| English Refresher
Keeping Learning Alive!!! |
"By learning you will teach; by teaching you will learn."
- Latin Proverb -
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Joke
A: Why are you late?
B: There was a man who lost a hundred dollar bill.
A: That's nice. Were you helping him look for it?
B: No, I was standing on it.
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Soon learnt, soon forgotten.
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Track down somebody/something- to find after a very long search.
"It took all week, but Jon was finally able to track down his old classmates for a reunion."
Out of the blue - without any warning; by surprise.
"Laura was surprised to hear from Jon out of the blue."
With flying colours - with great or total success.
"Yuri passed her university entrance exam with flying colours."
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Vocabulary
Remembrance (noun) -
1) The act of remembering.
2) Something serving to celebrate or honour the memory of a person or event; a memorial.
"On November 11th Canadians celebrate Remembrance Day."
Endeavour (noun) - a strong effort; an attempt.
"The KGIC Alumni Society wishes you success in all of your endeavours."
Relevant (adj.) - bearing upon or connected with the matter in hand; pertinent; appropriate
"List all of your relevant experience on your resume." |
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Writing a good resume is the first challenge in getting that perfect job. Here are a few tips on writing your resume and targeting it for the job you want.
1. Know what potential employers are looking for. Make sure you have qualities that can fill the opportunity.
2. Provide examples of your skills.
3. Ask experienced professionals what they consider important when they make hiring decisions.
4. Include positive personal characteristics and coursework relevant to your desired profession.
5. Emphasize the things that demonstrate your value and leave out the things that don't.
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In Flanders Fields:
A Remembrance Day Poem |
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Anyone who has spent time in Canada in November has been struck by the sudden appearance of Canadians wearing red flowers on the lapels of their shirts and jackets. Students are very curious about this new phenomenon. In Canada, November is a month of remembrance. On November 11th we celebrate Remembrance Day. This day is meant to be a time for all Canadians to reflect on all those who have died serving our country.
The poppy is a symbol of Remembrance Day. This is because of a poem that was written by a Canadian soldier in World War I, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. McCrae was a surgeon in the Canadian army. He wrote the poem during a break in fighting on May 3, 1915 while still at the battlefront in Ypres, Belgium (the site of one of the most terrible battles of WWI). As he looked out across the field of graves of soldiers passed he noticed how quickly the poppy flower grew over the field. To this day the poem remains one of the most memorable war poems ever written.
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army
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Calling all KGIC Alumni from Turkey!
Meet us @ the Rock House!
Let's bring back memories while we are sipping our drinks. Bring along friends; maybe one of them will be the lucky winner of our scholarship draw for tuition for an 8 week program of your choice at any campus.
Location: Rock House Cafe (Ortakoy Princess Hotel)
Date: Saturday, December 12, 2009
Time: 20:00
Please R.S.V.P (reply !) by December 5, 2009 if you can come or not.
You can of course also come (even you did not let us know) but it makes planning easier for us. Our KGIC Toronto staff will be in Istanbul.
Please forward this to a KGIC Alumni you know!
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Boston and Halifax Campus Guides |
In 2010 the KGIC Education Group is happy to open two new campuses, Boston and Halifax.
New guides for these exciting new campus locations are now available on the KGIC website. Visit www.kgic.ca or click on the pictures below to check them out.
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| Greetings!
 Thank you to all the students who posted their Halloween pictures on the KGIC Education Group Facebook page. To see last month's Halloween pictures visit www.facebook.com/kgicgroup. There were some truly unique and interesting costumes. In an effort to keep you informed about KGIC news we have added a permission reminder to the top of this e-mail. If you received this newsletter in your e-mail then please click on the " confirm" link above to continue receiving the Alumni Society Newsletter or click on " unsubscribe" if you would no longer like to receive news, updates or contest information from KGIC. Here at KGIC there is a lot of excitement around the upcoming launch of two new KGIC campuses, Boston and Halifax! Expect to hear more about them in the months to come. The KGIC Education Group would like to genuinely thank all of our alumni. It is thanks to you that we are able to grow and succeed. As always, we would love to hear stories from our alumni students. Send an e-mail to the Alumni Society any time to alumni@kgic.ca.
Sincerely,
Your KGIC Alumni Society
King George International College
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Life after TESOL
by Pandora Siganakis
 There is nothing that makes us more proud at Canada TESOL Centre (CTC) than to see our students find success in the world of language teaching. There are many success stories that have come out of the TESOL for Adults program; I was lucky enough to track down one student and tear her away from her busy schedule long enough to talk with her.
Chiyuki Takagi took TESOL in March 2008. After completing the eight week in class portion of the program, she went on to do her practicum at KGIC Robson campus. I asked her some questions about her time here at CTC and what she has done since she graduated.
Pandora: What prompted you to take TESOL at CTC?
Chiyuki: Before I studied in Canada, I was a high school and junior high school teacher. I liked this job, but I knew only traditional teaching methods and I wanted to study teaching skill more. That's why I decided to take TESOL.
Pandora: Immediately after you left CTC, what did you do?
Chiyuki: I took ITDP-J. I thought interpretation skill must be useful because English teachers have to communicate with ALTs. While I was studying at ITDP, I had interest in Japanese. I thought Japanese language teacher is the job that is united teaching and new interest (studying Japanese). So I started studying to become a Japanese language teacher after coming back to Japan.
Pandora: Where is your teaching job now?
Chiyuki: I'm going to teach Japanese language to Taiwanese students at JFL School in Taiwan. This school is for all ages and all levels. Most of them aim to study or work in Japan. Everything that I studied at TESOL is very useful, especially the attitude as a language teacher. I teach Japanese. Not English. But teaching language for non-native people is the common thing.
Pandora: Do you have any other comments to make about your experience here and how it has had an effect on your life now?
Chiyuki: The study of teaching Japanese is maybe newer than the study of teaching English. TESOL has 2 courses, TESOL for adults and TESOL for children. But Japanese teaching training course is mixed, for adults and for children. I could learn both of them but it's not enough. I already have some experience in teaching for children, and by taking TESOL for adults I could have much knowledge of teaching language for adult learners. I'm very lucky to find an ideal job. It is thanks to TESOL.
I am so proud of Chiyuki and thank her very much for taking the time to chat with me. She is a great representative of us here at CTC; I wish her the most success in her new endeavour.
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How to get a job in Canada
By: Han Jungsun (Grace)
Paulline De Araujo Martins
Jang Du Jeong
Lee Sung Hee (Sunny)
Getting a job in Canada can be a valuable experience for foreign students. Working with Canadians offers students a chance to improve their English, meet friends, learn about Canadian culture, and make money.
According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, to work in Canada in any field students must obtain a student/work visa. Visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website for more information on obtaining a student/work visa (www.cic.gc.ca).
Global Business English (GBE) teacher, Anne Sheridan, says working in Canada can also strengthen a resume. Sheridan, who also owns a bicycle rental business in Victoria, says she hires students on a regular basis. "When I hire a student I look for a good resume and cover letter, good English, work experience and how long they have stayed at previous jobs."
 Sheridan advises students to dress appropriately for the job they are applying for. "I don't expect an applicant to wear a business suit because I'm looking for a bike shop worker but if you're applying for an office job then a suit is appropriate. The most important thing is to relax. Be yourself during an interview."
One of Sheridan's GBE students, Yurie, says the process of applying for a job alone is valuable. "Even if I can not get a job, making a resume and a cover letter, and preparing for an interview are all very valuable experiences."
Mathew Kallechy, KGIC Activity Coordinator at Victoria campus, says it's important to research the job you want before applying. He suggests collecting as much information as possible about the job requirements, duties, and responsibilities before applying. He says students should go to the potential job site and observe the daily routine and the people who work there.
"The question is why do you want to get a job? For the salary or for the experience? Try to match your talents and personality to the work you want to do," says Kallechy.
KGIC Japanese student Yukari Hayasaki, 26, worked part-time in the Japanese store Sakura earning minimum wage for a month and a half. "The reason I wanted to get a part-time job in Canada was to experience something new in my life."
Hayasaki began her job search in local newspapers and web sites. When she spotted a "For Hire" sign in the window of Sakura she applied and was hired. She was happy to get the job but it wasn't what she expected.
 "When I worked for a magazine publishing company in Japan, it was not hard to work, but working at Sakura I was cleaning and washing the dishes. It was a little bit hard for me because I had to stand all day from Monday to Thursday and I got a backache."
Hayasaki quit shortly after but she said she was happy to have had the experience.
"I think the most important thing about working in Canada is communicating with customers."
Korean ESL student Lee has had two jobs in Canada. The first was as a cook at a Korean restaurant where he worked for three months. He took the job after being rejected at many western style restaurants. He says he quit after three months because he didn't use English at all. Today he is working for a Korean agency and uses his English much more. He plans to stay until next summer. He says it can be difficult to find a Canadian job but not impossible.
"Don't give up. If you knock on doors continually with confidence, you can get a job like me. "
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Toronto Activities
Never a Dull Moment
One of the many things we hear from Alumni students is how fondly they remember not only their studies at KGIC, but also the many exciting and new activites that they can participate in.
In KGIC Toronto, students not only improve their English in their classes but also by participating in many enjoyable activities such as visiting the CN Tower, watching basketball games and hockey games, trips to French Canada and New York and so much more. Here is what some of our students had to say about our activities:
"The three-day trip to French Canada was awesome. Special dinner, amazing places for pictures, and, of course, the night clubs were the best part. You can really feel the heat from the people even when it's 0 degrees."
Vinicius Vermiglio, Brazil
"School activities are very good. They give us good opportunity to make friends or deepen our relationships with friends. I really enjoyed a basketball game: Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics. Raptors lost but we didn't know which team would win until the end of the game."
Sho Terao, Japan
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Here at KGIC we appreciate all our Alumni Society members and hope that you enjoy the information and updates offered in our newsletter. Please feel free to forward this e-mail to a friend and invite them to sign up for future updates. If you are not on our mailing list and would like to receive our monthly newsletter click on the link at the bottom left of this page or visit www.kgic.ca and click on the "Sign Up For the Alumni Society Newsletter" button.
If you missed a past issue of the KGIC Mosaic visit the KGIC Newsletter Archives. Here you can read past issues of our Alumni Society Newsletter.
Sincerely,
Your Alumni Society King George International College King George International College
201-1400 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V5K6H6
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