Summer is just around the corner! It’s the time of year in LTS where students are thinking about The Great Beyond: applying for teaching or other professional language-related positions after graduation. Here are some of the tips and resources we share in LTS:

• Get plugged in to professional organizations in the field. Professional organizations are great resources for job leads and information. We keep a list of these organizations for LTS students on our LTS google site.
• Build an online portfolio, starting with the creative work from your first classes (statements of teaching philosophies, lesson plans, materials collections, course design…). LTS students start adding to their online portfolios in the second term of the program.
• Attend and present at conferences. LTS students have attended several conferences this year, and can apply for a $500 award for presenting at one.
• Publish your ideas, even the brief ones! CASLS has been publishing good activity ideas on InterCom, and one of the Assessment class assignments asks students to prepare a review to submit to TESOL-EJ, for example.
• Hone your professional communication skills, both in classes and out of them. The LTS program has developed a one-of-a-kind set of online resources called “On the Path to Language Teaching” that includes example cover letters and resumes in our field, as well as an extensive set of mock-interview videos made by our faculty, students, and alumni (the image below is a screenshot from the homepage). These videos include commentaries on the interviews by language and career professionals – a great way to see if your own reactions line up with those who are doing the hiring!
• Practice, practice, practice! The LTS program is certainly hands-on. Students in the program can pursue multiple teaching internships and take supervised teaching courses that provide substantial feedback and support. They can also work closely with international UO students as tutors and conversation partners, or develop curriculum or assessment ideas through internships at CASLS. All of these experiences look great on a resume.
• Take advantage of LTS connections to potential employers and internship sites. LTS has a growing network of connections to language teaching institutes, schools, and universities in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, for example, and also keeps in touch about more local position openings. Alumni and current students both can stay in touch to hear about these opportunities.
• Finally, develop your relationships with peers, faculty, and other mentors while you are in the program. Your peers of today will be your colleagues and your network of tomorrow, and are invaluable as such. LTS fosters a strong cohort support system that students themselves maintain with gusto. Also stay in touch with faculty after graduation; they will remain a source of support for you for a long time!

Although the LTS program is only 15 months long, it is packed full of vitamins and nutrients to help you keep going for the long haul. Bon appetit! — Keli Yerian