What are the 7 Types Of Stipend You Should Know About?

What is a stipend? This might be a new term for all those who are just entering the world of internships and apprenticeships. You may have heard people talk that their paid internships offer them stipends, to earn along with learning and training in the field.

People prefer doing internships for their career development and to get experience in the field they are going to be working in. This blog is going to be all about what is a stipend and how it really works in the real world? Along with it we will be also looking at different types of stipends and what kind of internships may help you cover expenses.

If you’re someone who is an academic student or are someone who is looking for internships & doesn’t really know what is a stipend, then this blog is going to help you figure it out & will assist you from where you can get opportunities to get paid. So stick around to know more.

What Is A Stipend Anyway?

What is a stipend
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A stipend is a fixed sum of money paid to students, researchers, apprentices, or interns, in exchange for their regular duties performed for a certain period of time. They are given to offset expenses like travel, food, accommodation, and so on.

To earn a stipend, you need to do internships which are paid so that every month you earn little money to cover living expenses. But if you opt for an unpaid internship you won’t be receiving any kind of stipend as in exchange they compensate you with a certificate or any other benefits.

A stipend is not the same as a salary or a wage and it doesn’t give you a proper income like salaried employees. It is a less and fixed amount of money neither hourly wages nor regular pay. It may be paid weekly or monthly depending on the company you work for.

People do internships to learn and gain knowledge about the field they will be working in as a career. They are mostly focused on candidates’ training & development. Also, some companies also provide job offers if the student performed really well during the training period.

The benefits and stipend may vary according to the organization or institutions you are working for. Now as we got a clear idea of what is a stipend, let’s proceed further to its types.

Types Of Stipends

1. Volunteer Stipend

What is a stipend
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This involves when an individual offers services for any organization, NGO, or institution without taking any kind of pay it’s called volunteering. Usually, such types of jobs are unpaid, because an individual willingly gives their free services without any force or obligation.

But in some cases, you are paid not for your services but other expenses like your travel to some other place, accommodation, meals and so on. It has nothing to do with the services you perform but to assist you with your expenses so that you are able to successfully complete your tasks over there without any problems.

But after you are trained as a volunteer and have gained experience & skills you can work with the organization on a long-term basis if you want to get paid.

2. Health Insurance Stipend

What is a stipend
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Just like how an employee sometimes gets health insurance benefits from their employers, it can’t be possible for the interns. So what an employer does is they pay a little more money to the interns so that they get health insurance for themselves, or they can spend it for their living expenses as well, it totally depends on the interns. As they don’t have to prove anything to the employer whether they have taken a healthcare benefit or not.

3. Academic Research Stipend

What is a stipend
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The students who carry out research at any academic institution also receive a stipend, which can be to fund the research work or as a grant so that the researchers can do their research without any distractions.

4. Wellness Program Stipend

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These funds are provided to the interns so that they can take care of their health and well-being. It can also be in the form of gym memberships, organizing wellness programs, and so on. This kind of stipend creates a positive impact on interns that the company they work for really cares for them and their well-being.

5. Pay For Tasks

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If an employer gives you work that ain’t mentioned in your intern responsibilities then they can compensate you in the form of a stipend & pay for that specific task. For eg: if you are sent abroad for a conference, then they will pay your travel expenses and for the task, you did as well.

6. Living Expenses

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In this, the company may provide you with a stipend to assist you with travel expenses, food, accommodation, and so on. For eg if an intern has to travel from one place to another then the institution or organization he/she works in will pay for it so that they don’t face any kind of issue during the training period.

7. Assist With Educational Expenses

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Also known as fellowships, it’s basically when an institution or an organization accepts you as a candidate. They provide you with financial support for your education. So your stipend is not in the literal form of money but the institution or organization may pay your tuition fees or anything related to education.

Some employers may require you to do a job in exchange for this type of stipend. Some may just simply want you to complete your education & don’t require any kind of service in return.

It’s important to understand What is a stipend and its types in order to understand what you will be offered when you apply to an internship, apprenticeship, fellowship, and so on.

Some Unanswered Questions About What Is A Stipend

Is A Stipend Taxable Income?

Yes, the stipend is a taxable income in some cases, you have to keep aside a little amount to pay off your taxes at end of every year. As we saw above what is a stipend, it’s clear that it’s not a normal wage or a salary. So if your employer pays you as an intern he/she won’t be withholding taxes from your stipend but will pay you the whole amount.

You need to pay taxes of your own, they won’t be deducted from your stipend. If you work as an employee in the country your employer deducts the social security and Medicare taxes from your payment otherwise for interns there is nothing as such. Also if you are still unclear you can ask your employer about the tax implications of the stipend.

How Much Is A Stipend, Is It More Or Less?

As a salary cannot be paid to an intern, that’s why the employer pays you a stipend to aid basic expenses. The stipend given by the employer to you may vary depending on which organization you work for. As employees are paid more than minimum wage in the case of interns the stipend is a fixed amount that can cover the costs of basic expenses.

When Does An Employer Pay A Stipend?

A stipend can be paid monthly, weekly, or based on specific tasks. If you have applied for an unpaid internship, it won’t offer you any stipend in exchange for your services. So if you need a stipend you need to apply for those internships that offer you something in return like money or some benefits to aid your expenses.

What Is Tax Return Reporting In Case Of Stipends?

If you receive a fellowship or scholarship then it’s not considered taxable income, because this income is for expenses related to education, tuition fees, college equipment if needed by students, books, different supplies, and so on. If other than this it’s used for some other reasons then it can be a taxable income. You don’t really require to report these to the internal revenue service, but if there is a remaining amount then it is taxable.

If you are not really aware of tax returns then you should consult someone who has a good knowledge of taxes. A stipend in a tax return is mentioned in terms like taxable grant scholarship, non-qualified fellowship, or taxable scholarship. To file a tax return you can make use of any software, tax return apps, forms, and so on.

Difference Between Salary & Stipend

Let’s first get to know what is a stipend and then we will see how is it different from a salary.

The stipend is a specific cost paid to interns, trainees, or students to aid living expenses. It is not too much of an amount but it’s enough to pay off your expenses so that you can focus on your training or internship. It’s mostly focused on the career development and learning of the intern. A stipend is not something paid for your given services. Even if you perform really well still you won’t be paid any extra amount for it

Salary is an amount paid to an employee. It’s paid every month also can be weekly or commonly in some cases, also employees are eligible for overtime pay. The remuneration given to an employee is for the services they offer. The amount of salary is decided based on the market i.e how much one is getting paid for working in this field depending on their experiences. A salary is a taxable income so you need to pay. The increment is possible, depending on your performance it can be increased.

How Can You Earn A Stipend?

As the world is opening to more remote opportunities, you can even receive a stipend just by sitting at home and getting trained. Also, you can work on-site as well with companies so that you get the proper environment to work in. Many companies are welcoming students to apply to their company for various internships & apprenticeships.

The best way to gain some experience in the field you love is to start with a paid internship. It can be in any field like you can be a content writer, graphic designer, web developer, researcher, anchoring, marketing, sales, fashion designing, advertising, public relations & so on. Not just big companies give you stipends but also many startups have opened doors for new interns.

It’s a win-win situation for both the company as well as the student/intern. Because if they train a Candidate and they prove to be beneficial to the company then once they graduate they can turn them into their employee. And so it’s even a good thing for interns as well as they will get a job after they graduate.

Which Is Better A Paid Internship Or Unpaid One?

Yes, obviously when it comes to choosing between these two options many will go for paid internships because why not. But both of them have their own advantages & disadvantages. The first advantage of having a paid internship is that your expenses are taken care of and you can concentrate on your training and gaining experience.

A common advantage of both paid and unpaid internship is that it adds to your skills and experiences in your cv and resume. As we all know that in today’s world experienced candidates with the required skills are preferred. Whereas if you are doing an unpaid internship gives you an opportunity to explore what you really want to do.

Paid internships are a little too strict when it comes to schedules and training but in unpaid you are not that restricted. As we understood above what is a stipend and how it really works it’s clear that only paid internships provide you with stipends.

Websites To Find Internships Both Paid / Unpaid

  1. LinkedIn
  2. Indeed
  3. Glassdoor
  4. Internmatch.com
  5. Internships.com
  6. Global experiences
  7. Google
  8. Chegg

Final Note

With this we come to an end of this blog, I hope you understood the concept of what is a stipend and how it works. If you’re looking for some internships you can check out the above-mentioned websites. Also, Google & LinkedIn are the best way to find out more about the company you want to work for, and also the social media networks as many employers sponsor ads for hiring people not just as interns but also for jobs.

Explore various fields, earn good & build your career. Thanks for reading.

An Ultimate Guide On Letter Of Introduction: 7 Best Tips To Follow

Wondered about how to write a perfect Letter Of Introduction, as to get a new job or a client? But couldn’t figure out a way, how to begin and what will be the correct and professional way to introduce yourself in it? Don’t worry as we got you covered with the best tips and format of a well-written letter of introduction that will help you achieve your desired goal.

Often when we begin writing an email or professional letter of introduction we get stuck on how to get started, what will be the beginning of the letter, and how to end it? Is this the correct way to go about it? is it written formally or not? Am I introducing myself correctly or not? Does this have all the necessary information about me that a client, employer, or network needs? Our minds bombard us with these many questions and no answers.

To get all your questions answered, stick around as this blog is going to be a one spot for knowing all about the letter of introduction. So without any further a due let’s understand the basics first.

What Is A Letter Of Introduction?

letter of introduction
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As the name suggests “letter of introduction” is written to introduce oneself or someone else to others. Here the “others” refers to your prospective employer, a client, a new network, or a professional contact. A letter of introduction can be in a form of a letter, email, or a message on Linkedin or any other professional app.

While writing it one should make sure that you create a good impression on the reader for eg: if your introduction letter is for a job opportunity, then a well-written letter to your hiring manager can help you get a new job.

The difference between a cover letter and a letter of introduction is that a cover letter is written for purpose of job openings or current job postings that you may be applying for you have to submit it along with the job application and resume.

Whereas a letter of introduction is written to introduce yourself and to show interest in a company that you like and want to know its availability, not just for jobs but also for different reasons which we will talk about in detail below. If we talk about the format of both the letters are similar to one another.

This is not just for jobs, but also in general if you want to acquire clients and establish valuable networks or even introduce a new team member to someone else, a letter of introduction can help you achieve it. Its important for an introduction letter to have clarity and a professional tone, one cannot just introduce in an informal way.

Below we will discuss to whom we can write a letter of introduction and why so that you get a clear idea about the purpose of the letter.

Types Of Introduction Letters And Reasons To Write Them

1. To A Potential Employer For A Job

As job seekers you can also write introduction letters, introducing yourself to the company you want to work with. In the letter speak about yourself, which position you want to be interviewed for, write about your skills and accomplishments, past job experiences and how they will benefit the company, and so on.

2. New Team Member Introduced To Others

When a new member joins the company, hiring managers can always introduce them to the other employees so that the other employees know about him/her and make them feel welcomed. Write about their background, skills, accomplishments, and so on in the letter. All these things will help existing employees know about the new employee and their interests so that it can serve as an icebreaker for the conversation when their new colleague joins.

3. Different Clients And Customers

Now, this letter of introduction can be written for introducing your business to your clients, investors, customers, suppliers, and so on. It’s like a business letter, it can be B2B i.e business to business, or B2C i.e business to customers. This letter can be used for introducing your new business, a new product or service, for partnership purposes, to introduce sales or discounts, investment-related things, and so on.

4. A Professional Contact

If you want to add a professional network for any purpose it can be for a specific job, partnership, just for collaboration, job referral from a mutual acquaintance or assistance for jobs, for knowing more about a field someone expertise in, and so on, you must always introduce yourself in a formal way by using an introductory letter.

5. Freelancer’s Introduction To The Company Or Clients

If you are someone who works independently as a freelancer then you may require to have contacts and clients for your business. So through a letter of introduction, you can highlight your skills, accomplishments, experience, who are you, what you do, and so on, so that your clients know about you a bit more.

These were the reasons to whom you can write an introductory letter, remember wherever you introduce yourself or a person to someone else you should always go for an introduction letter and write it in a professional tone, so other than the mentioned reasons there can be other reasons as well to write it.

Format Of Introduction Letter

An accurate format plays an important role in curating a formal letter of introduction, make sure before sending your final output to check all grammatical and spelling errors. Now let’s begin with the format that you can follow while writing a letter of introduction. Here is an introduction sample of what you can include in every step of your letter.

1. Greet The Addressee

letter of introduction
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No matter to whom you are writing a letter or even an email the most important thing is to always greet the person you are addressing your letter to and mention their name as well along with the greeting. For greetings, you can use terms like hello and dear to sound professional.

Like for eg:

Hello Bob,

(From here you can start with your opening paragraph)

2. Opening Paragraph

The first thing you need to mention in the opening paragraph is the purpose of why you are writing the letter of introduction to that particular person. The purpose of your introduction letter can be any it can be to ask for an informational interview, job opening, to have a partnership, or to have them as a client, and so on. Also if you are writing for a person you’re introducing to someone else mention their full name as well and if you are introducing yourself you don’t have to write your name as it will already be in the signature line.

After writing the purpose, you should include a small summary of your role and position, so that the reader knows about who you are. Also, include what you do and explain your function properly and how it relates to the reader, keep it short and clear don’t complicate it.

3. Middle Paragraph

Explain why you want to work with them and how it will be useful for both parties. For example, if the letter is for an employer then write about why you would be the best choice for them, and how you will benefit the company or add value to it. While reading it your recipient should get a clear idea about these 5 questions, What do you want? How is it related to them? Why do you want it? Why you and what do you have to offer to the company/client?

4. Ending Paragraph

This paragraph mostly includes the outcome part, which is what you expect the reader to do by reading your introduction letter. An example would be: If you are writing this as a hiring manager to inform other employees about the new employee then you can mention welcoming him/her to the team and assist them whenever required.

Your closing paragraph must also include contact details or any call to action that you want the reader to take. Also if there is any other important information you need to give make sure to add it as well. If you are sending it as an email in the CC section you can add an email id if you’re introducing someone else otherwise there is no need. Make sure you write your contact details properly.

5. Signature Line

In this, you can mention your full name and signature if it’s in a written form or hardcopy otherwise if it’s an email a sign is not really a requirement just end it with terms like sincerely or regards and your name in the below line.

6. Attach Documents If Any

If the email or a letter is about a job then it’s important for you to add your CV or Resume along with it.

Introduction Letter Example

Hello Bob,

I am writing this letter to ( mention the exact purpose of why you are writing this email/letter to the recipient if its some other person you’re introducing write their full name and what they do) ( a short summary talking about your background, role and what makes you the best fit/ a short summary about your new product launch, business, offers and so on/ If its someone else you are introducing mention their background).

(This part will consist of additional information about your business, you, or someone else that you introduce – write about how it’s relevant to the reader, how it will be useful to them, why they should choose you, how both parties can come together, and for what)

(End the letter with a call to action i.e to provide your contact details, so that the reader knows what to do next after reading the letter/ email)

Regards/Sincerely,

Christine

(Attach necessary documents if required eg: a resume if its an introductory letter for a job)

Tips For Writing An Introductory Letter

letter of introduction
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1. Keep your introduction letters simple and concise, have clarity in what you are conveying through it do not try to complicate, and stick to the point.

2. One common mistake people make in a job introduction letter is that they write everything that is already mentioned in their resumes or cv, don’t do that. Mention relevant points do not copy your resume.

3. Before hitting the send button for an email make sure you proofread your letter of introduction and make necessary changes.

4. Format it properly to make it look clean and professional.

5. Check whether the written information is accurate or not, if there are any grammatical or spelling errors make sure to correct them before sending.

6. Also along with your letter you can provide your work samples so that they can have a look at your previous work to know if you meet their job requirements or not.

7. Send it to the right person and on the right email, it’s important your email goes into the right hands while applying for a job or notifying clients about your new business, it must reach your target audience

8. Don’t just make the introduction letter about yourself, write information that is useful and relevant for both the parties.

9. Have a professional tone in your introduction letters

Final Note

No matter whether it’s a job search, a letter to a client, recommending someone for a job, or even for a professional network the above-given letter of introduction template format is the same for all so you don’t have to worry about that.

In job, customer, or client introductory letters, after you send it and don’t get a reply in a few days, you can also send a follow-up mail. But write an effective and formal one so that you get a response from them if you haven’t.

Every day a lot of emails are received by people, you need to write them in a smart way so that you get noticed by them so write only useful information so that your letters don’t end up in spam.

With this, we come to an end of this blog I hope now you got an idea of how to get started and what all information is necessary to be written in the introduction letters. Thanks for reading!

 

 

6 Best Ways to Deal With Discrimination in the Workplace

Over the past few years, unlawful Discrimination in the workplace is one of the topics that have been brought up more than once. The people who know it the best are the ones who work in Human Resources for the process of Recruitment. Such discrimination in the workplace happens due to a number of reasons ranging from age, disability, race, religion, sex, and more.

The vital fact to keep in mind is that even though it might not currently exist in your workplace, knowing how you should deal with workplace discrimination is still of utmost extremely significance not only for yourself but also for your co-workers.

Gender discrimination, Age discrimination, Race discrimination, or any other lawful discrimination in the workplace is one topic you should always educate yourself with among the plethora of other things that are happening in the workplace. One should also keep track of all the laws that protect the employees from such discrimination as they might come in handy in case such a situation arises.

Educate yourself with not only your own but the functioning of other industries and the approach they choose to deal it with also. Reading the newspaper on an everyday basis would be of huge help to stay aware of all such discrimination in the workplace.

Staying up to date on the employment laws is of utmost importance as there are a number of laws that protect employees from any such discrimination and having a good idea about those would save you from unpredictable situations that you might have thought there is no way out of.

Throughout the course of this article, you would get to know the many different ways that exist for one to deal with discrimination the right way along with information on the Civil Rights Act that could be quite helpful. The most important step in the same would be knowing full well the rights that you possess as an employee in any and every work setting.

Tips to Handle Discrimination in the Workplace.

If at any point, one or more employees raise their voice against discrimination in the workplace, the very first step of the whole process to handle it should be to check if an informal discussion can resolve the issue at hand. In case it doesn’t suffice and a formal complaint is issued, the below-mentioned steps can be effective ways to deal with Discrimination in the workplace.

These steps would ensure a thorough investigation of the complaint and the process would make it easier for both the parties involved in issuing the complaint and the necessary action against discrimination in the workplace would be taken.

• Register the Complaint 

This might seem like a basic first step but it is extremely vital since it reflects if you are even taking the matter seriously. The first step to take against any matter is to address the issue at hand which this case is against discrimination in the workplace.

With support from HR, you should at first inform your line manager about the problem if it is not directed to them an investigation would be taken ahead keeping the nature of the complaint in mind.

• Seek Information and Clarification

The person handling the complaint should talk to the person who raised it and get the full story from their perspective. They need to find out: What was said and done.

When and where it happened. What the context of the incident was.Whether any other people were involved or witnessed the incident who could supply extra information.

It’s also important to record how the complainant feels as a result of their experience, and what the personal impact on them has been.

Check out the attached video to be aware of more laws that protect employees from unlawful discrimination in the workplace.

• Look for Solutions

Once a complete investigation of the complaint has taken place, the next step is to make the important decision regarding the extent to which the discrimination in the workplace has taken place and what do you seek to do against it.

In such cases, it is vital to remember the impact that discrimination had on you and those around you but also try to introspect if there is any cause or reason to it.

One must try to access all the support that they require in order to make the right decision from within as well as outside the establishment they are working at against harassment and discrimination in the workplace while maintaining confidentiality throughout the same.

• Rely on External Investigation

There is a possibility that the claimant (who could be you or somebody who chose to confide in you about the Discrimination in the workplace) is of the opinion that in house investigation is not enough or us insufficient to handle their concern or they might not agree with their outlook and decision.

In such a scenario, one would prefer to take things in their hands and choose to take things much beyond the process of appeals and grievances.

Examples of the same would be to begin a legal case against workplace discrimination due to your gender identity, sexual orientation, age Discrimination, national origin, religious beliefs, race discrimination, disability discrimination, workplace harassment, applying to an employment tribunal or to go to more such extents.

If such a situation occurs, you must ensure that you are taking all the professional and legal advice and are fully informed of what you are doing.

You will have to allow people from outside the organization to access vital information as well as evidence so it’s important to make sure that you understand all the laws regarding this.

Steps to Take Against Unlawful Employment Discrimination:

1. Spread Awareness

The very first step to resolving any and every problem is to address it make people aware of it by acknowledging it and then finding ways to deal with it. Therefore, you need to begin by making your employer aware of the discrimination in the workplace even regarding any sort of harassment.

It would not be surprising to know that a number of illegal acts of discrimination in the workplace then be it regarding an employee’s religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age discrimination, gender discrimination, or any other such discriminatory practices or sexual harassment have gone unrecognized and as a result unpunished. In such situations, the victims don’t raise their voices and the rest of the victims tend to then follow the same approach.

It is important that they make it clear which approach or conduct is unwelcome and unacceptable. It is very rare that employers readily admit to discrimination in the workplace or harassment for that matter and even help one to draft legal papers against them.

Your employer is the one who should be held responsible for complying with the law, but you alone are responsible for making sure that your personal rights are protected and that you utilize them wisely.

You shouldn’t hesitate to let your employer know that you are taking the matter seriously. Don’t be afraid to ask them for a written file every time you report to them an incident of discrimination or harassment.

Ask that a thorough investigation should be made into your allegations and that disciplinary or corrective action against the offenders is also taken.

All employers are required by law to give prompt consideration to all reports of discrimination in the workplace as well as harassment.

Another effective way would be to keep a diary of any incidents of discrimination in the workplace or even harassment.

You should record the date, the approximate time, the concerned location, parties that were involved, witnesses, as well as the in-depth details of the improper conduct or speech.

You should keep any objects or pictures that were posted, left for you, or even given to you during the discrimination.

Discrimination in the workplace
Photo by UnlimPhotos/Newzulu

2. Ensure a Supportive Work Environment

The most feasible way to promote fairness and equality at work, and also to uphold the law, is to be proactive and raise your voice against harassment and discrimination in the workplace. This also involves creating an environment in which mutual respect is a mutual priority, the benefits of diversity are well recognized, and there is also zero tolerance for bullying or any kind of bad behavior.

Everyone in these cases should be made to feel safe to raise a concern, and they should be confident that any issues will be addressed and acknowledged with the utmost sensitivity and effectiveness.

There are a number of ways in which one can embrace and accommodate the differences of people– by helping to ensure that there’s very little place for unfair treatment.

For instance, making adjustments that are appropriate for people’s disabilities is a very transparent way to show that you give everyone the same opportunities to thrive and make use of.

3. Review Company and Legal Laws.

Make it a point to review federal as well as state laws to see what your rights actually are. These laws are available at law libraries, some general libraries, and also on the Internet. Few of the major federal laws that are against harassment and discrimination in the workplace are inclusive of:

State and Federal Laws Against Workplace Discrimination

According to state and federal law, the following are a few acts that you must be acquainted with in order to save yourself from workplace discrimination before you get employed are as follows.

▪︎ Civil Rights Act

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin while going through the process of employment.

▪︎Equal Pay Act 

EPA or the Equal Pay Act that came into action in the year 1963 protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from any kind of sex-based discrimination in their wages.

▪︎ Age Discrimination 

The ADEA or the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of the year 1967, protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older from any kind of discrimination in the work setting.

▪︎ Disabilities Act

Title I and Title V of ADA Or the Americans with Disabilities Act that goes back to the year 1990, as amended prohibits all kinds of employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local governments;

▪︎ Rehabilitation Act

Both Sections, 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of the year 1973, prohibit any discrimination against qualified individuals and job applicants who have disabilities and who work in the federal government. Any bias against them is prohibited according to federal law.

▪︎ Non-Discrimination Act

Title II of GINA or the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of the year 2008, prohibits discrimination among employees on the basis of any genetic information regarding an applicant, employee, or even former employee.

▪︎ Family and Medical Leave Act

FMLA or Family and Medical Leave Act is a federal law that requires employers or job applicants to permit their employees to time off, and also do not discriminate against them, in order to take care of personal and even family medical needs.

Apart from the extremely vital laws that you should definitely be aware of there is another significant law that you should be well acquainted with is the Civil Rights Act of the year 1991, which, among the many other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination. Civil Rights Act saves employees from harassment and workplace discrimination in many cases.

Photo by UnlimPhotos/tang90246

4. Combat Discrimination

In order to maintain high ethical standards and legislation, the most appropriate thing is to create an overall policy for your organization – which could be a “non-discrimination,” policy that would vouch for “equality, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I),” or even “dignity at work”.

This document should highlight how and why exactly is equal treatment necessary and how one can go about achieving it – this includes the process of dealing with any discrimination complaints. Furthermore, it should identify individual responsibilities as well as the points of contact.

Another key point to remember here is to review as well as update your policy document quite regularly, and to give everyone access to it.

Keep a check and make sure that potential discrimination is covered in all other relevant policies, as well – for instance, those for recruitment, pay and conditions, and entitlement to take leave.

Moreover, make sure that all the rules and procedures that your organization swears by are in place and treat everyone equally and fairly.

In addition to it, if you are someone who is providing extra support to people with certain characteristics – such as prioritizing people from under-represented ethnic backgrounds while you are a part of a recruitment drive, you should voice out your opinion accompanied with your legitimate reasons for doing so.

5. Get Legal Help

Among the plethora of ways through which a person can save themselves and others from discrimination in the workplace, one of the ways and one of the most significant ways at that is investing in a good lawyer.

At the end of the day, even though it might seem like a piece of work and a waste of resources, investing in a good lawyer in actuality can save a lot of your money and time while even providing you with favorable results.

In any and every setting, dealing with discrimination or harassment is bad enough, what worsens it is when it happens at work, you might feel trapped since work is unavoidable.

If you are someone or you know someone who has been dealing with harassment or discrimination in the workplace, it’s in your best interest to get in touch with a local employment lawyer so that they can explain to you, your legal options.

The State laws that are against workplace discrimination are subjective from one jurisdiction to another and they might be called something different in each of its jurisdictions.

In case you have access to the statutes or legal code for your state, you must review the table of contents or even indexes and look for headings or descriptors that concern fair employment laws, discrimination, equal opportunities, and other similar topics, with the help of a lawyer. It would be much easier for one to be identifying discrimination claims owing to the federal government fighting against unlawful discrimination in the workplace.

6. Empower your Employees – Irrespective of their Race, Cast, Sex, Sexual Orientation, and More.

Your plan of action should be to make it difficult for discrimination in the workplace to go unchallenged by making it a point to empower everyone and helping them to call it out as and when they see it – without the fear of reprisal.

You should always be supportive of and promote open and honest conversations. Ensure that you are helping people to communicate clearly in order to avoid misunderstandings, and always lead by example, by communicating to a high standard yourself.

You can try to make use of your one-on-one contacts, as well. Always make it a point to give your people the time and space that is required to raise any concerns that they might have especially regarding discrimination in the workplace.

And, also listen carefully and considerately to anything that comes up during such meetings. Later you can show that you’re taking their concerns seriously, and are also following the routes to resolving the issue regarding harassment and discrimination in the workplace at hand.

Photo by UnlimPhotos/newzulu

Things To Be Mindful Of:

• Even though there are doubts regarding discrimination in the workplace or even harassment of any kind, might be or might not always be true but if a number of people are complaining about the same issue you should most definitely hire a lawyer to investigate more into the problem at hand.

• There are a number of firms and institutions for consultation that take a fee to do an in-depth investigation of your issue at hand.

• It’s best not to take even a single complaint of your employees lightly or for granted as it must take a lot of courage for one to actually stand up and complain against their superiors.

• They should be given the benefit of the doubt and their complaint should be looked into. A thorough investigation should take place regarding the same followed by interviews that should be recorded and taken notes of for one to always be able to go back and re-check them if need be.

• Planting security cameras is also a very simple yet useful solution as maybe not all the areas but most of them would be secured making the employees of your establishment feel protected and safe from employment discrimination, gender discrimination, disability discrimination, and other kinds of unlawful discrimination claims and any such unfair treatment.

Final Note

Discrimination in the workplace comes in many forms and the way it affects people is also subjective. While not all countries have laws against discrimination in the workplace, but there are a number of countries that do and they usually claim to “protect” their employees with those characteristics as they make it illegal to treat someone differently because of characteristics like; Race, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, and disability discrimination.

These are among the most commonly protected characteristics against unlawful discrimination – but there are other aspects of a person’s identity, for instance- gender reassignment, married status or military service that to an extent is also covered by the law but not entirely. The civil rights act is quite assuring when it comes to employment discrimination claims.

Such claims can be on the basis of offensive work environment, sex discrimination, international discrimination, mental disability discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, racial discrimination, religious discrimination, gender discrimination, and even the equal pay act to fight against any unlawful discrimination claims.

If you are somebody who is in a position of power and you have employees that work under you, you should most definitely consider the complaints of each and every one of your employees and implement the necessary actions. Look into each and every complaint and make your work environment a safe, warm, and protected space.

 

5 Best Steps For: How To Ask For a Raise At Work

When one starts working at a job, it takes them a while to understand and comprehend the functioning of the company properly but once that’s done, there are two kinds of employees in this world – one who gets a grip of the work at hand and starts to outshine among the rest of the employees and the other who is still trying to understand the company culture and the job description completely.

While the former still has some learning and understanding to do, it is time for the latter population to think of the question, “How to ask for a raise at work”, something they have been dreaming about all this while.

Putting forth this question of how to ask for a raise or even or even wondering about one leaves a person with two options – the first one is to simply ask for it and the second one is to leave the current position you are working at a better and a higher paying job.

While both of these choices ask for one to be confident in themselves and their work, they still come with a certain amount of stress and anxiety for one to actually gather the courage and ask for the same which must have brought the reader to our doorstep, confused as to “how to ask for a raise?”.

Leaving a job comes with certain risks and guts whereas working at the same place for a higher pay seems like a much more feasible and comfortable choice that is much easier to make.

This article will shed light on different ways in which one can pop the question of when is the correct time to pop this question and basics of how to ask for a raise to your employer and several extensions of the same question.

1. Make Sure to Set a Target Raise

In order to answer your question about how to ask for a raise in your salary, we would like to ask you to first focus on settling on a number that you would like to put forth to your manager. Every job in the market has some value that would give you an idea about how much you could potentially ask for.

From the national salary trends to your general knowledge through your social networking and work experience, you could make sure and get an idea of the number you should settle on and propose.

One fact that you must keep in mind to successfully find the answer to “How to ask for a raise” is while settling on a number for your salary is that it is not only your job title that affects the salary that you are getting, it is also your education, experience and other such factors that play quite a major role. This is also where your salary would differ from your counterparts as far as the figure of your salary is concerned.

In order to learn about the salary trend of your particular job title and the monetary value to understand the foundation of your work better, you should also compare the salary you are currently getting paid with the trend you have set for yourself. This comparison would help you get a better understanding of what you should be asking for and get you a better result of “How to ask for raise at work?”.

Make a list of all your accomplishments that helped you make your mark for yourself in the company, keep in mind your education, and include the points you think might come across as impressive in the same. Use statistics when talking about your achievements and then finally identify a salary range that you can give your employer to negotiate and truly achieve your motive behind googling “How to ask for a raise at work?”.

How to ask for a raise
Photos by UnlimPhotos/Wavebreakmedia

2. Schedule a Meeting For the Purpose of Asking for a Raise

In the best-case scenario and the most ideal situation to ask for a raise, you would meet your manager in person in which case you will have to work a little on your body language. You should be confident but not to an extent that it starts to come across as arrogance. In case this face-to-face is not possible due to any reason at all, you can always schedule a video call with your manager in order to discuss the same.

If you ask for a raise without setting the date for the same in the calendar first, there are chances of you coming across as a little unprofessional. Say no to asking for a raise over an email or in a common setting where you can be overheard, it’s best to talk about it in a closed-door setting so that it can stay private and it does make your manager uncomfortable and denies the purpose of searching, “how to ask for a raise in the salary?”

One of the best times to discuss your raise could be prior to your performance review, some of the questions you can put forth to your manager during that duration is, “While you review my performance, could you also make time to discuss my compensation?” Or maybe a more direct question like, “I would like to discuss my compensation with you, could you please make time in your schedule for the same?”.

It’s best if the manager has a slight inkling about your wish to discuss your Compensation or raise with them and is not startled by your request. Remember to ask for a raise with the same seriousness you had given the job interview in the very beginning of your job.

Dress more formally, as if you were to do an important presentation on that day even if your office is okay with slightly casual dressing. As sometimes your clothes can also portray the seriousness with which you are looking forward to the conversation along with your words.

3. Start With Your Compensation Request

At the very beginning of the conversation, you should set the purpose of it clear by stating it in a professional manner instead of beating around the bush and wasting both your and your manager’s time.

This also portrays how serious you really are about this conversation and there are more chances of the manager not taking it lightly either and actually considering your request according to the market value.

You can open up with a statement like, “I would like to extend my gratitude to you for meeting with me. Working with this company has been a great experience for me and I am most definitely looking forward to achieving more goals for the company and growing along with it.

Owing to the same, can we discuss my salary?” Or something more general like, “I am thrilled to share some of my recent accomplishments with you and also discuss the pay increase that I am going to get alongside, does right now feel like a good time?”.

How your manager responds to these questions would show if he/she is into the conversation or not. Either way, you shouldn’t lose hope and keep control over the conversation. If they seem open to having this conversation, you can follow up with the specifics and let him or them know your expectations according to the research we were talking about before.

A pro tip that would most certainly help you out throughout your pitch is to avoid using words like- believe, think, feel, and more. These would undercut your current position and make you sound a little underconfident also.

You should make it a point to confidently put your point across with utmost certainty as the same would eventually reflect on to your manager. While having this conversation make sure you truly believe that you deserve this request that you are putting forward and asking for a raise in your salary and put your point across with strong words.

Photo by UnlimPhotos/stokkete

4. How to Ask for a Raise- Expectations and Negotiations

To answer your question about “How to ask for a raise in your salary at work” we would like to drift your focus on the aspect that if you have put forth your request to the manager at a good enough time and followed it with impressive accomplishments, you can expect your manager to give it thoughtful consideration. With good evidence of how you deserve to be paid more, your manager would most definitely think about the same and reward you accordingly.

They could also ask you a few follow-up questions to know in detail about all the accomplishments that you must have mentioned to them to do their part of the research for before asking for a raise in salary.

As a result of the same, you can expect there to be some negotiations from their side. You should listen very carefully to the response of your manager and if he/she starts to intimidate you at any point you always have your strengths and accomplishments to fall back on.

You should make it a point to ask your own questions to better understand where your manager is coming from, always ask the senior, “Can you  further stress upon this point?” To understand better and don’t shy away from asking questions. Or to clear things out and to confirm that your thought process is going in the right direction start your questions with, “What I’m hearing is…” to create a more comprehensive workplace.

An example of the negotiation that you might have in order to accomplish the purpose of the google search of “how to ask for a raise?” with the manager is as follows;

Manager: I would like to begin by acknowledging your contribution to the company and by thanking you for the overview of the journey that you have had with us. However, it is not a good time for us to provide you with a raise of X percentage.

Employee: Thank you for taking out the time to discuss this with me. However, I would like to assure you that I have put forth this request to you after careful research according to which, X percent is a reasonable increase and it also aligns with my contribution to the company. Could you please brief me on why this raise is not possible at the moment?

Manager: I am not denying the hard work you have put into this company, however, the amount is not something we can afford right now. We could consider such a rise in the coming future, keeping your contribution towards the company in mind.

Employee: What I am hearing is that you are in agreement with my request for a raise, it is just not possible at the moment. That makes sense. Could you please let me know how and when I should put forward this request in the coming future?

This would assure you that your employer will keep your request in his/her mind and consider it as and when the time seems more feasible for the company. Your confidence and consideration towards the company would also put you in the good books of the manager, it could be an excellent way of leaving your mark.

5. Battling with Rejection

Whenever we are about to take any big step in our life, the possibility of it happening and the possibility of it not happening both seem equally probable in our heads. The first task is to search for the right way of “how to ask for a raise”, the second is truly to gather the courage to ask the same by keeping aside the negative thoughts and self criticism and if you go through these successfully, then you are already a winner.

In case your request for a pay raise gets denied don’t be disheartened, thank your manager for hearing you out and for at least considering your request. Ask them questions like, “Which skills or achievements should i focus more on accomplishing according to you?” , “Should we have this conversation at a better time in the future?” Or “Are you satisfied with my work ethic?” To get a better idea of where you and your request stands.

You shouldn’t stress about your request to ask for a raise getting rejected since it’s very normal to have this conversation with your employer. In a recent survey, it was claimed that only about 19% of the working population is satisfied with their salary, the rest of them find it hard to gather the courage and ask for it.

Give yourself a pat on the back for having the courage to have done it and ask your employer if not a pay raise, can they at least provide you with any other incentives or if they offer, you can consider settling for a lower percentage than you asking for a raise.

Photo by UnlimPhotos/sergey_nivens

Things to Remember:

• One question that would most often than not pop up in your head when you are in two minds about actually going through the whole process of asking for that pay raise is, “Is this the right time?”.

As a considerate employee one needs to keep in mind the financial situation of the company you are working at and if there are any cutbacks and layoffs that they are keeping at the back of their mind, this can be achieved by taking a peak at the financial reports of the company.

You can check out the attached video for more ideas on the same topic-

• Apart from this, also focus on the workload and pressure that your manager is under, your journey as an employee and how successful you have been with the tasks you have been challenged with, and more such aspects before wondering about how to ask for a raise. As this is a situation that can go either way, you need to keep yourself prepared for both the best and the worst-case scenarios.

Final Note

After you have been asking for a raise, no matter how good, bad or in whichever direction the conversation went you should end it with a thank you, by showing gratitude to your manager/employer.

You can also follow up the conversation you had with him/her along with an email regarding the same conversation with mentioned reasons and facts that support your request for a raise in your salary.

This helps the manager in charge to put the same points forward if they are actually considering giving a raise to you and they can also check with the people they wish to about the same.

Worst case scenario, if your request is denied you can refer to the same email and get in touch with your employer and if it is again denied, then dear reader it might just be the time to take a risk and look for a better and a higher paying job that truly values the hard work of their employee.

Don’t forget to keep a lookout for a number of jobs and also apply to them but maintain your focus on your particular area of interest as well as expertise, something you can see yourself doing a few years down the line, as that would eventually reflect in your performance.

 

Top 10 Teacher Interview Questions

The job of a teacher can be one of the most nerve-wracking yet just as rewarding and heartwarming ones on the planet. From passing down all the valuable experiences to the bookish knowledge that is a little restricted to the four walls of a classroom, all this responsibility lies on the shoulders of a teacher and this article comprises the best top 10 teacher interview questions and answers.

Much like interviewing for any other job on the face of this earth, prior research about the institution and subject is mandatory for teacher interviews. That’s not all, just as most teachers suggest one to practice before each test, this is the time for them to practice what they truly preach or in this scenario, teach.

One thing that the Interviewee needs to keep in their mind for this formal interview is that they would not only be dealing with younger students but also their parents at the same time. This job requires both commitment and patience along with the intuition needed to know when and where to draw the line between their personal and professional life.

Throughout the course of this article, you would be acquainted with a number of questions that you might or might not have thought of while figuring out what you would be asked for while giving your interviews, but we are here at your rescue.

This would take you on a journey where you would come face to face with all that is expected of you and you will also get some teacher interview tips and interview questions along with their example answer on the way that is outside your teaching resume.

Below we have mentioned some of the most common teacher interview questions that one must have answers to. Any applicant must go through them all and prepare their answers accordingly to win the heart of the interviewer and to convince them to interview them for the position keeping a child’s education in mind along with their ability to handle a troubling student, or difficult student by fulfilling their teaching duties and to integrate technology and technical skills by adapting to different learning styles.

10 Most Common Teacher Interview Questions:

Q1. Why Do You Want to Become a Teacher?

The most asked and the must have a good answer to the question, is common across all jobs as to why exactly do they want to apply to the specific position or a job. As an extension of being the most asked question, the number of stories one must have heard owing to the same is a given.

An interviewer must have heard about everything under the sun in the interview questions, as an answer to such question, hence, it is very important for a person to come up with a unique and personal answer to stand out from all the other candidates applying for the same job.

Instead of a simple “I love to help people learn” think deeper and try to come up with something original that you are certain about that would be quite unheard of.

Reflect on why you truly want to become a teacher and draw an answer from your personal experiences to make them sound more genuine and reflective of your passion. A heartfelt and real answer would be the best way to go and try to make your answer less general and more specific.

Example Answer– As a student, I was an introvert who would feel very anxious every time it was my turn to read or solve a question on the board. All I hoped was for a teacher who would be understanding of my condition and help me outgrow it somehow. I did have such teachers who really helped me outshine myself and become the confident person that I am today.

Due to the same, I wish to have a teaching job to look out for every single student and whether they are in need of extra attention or less of the same, I want to be able to figure it out and do the same for them.

Teacher interview questions and answers
Photo by UnlimPhotos/kasto

Q.2 Why Did You Choose This Specific Institution to Teach in?

Another very commonly asked question in most interviews is also asked as one of the common teacher interview questions. One can also use it as the perfect example of how practicing and researching for something beforehand comes in handy.

Your interviewer in such a scenario is genuinely curious about your preference and why you chose their institution to interview in as they also get an outside perception of their work and how it’s perceived and viewed in the teaching interview through the teacher interview questions.

You need to genuinely reflect your enthusiasm and will to work for a particular institution in your answer because you need to convince your interviewer here and prove to them that you are not just a job seeker who is sending out resumes each and everywhere but you are genuinely interested in the job you are interviewing for.

When someone has very specific answers that are altered according to the interview questions and that answer every single detail that is required, it shows how well prepared and excited they are for that job.

Example Answer– For a long time I have been searching for schools that have the same beliefs and outlook towards education as myself and in this school district, your institution is the closest to what I have been looking for. I believe that when two like-minded substances would meet they could give life to a successful and developed entity that would lead to the progress of the school, the students as well as the teacher in more than just one aspect of life.

The student-teacher ratio that you have allows for personalized education and it also reflects on how involved the staff is with helping the students prosper and that’s what motivates you more to apply for a teaching job and get a teaching interview and answer teacher interview questions.

Q3. What is Your Teaching Philosophy?

Just like the reader trying to prepare for the common teacher interview questions, the teachers try to prepare their students for the life that awaits them outside the four walls of the classroom and that could be defined as your teaching Philosophy. Interviewers look for the quality of letting a student be and help him/her reach their individual potential to the fullest.

They look for people who are not going to push students only towards a good academic score but encourage their own personal growth and really help them develop. In short, they should focus more on the growth of their students rather than their personal interests, professional growth, and achievements in their teaching style.

Q4. As a Teacher, What Would You Offer to the Institution?

This is very pretty straightforward yet again a very commonly asked question that is not limited to just teacher interview questions but goes beyond it. This is also the perfect opportunity for you to shine as an individual and flaunt your talents that are not restricted to just teaching. Take this moment to talk about all the things that you plan to do once you get to work your dream job as a teacher in your preferred institution.

This is your moment to talk about all the activities that you have participated in and that seem fit for the institution you are applying to. Every game or exercise could easily help a student. All the teachable moments that you can think of beyond the realms of a book, something that would give rise to more creativity among students is the preferable way to go about things and that is what your answer to teacher interview questions should comprise for.

You can also talk about how you would let your students be the person they are instead of criticizing their every move. Also, talk about how you could use positive reinforcement on your students and make them understand things with the help of examples when they are going in the wrong direction.

Example answer– I love nature and I am a strong believer in how a field trip and getting acquainted with nature can help one broaden their horizon and pick up things faster than a student would inside the four walls.

I love to explore and know the right places to check out for specific instructions and how much they can influence a student’s behavior not only in the classroom but also otherwise. It has the ability to calm them down and be more patient towards learning and growing, so you must mention it during the teaching interview.

 

Photo by UnlimPhotos/kasto

Q5. In a Classroom Setting, What Would You Find The Most Frustrating?

To expose oneself and share what truly ruffles your feathers seems to be a vague move, if not for the interview. This allows the interviewer to know how you would behave in certain classroom situations. The best way to answer this question is to take the help of certain past experiences and explain how you have dealt with them before even though they might have frustrated you to a huge extent.

Make sure that even though the situation you are putting across is relevant to teaching and can happen to a teacher in a classroom setting even though it’s personal and you might not have experience as a teacher in the interview questions from before. However, you need to remember that you should only refer to the positives within you as you are convincing somebody to employ you.

Remember to use instances in which you have successfully solved the issue at hand instead of one that you are still facing and figuring out or something you couldn’t find a solution for.

Example Answer– Very Honestly speaking, when a student behaves like they are at school as a favor to the faculty and not for their own better, it doesn’t go down very well with me. However, over time I have learned to use that frustration to the best of my ability and turn it into a challenge.

Instead of giving into that attitude that quite a few teachers do and then later regret, I have started to understand that they behave in such a way to protect themselves and it is their defense mechanism in face of things that happen outside school.

The best way to deal with them is to provide them with a little love, attention, and care and show them that you believe in them as that is honestly all they are looking for in a teacher interview, like in this example answer.

Q6. How Do You Handle Feedback?

While answering this teacher interview question one must keep in mind that teachers are supposed to have a growth-oriented mindset and should be welcoming of criticism and feedback. It is extremely important for them to welcome feedback and also showcase the same in their approach.

This can be a problem for veteran teachers as they might not be as welcoming of feedback due to the experience that they have. In order to answer one of the interview questions, you must draw from your personal experience where you got negative feedback but you took it in the right spirit.

Q7. Tell Me About a Time When You Led a Team and Solved a Problem.

While interviewing you must keep in mind that teaching is a job where you need to keep a number of people satisfied. These are not only students or their parents but the aides, staff as well as other teachers are also people that you need to gel and work well with.

Therefore, an interviewer wishes to know if you would be able to work with so many people happily and conveniently. While answering this question, you can always go back to your past experiences and without fear give an instance about the time you faced a problem during teamwork.

As long as you walk the interviewer while answering the teacher interview questions through how you overcame the issue at hand like this example answer, the interviewer would be impressed and content with your answer.

You must reflect professionalism and patience throughout your answer in the teaching interview along with the zest to make students succeed and learn critical thinking with your teaching strategies and to support students, even difficult students with their teaching methods and ability to cultivate positive relationships.

Q8. Walk Me Through a Lesson, Just As You Would In a Classroom?

This can be a little stressful as no matter how many times you must have played a teacher while playing with your friends and siblings during childhood, this can be a little nerve-wracking.

The interviewer is not necessarily looking for accuracy in your lesson planning and how you keep the students engaged with your lesson plans of a typical lesson would be, it is more about how planned, ready, and enthusiastic you are about the lesson plans according to the school’s philosophy.

This is one of the teaching interview questions that might require more preparation and planning than an ordinary interview question, especially if you don’t have past experience as a teacher. If you don’t have an example lesson plan from a prior role try to whip one up before this interview.

You can start by giving out details of how the scenario would be from the very beginning to the end and don’t forget to cover the reason why you chose to go with that specific approach and be open to questions from the interviewer. Another change that you can bring about in such a scenario is to introduce the changes that you would do to your pre-existing lesson plan if any.

Q.9 What is Your Idea of Classroom Management?

Learning and imparting knowledge is the primary goal for every teacher and that can be easily disrupted when students shout, don’t pay attention in class, refuse to study, are disrespectful, and take away the entire class’s focus from studying. In such a scenario, all eyes are on the teacher to handle the situation and keep the students attentive and focused on learning and creativity, especially in these teaching interview questions.

The teacher interview questions are inclusive of such classroom problems and the ideal way to handle these is to be understanding of the students and their behavior. Instead of getting to know the students as a whole on a class level, the focus should be on getting to know them better as individuals. It’s important for one to build a rapport with them and bond with the students, have trust in them and also support them in their endeavors so that they feel heard and understood.

A few other ideas that your answer to the teacher interview question should comprise of is to practice patience along with rational detachment. A teacher needs to be able to stay calm and take care of students on her/his own while also being able to practice and figure out their pattern so as to not fall in a similar trap again. They need not take things personally and instead try to see beyond the exterior behavior of a student in a class during the teaching interview.

Photo by UnlimPhotos/uflypro

Q10. Do You Want to Ask Any Questions?

This is another one of the very commonly asked teaching interview questions during all interviews let alone being one of the teacher interview questions. Even though it can be considered one of the easiest questions to answer, it is also something that a person should be well prepared for.

To not ask any questions could come across as disinterest as the lack of curiosity is not always appreciated. One must always be active and come up with thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer that can also be about their roles and responsibilities during the teacher interview questions.

If you can come up with questions that are regarding the specific position or role you are applying for then it would be very impressive for the researcher as they would get to see the research that you have done for the position you are applying for in your teaching career for the teaching position to motivate students with your teaching skills.

Example Answer– What are the extracurricular activities that the institution is famous for? What is the student-to-teacher ratio? Any specific questions regarding your position as well as subject.

All About a Teaching Interview.

As we have already covered, Teaching comes with a ton of commitment, responsibility as well as stress but it at the same time is a very rewarding job. One has the power to not only stay informed about the kind of thought process that different people have and how subjective it is, but they also have the power to shape and influence the same.

A teacher can help her students grow and learn about the world that might normally seem far-fetched to them with their teaching skills.

As far as teacher interview questions are concerned, they are inclusive of everything from the common job interview questions like “Why do you think you are the right fit for this job” to more subjective, behavioral, and situational teacher interview questions that would range from how would it be working with children to dealing with their parents.

Your answers to teacher interview questions should comprise of how your philosophy goes beyond the domain of the classroom where you just teach in front of the blackboard.

Check out the attached video to prepare for more such questions-

Final Note

Apart from all the already mentioned questions, behavioral and situational questions are also very significant when it comes to teacher interviews as the interviewer tries to understand how a particular person would react and behave in a specific scenario. As one is dealing with a younger generation in this job, to have the correct behavior is of utmost significance.

It’s very crucial to stay abreast of all kinds of questions during the interview as when it comes to teaching, the questions are not limited but have a very broad range. All kinds of questions are asked as there are too many people to impress and to stay in good books of. However, we truly hope that this article was of help to you to prepare you for your upcoming teacher interview questions.

All those who envision their future as teachers should be well versed in the fact that their job would not be limited to just teaching in the domains of the classroom, it is a never-ending job that requires one to be willing to offer these resources to the students as well as their parents.

Another fact about the job is that even with the stress that comes with the job when the students extend their gratitude for all the knowledge a teacher has imparted, all the tension and stress start to melt off.

 

The Most Common CV Mistakes

One has to get a good Curriculum Vitae when applying for any job. A good CV can help you in achieving your target. A CV snapshot of your skills and experience forms the first impression.

Based on some common errors, your CV can be out-listed. Checking the errors and fixing them can make your CV stand out from the other candidates.

Let’s see what the common mistakes are!

1. Irrelevant Information

Don’t stuff your CV with irrelevant data; make it relevant to your application post. It may mislead the interviewer and lessen your chances of getting the job. So make sure your CV has a relevant job profile.

2. Grammar and Spelling Errors

Lack of basic grammar knowledge and spelling mistakes in your CV is a big no-no. It shows a lack of dedication and proves you have not paid attention to details.

3. Faulty File Format

If you are asked to send your resume as an email attachment, you should stick to the instruction. Choose .docx or PDF, or RTF file formats to make it look more professional while sending the file.

4. Using Uncertain Words

Avoid using phrases like several, numerous, few. Instead, use the appropriate number related to the content.

5. Too Lengthy

Recruiters are often busy, and they don’t take more than 10 sec to scan a resume. So make it precise, little, and meaningful. It should never be more than 2 pages long.

6. Unnecessary Designs

Make sure you use professional font names like Arial, Times New Roman, or Veranda and font size with 10-12 for body and 14 for headlines in your CV. It would be a convenient way to make a professional CV.

7. Unprofessional Details

Providing a professional email id is a must. A recent study has been conducted which shows that having an unprofessional email id and employee details leads to rejections.

8. Gaps in the Employment field

Mysterious gaps in the employment field make you face rejections. You have to be able to explain the reason for the gap satisfactorily. Otherwise, the interviewer may doubt your skills or competence.

These are the common mistakes that people make on their CV. Make sure you do not fall on the list!

How to Choose the Perfect Career?

Your future depends on the career that you choose for yourself. We are so busy these days that we rarely get time to ponder and discover ourselves.

Therefore, you must spend considerable time thinking about your career as it is one of the most important decisions of your life.

1. Know your working style:

Everyone is different, and so are you. Make sure you discover how you like to work. Do you like to work in teams, or are you better off working all by yourself?

Are you more into research or crunching numbers? Would you like to work during late hours and not early morning?

Make sure you know what you like to do so that you pick the best job for you.

2. Separate your goals from those that others have for you:

Your father might want you to become a doctor while pursuing acting. It’s alright, and you don’t have to fret.

You’ll spend the rest of your life carving a place for yourself, and things will not always be going well, so it’s worth choosing a field that you are passionate about. After all, it’s your life, not your father’s.

3. Work in different fields:

Some finance graduates ditch their corporate careers to pursue writing because once they start working, they realize that they can’t handle the monotony that finance involves.

While it is true that you might be eager to do something in a specific field, it’s always better to have hands-on experience as it helps you decide wisely without wasting time and money.

4. Grab those opportunities:

You might be presented with an opportunity that wasn’t what you were looking for, but you must take it up and give it a shot. Often, people don’t discover themselves even in 2 decades of their lives, but a small internship makes them realize who they are.

Opportunities help you answer several tiny questions that finally help you make one big decision.

5. Be Patient

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Never make decisions relating to your career in haste. Always take your time, ask yourself some questions, invest in a career coach and self-assessment tools to help you decide what you want to do in your life.

Remember, it is not an event but a process that unfolds slowly over time.

What should Entrepreneurs do in the First Month of the Year?

Now that the festive season is over and you have partied these last few months happily, it is now time to pull up your socks and gear for a great 2022.

Irrespective of how the last year was – profitable or a stagnant one – the following are what you should do as an entrepreneur to prepare yourself for the new year and the new challenges that it will bring.

1. Plan! Plan! Plan!

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You entrepreneurs have to set some achievable long-term goals for your organization or start-up; that is the only way to achieve your dream.

So the first thing you have to do in the first month is set your long-term goals and several 90-100 days plans that will help you achieve the long-term objectives. The latter will ensure that you’re on the right track.

2. Say NO to a chaotic Workplace:

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A clean table indicates an organized mind. Cleaning up your messy workstation might take up some time and energy, but stop procrastinating, get that paper shredder and get down to work.

In the end, seeing your clean and organized workplace will not only help you feel relaxed and calm but might also help sprout a new idea in your head. What a bonus!

3. Find your Inspiration:

If the last year ended badly, it doesn’t mean that the new year should start that way either. So go ahead and find your business guru or motivational coach who will help you out and push you on the days you feel low.

4. Don’t Stop Reading:

As an entrepreneur, you’re a life-long learner, and reading has to come naturally to you.

Please make a list of books that you must read every month and make sure it includes newspapers to stay updated with the latest information, novels to keep your imagination running, and business magazines to know what is happening in your world.

5. Revise and Remove:

Make sure you come up with a budget for the year and one that is practical. Setting and revising budgets help you stick to your planned actions and ultimately takes you to your goals.

And yes, you might have carried the burden of unproductive employees since you didn’t have the heart to fire them during the festive season; it’s now time to let go of them if they aren’t helping your company in any way.

We hope you have a successful year ahead and all your ideas bring a great return on investments.

Tips to Apply for a Job Using Social Media Platforms

Remember the time when Orkut became a huge hit amongst the hoi polloi?

Social media networks were first created to make friends or interact with existing friends. Later, people used social media to blog on an array of topics. Today, the scope of application of social media networks in our lives is limitless!

People may or may not have a computer, but they will have a social media account.

Roughly 92 percent of organizations recruit people using social media sites or applications. Drudging through hundreds of resumes can be very time-consuming.

At the same time, Social media helps gauge whether the candidate is even worth interviewing, thereby saving a lot of time and effort.

To increase your chances of landing the job, you must have the edge over other candidates, and you can do this by using social media correctly.

How to use social media effectively for jobs?

“You’ll never get a second chance to make a great first impression” – Will Rogers.

So how do you stand out from the rest? To begin with, you must create a profile on business/professional networking sites such as LinkedIn to make your presence felt.

Let recruiters notice you! There is a possibility that you connect with people who could be interviewing you in the future or maybe in charge of shortlisting you for a job.

Try to be more engaged on pages that post news and trends pertaining to your industry. Don’t shy away from revealing your personality on sites like Facebook or Twitter.

Recruiters normally tell you not to attach your photo on the resume. However, a professional-looking photograph on your social media profile will help build trust at the outset.

What not to do-

Remember that your employers look up your talents on your profile and check your other details, which form a major basis for their decision to call you for an interview.

Don’t put up tons of photos of you partying with your buddies or selfies with silly filters, as this will affect their view of you as a candidate. Furthermore, avoid using foul language in your comments and posts.

Make sure that you don’t express your political views too aggressively or frequently if you don’t want to hurt the sentiments of your future boss.

10 Little-Known Bachelor’s In Psychology Jobs

What kind of Bachelor’s In Psychology Jobs one can opt for? You might have thought about this question if you are someone who is planning to go for a psychology degree or you just graduated and looking for options in this field.

Let me tell you psychology bachelor’s degree has a lot to offer you, it’s a diverse field with a lot of career opportunities for you to pursue, you just need to find the best fit psychology career for yourself.

Understanding human behavior and mind, how it works and learning more about its processes, is kind of interesting. You can use what you learn in the psychology degree in any field, it’s not restricted to just one field. For eg: If you are a brand or a business, you make sure that you connect to your target audience on a personal level, you try to understand their behavior and then you plan your advertisements, products and so on.

It’s not just for the business but psychology is used everywhere and when you start comprehending it, it will help you in knowing other people better, why people do what they do and it will also help you in developing skills like decision making and critical thinking.

Now without any further a due let’s get to know about what all you will learn in undergraduate psychology programs and then discuss what job opportunities you have in this field.

Overview Of Psychology Bachelor’s Degree

A degree in psychology covers a wide range of topics, you will get to learn the science of the human mind and its behavior. It’s a three to four-year degree program where you learn various subjects which will help you understand the core of psychology and how to practically use it.

Also, according to your interest, you can pick psychology majors in whichever field you want to specialize in. Later on, you can also do a two-three years master’s degree, which will give you full-fledged knowledge and develop the required skills of a specific field you want to pursue a career in.

Advantages Of Having A Bachelor’s Degree In Psychology

  1. A variety of career options to choose from some of them can be, counseling, psychologist, social worker, and many more.
  2. Psychology undergraduate programs are available in different countries, which you can opt for.
  3. You get a better understanding of a human’s inner self and their personalities which helps you not only in the field of psychology but also in a daily life
  4. You also earn well and as this field is growing day by day it’s demand is increasing.
  5. You develop important skills like communication, critical thinking, empathy, decision-making, and interpersonal skills.

Drawbacks Of Having A Psychology Degree

  1. Without a degree you can’t do any job in the psychology field, at least a bachelor’s degree is required.
  2. Working in this field can be stressful, as there can be a lot of pressure of paperwork, dealing with other people’s distress daily, meeting deadlines, and so on.
  3. If you set up your own practice in this field, then it may become difficult to handle as you have to manage everything by yourself.
  4. There are people who still think that this degree is not so profitable and important.
  5. For some professions just a bachelor’s degree is not enough you need to have a master’s degree or a PhD.

10 Little-Known Professions To pursue If You Are A Psychology Degree Holder

1. Psychiatric Technician

Bachelor's in psychology jobs
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Their duty is to provide assistance to the patients who are facing mental health and developmental problems by following the instructions given by the patient’s doctor.

They take good care of their patients and monitor their progress of mental and physical well-being. If they observe and see no change or the patient behaving weird or violent it’s their duty to report it to the health personnel.

They provide support to the patients whenever needed for eg: communicating with the patients and providing counseling if needed. Being a psychiatric technician, it’s important to be friendly and kind with the patients as they are mentally disturbed your duty will be to encourage them and to help them to come out of that tough phase.

Not only it’s the role of the psychiatric technician to take care of the patient’s mental health but also physical health.

Also, they look after the admission process of new patients and the release of existing patients.

Skills Required 

  1. Excellent interpersonal communication skills
  2. Should be good at counseling
  3. Good observational skills
  4. Empathy and compassion
  5. Physically strong and fit to lift or move those who are physically restrained.
  6. Active listening

2. Clinical Psychologist

Bachelor's in psychology jobs
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Their role is to identify the mental health problems their clients are facing, and by interacting with them they get to know about their condition. Sometimes they also question them in order to understand their problems better and to prescribe them tests or solutions to deal with them.

They don’t give them medicines to treat any kind of mental illness, it can be in some cases but not always. As they use various psychological techniques to treat their clients.

They counsel their patients to resolve their serious mental distress and behavioral issues. There is various clinical psychologist as well, who deals with only a specific disorder or several ones, but the common thing in all clinical psychologist is that they treat their patients using psychological practices.

To be a clinical psychologist you at least need to have a graduate degree because further for doing a master’s degree or doctoral degree, institutions require it.

Skills Required

  1. Good communication skills
  2. Knowledge about psychology techniques and knowing how to use them in practice
  3. Writing skills
  4. Knows how to empathize with others and active listening
  5. Observational and problem-solving skills
  6. Critical thinking and research skills
  7. Open-minded

3. Career Counselor

They are the ones who provide career counseling services, for the students who are confused about their career path or know what they want to do but are still unsure and want to know more about the career they want to pursue and the options available.

A career counselor is like a guide, who shows the path of options best for their clients. They are experts in this field and also help students in making their career choices. They assess the students on various factors like their personalities, the profession they like, interests, their likes & dislikes, what they want to become, and so on.

They ask students various questions about their careers and interests in order to get insights and to narrow down their options. They also help them in narrowing their career paths, advise them about the various career opportunities that they can opt for in the future, and provide them with guidance to have a successful career.

Skills Required

  1. To be able to build rapport with clients
  2. Communication and problem-solving skills
  3.  Active listening
  4.  Maintain confidentiality
  5. Non-judgemental and self-aware
  6. Interpersonal skills

4. Correctional Treatment Specialists

Bachelor's in psychology jobs
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Correctional treatment specialist helps in providing social services to the parolees. They are also known as case managers.

Their role is to make sure that the parolees live an improved life after they are released from jail. They work with the probation and parole officers and help the parolees to get proper counseling, employment, household, substance abuse treatment, and so on.

They make plans and take appropriate steps on how to let the parolees back into society so that they can live a life like responsible citizens. They make sure to check the parolee’s criminal history and background, make reports on it, check their emotional and psychological status depending on which they plan their approach accordingly. So that they live a normal life, without causing any harm to others. The correctional treatment specialists sometimes also conduct anger management training, psychological tests, counseling, and so on.

Skills required

  1. Should be able to communicate effectively
  2.  Writing and interviewing skills
  3.  Patience
  4.  Problem-solving and analytical skills
  5.  Knowledge about human behavior
  6. The ability to understand non-verbal communication.

5. Child Care Worker

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Child care workers are in demand these days, as working parents require them to take care of their children. As a child care worker, your duties will be to look after children, help them with their studies, provide them with food and manage their everyday activities.

They need to take care of babies which can be toddlers, small babies, young children, or teens. For toddlers, you will be required to feed them food with your hands, give them toys to play with, teach them good habits, bathe them and dress them up, and so on. Sometimes your job can be for less time, just for a few hours or a day or two, but you can also work part-time or full time as you wish.

Whereas the children or teens who are a little older don’t require too much attention. You may have to help them with studies, teach them new skills, cook food for them, play and so on. This duty comes with a lot of responsibilities, it will not just be about taking care of the little children but also making sure their development is happening properly and teaching them good things via fun and knowledgeable activities.

Skills Required

  1. Knows how to communicate with children
  2. Creative thinking
  3. Decision making
  4. Physically fit
  5. To have a positive attitude
  6. Patience & enthusiasm
  7. Monitoring and teaching skills

6. Market Researcher

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Their role is to carry out market research, it can be for a variety of reasons like to know about the trends in the market, in-demand products or services, leading brands, sales and so on.

The job is to gather all the necessary data, analyze it to make it easily readable, and present it in the form of reports. Most market researchers are hired by various companies or marketing agencies to conduct research for them.

The data that market researchers find is of two types one is quantitative and another one is qualitative. In quantitative you deal with numbers or statistics and this data can be quickly analyzed whereas in qualitative your deal with people’s thoughts and opinions which can be difficult to analyze at times.

Skills Required

  1. Research skills
  2. Keen observation to detail and accuracy
  3. Must be aware of businesses & knowledge about the market
  4. Strong written communication & verbal communication
  5. Problem-solving & analytical skills
  6. Good with numbers and technology

7. Human Resources

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The role of hr is conducting interviews, making sure to hire people who are fit for the position, and managing the employees.

They look after things related to employees like salary negotiation, benefits, resolving conflicts if any, training process of employees, and so on. Also, the whole hiring process right from shortlisting applications to hiring a candidate is taken care of by the hr of the company. After hiring the training and managing the employees is also done by the hr. They also monitor the employees’ performance and also provide them with appropriate training and development so that they give the best to the organization with their improved self.

They do strategic planning, look after how many candidates are required currently, and do the candidates have the necessary skills and qualifications to match with company goals or not.

Skills Required

  1. Excellent communication skills
  2.  Relationship building & management
  3.  Teamwork & knows how to resolve conflicts
  4.  Training & decision making skills
  5.  Must be good at problem-solving
  6. Time management
  7.  Emotional intelligence & active listening

8. Research Assistant

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They assist the main professionals in research projects. They prepare the questions to be asked to the people during the collection of data and surveys.

If other people are involved in the project as well, they supervise & make sure that all of them are working properly and is there any progress or not. Also to sum up the findings from the data gathered, they make reports.

To present the findings, they help with preparing the presentations for the professionals. Proofreading and checking the data collected is accurate is not is also a part of their job. They work under the supervision of knowledgeable professionals, who are the main researchers of the project.

There can be other tasks as well depending on what is required for the research project.

Skills Required

  1. Communication skills
  2. Observational and keen to detail skills
  3.  Data analysis and critical thinking
  4.  Excellent computer skills
  5.  Time management
  6.  Interviewing and planning

9. Psychology Lab Assistants

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Their duty is to make sure that all the laboratory equipment needed for the experiment is all set up properly and operated.

The role of a lab assistant is to supervise that experiments are carried out safely, the lab environment is clean and to make sure the lab equipment is timely repaired or to replace them if they are damaged. Also, you have to keep a record of lab inventories and explain the procedures of the lab to the students/researchers who are new.

The duty also includes is to ensure that everyone follows the rules and regulations of the lab. There can be other duties as well than the ones mentioned above, depending on what duties are assigned to you.

Skills Required

  1. Communication skills
  2.  Supervision
  3. Knowledge about lab equipment
  4.  Writing skills
  5. Well versed with technology

10. Mental Health Counselor

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They provide counseling services to people who are suffering from mental health problems like depression, anxiety, life problems, relationship issues, and so on.

They listen to the individual’s problems and what are they facing,& provide them with emotional support, advice, and solutions to deal with them. They also conduct sessions with family, in a group setting, or one-to-one.

They identify the reasons behind the mental health problems, by asking questions and interacting with the clients to understand them better.

Skills Required

  1.  Active listening & clear communication skills.
  2. Open-minded
  3.  Problem-solving & patience
  4.  Knows how to build rapport with clients
  5.  Empathy & non-judgemental
  6.  Confidentiality

These were some of the little-known bachelor’s in psychology jobs for you. Not only can you opt for a career which was mentioned above other than that you can also go for careers in criminal justice, case management services, advertising agencies, government agencies, social service agencies, and so on.

For Psychology students, one benefit is that you are not restricted to specific careers, as this field is growing day by day it has a lot to offer in terms of job opportunities and career options.

So if you are a psychology degree holder or are a student who is thinking to pursue psychology, then you can definitely go for one of these career options. This degree is not only useful for job purposes but also you get to learn a lot about the human mind and behavior which can be useful to you to understand people better.

With this we come to an end of this blog, I hope this blog helped you in getting to know about bachelor’s in psychology jobs and gave you clarity about the field.