Workforce Partnership. “We were excited to find a positive impact on employee engagement and statistically significant increases in performance across two review periods, when these employees were compared against a control group.”

The Conference Board reported that in a survey of 500 CEOs, 98 percent reported at least one business benefit from workplace development. One-third reported a reduction in absenteeism and another 40 percent said that employee development led to increased employee retention.

Hidalgo adds: “The Gallup organization, for example, has gathered some pretty compelling metrics that Qualcomm has taken notice of: higher productivity, higher profitability, higher customer service scores, lower absenteeism, better safely records, etc. in its studies of 32,000 business units that focused on employee development that is ‘strengths-based.’”

Bottom line: companies that thrive do not solely rely on the strengths employees arrive with in today’s competitive business world.

Grammar Matters

There is a big difference between writing “Eat here and get gas” and “Eat here, and get gas.”

When it comes to business writing, do you mean well but it comes out good? Are you never quite sure what is there, they’re or their? Are you wanted by the grammar police, whose mission is to serve and correct?

Many jobseekers and career climbers are unaware that poor grammar is holding back their careers. Beware if you don’t know that your and you’re are two different words. According to a Harvard Business Review blog, many companies will not hire people who use poor grammar.

An excellent book to help you brush up your grammar skills is “Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation” by British journalist Lynne Truss.

Asserting that punctuation “directs you how to read in the way musical notation directs a musician how to play,” Truss wittily argues for the merits of preserving the apostrophe, using commas correctly, and the proper use of the semicolon.

This #1 New York Times bestseller’s title is based on the following old joke. A panda walks into a bar. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air. “Why? Why are you behaving in this strange, un-panda-like fashion?” asks the confused bartender, as the panda walks towards the exit.

“I’m a panda,” he says, tossing a dictionary on the bar before he goes. “Look it up.”

The bartender turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds a definition. “Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats shoots and leaves.”

For those in San Diego, more personal punctuation help is also available. Published author Anne Bromley, a writing instructor and consultant, helps students get it right (or write) the first time when she teaches the Professional Certificate in Business Writing program through San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies during the spring semester.

“What’s happening now is that more and more people are being called into management positions and forced to write,” Bromley said. “They get kicked upstairs and realize they are not very good communicators in writing. It has caused a lot of problems in the workplace. We’ve had so many issues where people need help.”

Students who enroll in the Business Writing seminar will receive Bromley’s assistance in a series of three half-day workshops designed for professionals who would like to hone their writing skills.

For information, call (619) 594-5489, email nbridgers@mail.sdsu.edu or visit www.neverstoplearning.net/bw.

Bottled and Kegged: San Diego’s Craft Brew Culture

Friday, April 5th, is the opening of San Diego History Center’s upcoming exhibit, “Bottled and Kegged: San Diego’s Craft Brew Culture.” The exhibit features many hands-on interactive elements that help explain: the brewing process, how San Diego County brewers achieve such expansive flavor profiles, and the science behind matching beers with food.

To kick off the premiere of the exhibit, San Diego History Center has partnered with UC San Diego Extension to present a panel discussion titled, “Is Beer in Your Career?” from 4:30-5:30 on April 5th. This conversation about San Diego’s brewing culture will explore why San Diego is on its way to becoming the craft brew capital of the country and how to find potential jobs in this rapidly increasing industry.

The panel consists of some of San Diego’s most well-renowned craft brew pioneers, including Yuseff Cherney, head brewer and co-founder of Ballast Point Brewing Company; Greg Koch, co-founder of Stone Brewing Company; Tomme Arthur, world champion brewer, co-founder and director of brewery operations at Port Brewing Company; and Chris White, founder of White Labs Inc. Pure Yeast and Fermentation.

Henry Devries, Associate Dean of UC San Diego Extension and career columnist for U-T San Diego, will moderate the panel and find out what these beer experts have to say about where the craft brew industry is headed and career opportunities inside the booming beer business.

Seats are still available for this panel discussion at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park. To make reservations call (619) 232-6203, ext. 111 or email rsvp@sandiegohistory.org. This event is free to members, reservations required.

If you can’t attend the event in person, be sure to catch UC-TV’s coverage of the panel available online.

Quiz: Is My Career Right For Me?

By Will Marre

Research confirms that your career is the cornerstone of your personal well-being. Yet sadly less than two in ten people are fully engaged with their work.

Take this short, 10-question quiz to see if your career is right for you. This spring’s new course, “How Your Unique Design Will Help You Reboot Your Career,”  course could transform your life.

Discover where to invest your time and energy to attain your best future.

Quiz:

1. Do you find yourself looking forward to going to work?
   Yes, frequently
   No or very rarely

2. Do you consistently engage yourself in new activities that make your work more fulfilling and enjoyable?
   Yes, every week or every other week
   No or very rarely

3. Do you work with good friends that you trust and encourage you?
   Yes
   No, not really

4. Are you actively developing your strengths and talents to get more out of work and life?
   Yes, consistently
   No

5. Do you have a low stress work style that is enjoyable in terms of its pace, variety, and growth?
   Yes, usually
   No, rarely

6. Do you usually have high energy and feel fit and healthy?
   Yes, usually
   No, not as often as I’d like

7. Are you in a highly satisfying relationship with your boss that makes you feel valued and affirmed?
   Yes
   No

8. Are you frequently coming up with and taking action on new, creative ideas to make both your work and your life better?
   Yes, frequently
   No, rarely

9. Are you clear that the career you’re investing yourself in is the right one for you?
   Yes, I am clear and happy
   No, I often wonder about it

10. Do you have an excellent coach or expert friend that helps you make great decisions about your work and your life?
    Yes, I talk to him/her every week
    No, I try to figure it out on my own

Score:
# No
# Yes

This quiz is based on the forces of the new science of Life Harmony, which studies human thriving when our careers, relationships, and lifestyle are aligned.

Understanding Your Score

• If your Yes score is 9 or above: Congratulations.  You are in the top 10% of people who are thriving in their work and consistently taking action to keep their life progressing in a fulfilling and rewarding direction. Why you should take the class: As a hungry learner your thirst for development will be maximized by the quick and efficient tips, techniques, and insights you will receive over three fast paced sessions.  And you will likely enjoy encouraging and inspiring others to achieve what you’re achieving.
• If your Yes score is 7 or 8: Be encouraged.  You are very close to having self-inspiring career.  Your score means you have a lot of things right and just a series of small, consistent changes may add up to a big change in how you feel about your career.  Your score may reveal a certain area you can focus on that the new skills and science based know-how that you will learn from the course will help you conquer.  You are close.  Join us.
• If your Yes score is 6 or below: You are a member of a very big club of the vast majority of people who are suffering every day with stress and uncertainty wondering what to do.  Our “Reboot” course is designed to free you from the little, invisible mistakes you are likely making and give you the power to change your work, improve your performance, and remodel your career into a more fulfilling, and enjoyable one virtually every day.  Our Career Center is a growing community of people just like you that are making positive, life-fulfilling changes every day.  There will never be a better time to free yourself from whatever is in your way.

Will Marre’s next class, “How Your Unique Design Will Help You Reboot Your Career,” begins Thursday, April 12th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at UCSD Extension University City Center, 6256 Greenwich Dr., San Diego.  The class meets three times (4/12, 4/23 and 5/7).  Fee is $95, and includes eight assessments. Parking is free.

Will Marré is the co-founder and former president of the Covey Leadership Center where he translated the concepts of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People into powerful leadership courses taught to millions of executives worldwide.   Today Will is an evangelist of socially strategic enterprise that transforms Corporate Social Responsibility into Corporate Social Opportunity. Will is founder and CEO of ThoughtRocket, a learning community systematically designed to center your life around your personal purpose so that you have enriching work, fulfilling relationships, and a lifestyle of full engagement. Read more about Will

UC San Diego Extension’s Center for Life/Work Strategies is a nexus of resources to help professionals manage their short and long-term career paths. As the job market has fundamentally changed, so must the way in which people approach their employment—it’s up to individuals to understand and build upon their strengths and develop a plan to meet their career goals.  Workshops, assessments, coaching and online careers resources are available at extension.ucsd.edu/careers.

Don’t Stop Believing: 3 Reasons to Job Search During the Holidays

By Elizabeth Gibson

Network during the holidays—professional organization parties, corporate events, neighborhood get-togethers—and find more opportunities to connect with key contacts.

A challenging job market, everyone on vacation, deadline-driven managers:  what do each of these have in common?  They’re all excuses that job seekers give to skip job hunting over the holidays.  Why bother, you ask?

• Reason #1:  Less Competition
  If everyone else believes you can’t get a job during the holidays, let everyone else stay home drinking eggnog.  Much like the early bird getting the worm, the job seeker who stays focused during the holidays maintains momentum, demonstrates commitment to employers, and is far more likely to encounter and take advantage of existing opportunities.  Job seekers who are prepared with their story, their motivation, and a plan can make a big impact on their target contacts at a time when the competition is focused on finding Zhiu Zhui pets at Toys ‘R Us.
• Reason #2:  More Opportunity
  Organizations often map their first quarter hiring needs during the last quarter of the calendar year, so opportunities may be evaluated, discussed, and/or posted in December and January.  Job seekers who continue to research key organizations and stay on task during the holidays are more likely to land on a hiring manager’s radar early in that process.
• Reason #3:  Better Connections
  Let’s face it, there are more opportunities to network during the holidays – professional organization parties, corporate events, neighborhood get-togethers – and people are typically a little more relaxed.  Job seekers who are strategic about networking may find more opportunities to connect with key contacts, or find that people are more inclined to help.  (A word of warning – while people are a bit more relaxed at this time, dancing around in a Santa hat and demonstrating how the alcohol in your breath can replicate a blowtorch probably won’t land you that dream job.)

Also, while administrative staff may take vacation during holidays, executives or managers in key areas will often work at least part of the time in order to meet deadlines and finish strategic projects.  Well prepared job seekers may be able to bypass a gatekeeper by calling key executives between Christmas and New Year’s.

If you’re looking to sharpen your job search skills, whether it’s resume-building, interviewing, or identifying your career passion, UC San Diego Extension’s Career Center courses can give you the guidance you need to stay focused and effective this winter.

A Career Center student creates a personal brochure to market his skills.

Elizabeth Gibson is director of UC San Diego Extension’s Career Transition & Development for Professionals Program.  She is a community leader with expertise in career development, HR, organizational development, and change management, and has presented to industry associations and Fortune 500s. She was VP of Business Development at Lee Hecht Harrison, where she consulted on career transition, leadership development, and workforce solutions. She is a Past President of the San Diego Society for Human Resource Management.

This winter quarter, Elizabeth Gibson will be teaching Career Management, which begins January 25^th.