Footprints Recruiting

STEP 1 – READ about the job and the country 

Please read a lot about the position you applied for and the country. It is your responsibility to be well informed before taking a job in another country.

• The Republic of Georgia including Georgia Information
• The job description
• Teach and Learn with Georgia project
• Frequently Asked Questions (attached here and regularly updated on our site)
• Employment Contract (attached in TLG Application part 2)
• Georgia Forum
• Mentor Forum
• Facebook Footprints Recruiting
• Facebook Expats in Georgia
• Blogs of the teachers currently in Georgia (see variety of blogs on the right hand side)
• Review the attached documents
• Links about Georgia (attached)
• Books, articles, reviews on the Republic of Georgia

Become familiar with the country you are about to work in. Contact us with your questions. Continue reading as you prepare for your venture.

STEP 2 -- ACCEPT THE POSITION 

Please respond by email to letting us know whether you accept this position or not.

STEP 3 -- SUBMIT THE DOCUMENTS 

Once you have accepted the position, please work on collecting the required documents and submitting them to us. Please do not hesitate to contact us any time you have a question.

If you have missed the deadline for a certain arrival date and you need to add only a couple of documents, please contact georgia@footprintsrecruiting.com

We appreciate you taking the time to work on these documents. As you know, one of the valuable qualities of a teacher is patience. We count on your patience in this part of the process and thank you for making the employer’s review of your documents easier by providing them the information about yourself patiently and accurately.

We prefer that you scan and email all the documents to georgia@footprintsrecruiting.com.

If you cannot scan and email a document then please fax it to 1- 604-677-6556 with title “Georgia” and your name on the front page.

Please send to Footprints only copies of your documents by email or fax, not the originals. Please bring all the original documents with you to Georgia. Your documents for Georgia do not require apostilles.

Not following the document presentation directions will result in the delay of your application and its possible hold until a later departure date.

• Use these helpful links for document conversion:

1. Convert documents from one format to another (e.g. from .doc to .pdf): http://www29.zamzar.com/
2. Merge numerous PDF files into one document: http://www.mergepdf.net/
3. Free Fax (From computer with no printer/fax machine required): http://www.myfax.com/free/

• You can submit the documents either all together or one by one, as soon as you get each ready.  The is no particular order in which they must be submitted.
• If you cannot email them all in one email, then send them as separate emails.
• We are not able to receive emails that are larger than 6 MB. Please make sure your files are legible and at the same time are small enough to be easily forwarded to Georgia.
• Please include only one document per file unless otherwise requested (please do not combine your resume, copy of your degree and a passport page copy, etc. all in one file).
• Please scan and email us your documents whenever possible and fax them to us only if you cannot scan them.
• Please never fax your passport copy, only scan it.
• If you fax the documents, please fax them separately, one document at a time, unless otherwise requested.
• Please name each file according to the instructions below.
• We can present your application to TLG only after you submit ALL of the required documents in the format and with the labeling requested.
• We must receive and be able to process, review and approve your documents no later than 3 weeks before your desired departure date.
• Some of you may submit documents, which require special review and approval by the employer. Please allow additional time for this in your planning.
• When we receive your documents, we will confirm this with you by email within 3 business days.
• Thank you for making our work a lot easier and expediting your application!

We use a fictitious name “John Smith” as an example of how to label the documents.

You will receive part 1 and 2 of the Application form after you successfully pass the interview.

• Please type your answers TLG Application Form – 1^st part.
• Please complete all fields in this form.
• Type your answers in this Word document.
• You can answer Yes/No questions by double clicking on the box

and selecting checked or not checked .

• Enter “N/A” for questions that do not apply to you to show that you have read the question.
• Convert the Word form to PDF.
• Email the form to: georgia@footprintsrecruiting.com
• Save a copy for your records

Please email TLG Application Form – 1^st part to us as a single file in PDF with the title: Application_John Smith

Please email us a photo appropriate for presentation to your potential employer. The picture should be clear, in colour, where your face is clearly visible. Please have your eyes open, do not wear sunglasses, and do not have other people in the photo. Please make sure the photo is easy to view and is not too small.  

Please email the photo to us as one file in JPG with the title: Photo_John Smith

Do NOT fax photo.

Please write a motivation letter/cover letter specific to why you want to teach in Georgia. It should be minimum 500 words, maximum 2 pages.

We are interested in your ability to succeed as an ESL teacher in Georgia. Please share with us your reasons for wanting to become a volunteer ESL teacher in Georgia, your educational philosophy, and your thoughts on encountering cultural differences. It may be addressed to “Teach and Learn with Georgia” or “To Whom It May Concern”. Please do not address it to Footprints; Footprints is not the employer.

Please email the motivation letter to us in a single PDF file with the title: Motivation Letter_John Smith

If you fax motivation letter, please send it as a separate fax, without any other documents.

Please provide a chronological resume. Your resume must start with you name and contact information. It must contain a history of your education and employment in the reverse chronological order with the details of your responsibilities and achievements. Please do not leave any chronological gaps. You can also include volunteer activities, special skills, awards and achievements.

Please email the resume to us in a single PDF file with the title: Resume_John Smith

DO NOT fax resume.

Please scan and email us the page of your passport which contains your name and photo. Passport copy must be a colour scan, NOT fax, copy of the page with your photo. Please make sure your passport is valid for at least 12 months since the start of your assignment in Georgia.

Please email the passport copy to us in a single JPG file with the title: Passport_John Smith

DO NOT fax passport copy.

Obviously, please bring the original to Georgia.

a) Degrees – for those who have graduated  

OR

b) Transcripts – for those who have not graduated or do not have a copy of their degree at hand

If you have completed your degree it is preferable that you provide a copy of your degree than transcript.

AND

1. c) Certificates  

If you have a TEFL Certificate please do not forget to include a copy of it.

Other certificates are optional; however, we encourage you to provide their copies since they enhance your application. They can be certificates in sports, community work, arts, first aid, safety, or many other skills and activities. Any professional or recreational certificate can help strengthen your presentation.

If your degree or certificate is in a language other than English, please provide a certified translation. Alternatively, you can provide a transcript if it is in English.

Please email all your degrees, certificates, and/or transcripts to us in one single PDF file with the title: Certifications_John Smith

If you fax them, please send them all together as one fax, without other documents.

Please bring to Georgia all the originals of all the educational documents copies of which you sent to Footprints.

The reference letter must be academic or professional. Each letter must contain the signature of the person providing the reference. If you submit two references, it is sufficient. If you have more good quality references, feel free to add them.

Please provide us at least two reference letters. Each one must be written by your former employer, supervisor, volunteer position lead or professor ideally on the company letterhead. They must sign the letter and provide their title and full contact information, including the name of their organization, email address, and phone number. They must state their professional relationship to you, when, where and how long you worked or volunteered for them or studied under their guidance. They must state what your responsibilities were, and how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with your performance of these duties. They should comment on your professional strengths and/or weaknesses, achievements, milestones and your overall value to their organization.

You can provide either a generic reference letter or a letter specific to teaching in Georgia; it is up to you.

1. A generic reference letter is the one which does not mention Georgia and this particular job you are applying for. This type of letter is very convenient for you to have because you can use for your other job applications in the future, not only for the Georgian position.
2. A letter specific to teaching in Georgia can describe your skills in relation to this particular position. You can explain to your employer or professor that you are applying for a teaching job overseas. If they comment on why they recommend you for this type of work this would be very beneficial to the success of your application. When you apply for a new job through Footprints you would have to obtain a new reference letter.

Please do not forget to ask your employer, supervisor, or professor to sign the letter.

Please email us all letters of reference (LORs) as one file in PDF with the title LORs_John Smith

If you fax them, please send both letters together as one fax, without other documents.

Please bring the originals to Georgia.

The Georgian employer has zero tolerance policy for any charge that appears on criminal record report. This means that any applicant who have any alcohol or drug related offences, as well as any other offences, on their criminal record check will not be accepted to the program.

The Criminal Record Check must not be older than 6 months at the time of your departure for Georgia. It has to be at a NATIONAL level (NOT state or province).

From which country should you get your criminal record check (CRC)?

1) If you have lived predominantly in one country, please use the instructions below to obtain your CRC from your home country.

2) If you have been working in a foreign country for at least 6 months, please provide a CRC from that country and a copy of your “old” CRC from your home country, which you obtained before going abroad.

3) If your residence and travel situation is more complex than the above, please contact us for clarification.

(A) If you are a citizen or resident of Canada or UK, you will receive a separate email with the instructions and forms on how to get your criminal record check.

(B) If you are a citizen or resident of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Philippines or other country, please obtain your national level criminal record check though your police office. Please do not provide a report generated online without contacting the police office.

(C) If you are a citizen or resident of the USA you have 2 options for obtaining your CRC:

1. FBI Check

If you have at least 10 weeks* before your departure for Georgia, please obtain your FBI check following these guidelines http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks/background_checks

(*10 weeks is needed for FBI search, as well as for Footprints’ and TLG’s processing and approving of your paperwork and organizing a flight).

2. Quick CRC

If you DO NOT have 10 weeks before your departure for Georgia,

2. 1. Please send an email to georgia@footprintsrecruiting.com requesting a quick CRC
   2. We will email you your personalized link for applying online for your CRC
   3. Your entire application will be online
   4. It will take you less 2 minutes to fill it in
   5. You will make your payment online
   6. The report will be sent to Footprints
   7. We will email a copy of the report to you
   8. We will email another copy to TLG

When applying for CRC through the link we send you, please use the latest version of Internet Explorer, since other browsers might not be fully compatible with the application.

If you obtained your Criminal Record Check (CRC) through your police office, please send the results to us in a single PDF file with the title CRC_John Smith

If you fax CRC to us, please send it as a separate fax, without other documents.

If you obtained your CRC though a private CRC agency authorized by Footprints, we will send you your copy of the report.

Please bring to Georgia the original of your Criminal Record Check (CRC) if you obtained it through your police office, or a printed out copy if you obtained it through the private CRC agency approved by Footprints.

Self-assessment is in TLG Application Form – 2^nd part. This form is for you to fill, not the doctor.

Please answer all the questions, do not omit any by mistake.

If you answered ”Yes” to any question other than question #7 or listed a current or past medical condition in the Self-assessment above other then a common cold or hay fever, please:

1) Provide a brief explanation about your health condition, causes if applicable, medicine used, and its status today or success of your recovery.

If you mention any health condition or a reason for visiting a doctor, please conclude with what the solution for this condition was, whether the cure was found, and in what condition is your health now. For example, do not just state “visited a doctor about a kidney stone” and leave it at this. You would want to explain that the stone was successfully removed and that you did not encounter a similar problem since then. For serious and recent cases it is better to supplement your explanation with a doctor’s note.

2) Provide a doctor’s note about this medical condition, its origins, treatment, and, most importantly, its medical status today

If on the self-assessment you have listed anything other then a routine check up, common cold or hay fever, please provide a note from your doctor with the details of that medical condition, its treatment and solution, and the state of your health today in relation to this medical condition. The doctor’s note will be evaluated by the Georgian doctors. Therefore, it must contain medical facts and not simply a conclusion “fit to teach English”. If you neglect to provide such a note with your application, the employer will ask for it during their review and this may delay your departure.

3) If you take any medication, outline a brief plan of how you are going to supply yourself with enough medicine while in Georgia. If you do not take medication, this step does not apply to you.

If you have a medical condition for which you use medicine, please make sure to explain how you are planning to provide this medicine for yourself during your entire teaching time in Georgia. For example, state how much supply of the medicine you will bring with you; you may do your research and state that you found that your medicine is easily available in Georgia; your doctor may give you prescriptions for the future months to refill in Georgia; if you teach for 1 year, you may state that you will get the refill while vacationing at home. It is up to you to show to the employer that you will provide for your medical needs sufficiently while in Georgia.

4) Sign the medical statements in Section 17-2 of the TLG Application Form – 2^nd part.  

Section 17-3 Allergies of the TLG Application Form – 2^nd part

Please sign the statement in Section 17-3 Allergies only if you have allergies to some medicines, promising that you will inform the doctors in Georgia about your allergy.

Section 17-4 Immunizations of the TLG Application Form – 2^nd part

If you have any records of your immunizations, recent or past, please submit them with your self-assessment. If you do not have immunizations records, you do not need to submit them.

Please email us the self-assessment in a single PDF file with the title: Self-assessment_John Smith

If you fax it to us, please send it as a separate fax, without any other documents.

Please bring the original to Georgia.

Medical check must be done within 6 months of you submitting it to Footprints. It must be done by a physician according to the attached medical form. It must be in English. Medical check must be completed entirely either in your home country/country of your current residence or in Georgia. Medical check cannot be done partially in different countries. Once you let us know in your application form where you want your medical check done, you cannot change you mind. TLG is making preparations for these tests for large groups of people and they cannot make individual last minute changes.

OPTION (1) In Georgia

You can have the entire medical check done in Georgia, including the physical, all the necessary immunizations and lab tests for US$40.  You will be asked to bring US$70 just in case you need an extra test. Most of our teachers who do their medical check in Georgia end up paying only US$40. If you decide to do the medical check in Georgia you do not need to print or use the Medial Check Form.

Everyone who does medical check in Georgia should be aware of these clauses in the contract:

4.1.23. Refund Employer for cost of airfare to Georgia and pay for their own airfare home within 72 hours, if he/she tests positive for TB, HIV, other STD’s, marijuana, narcotics, other drugs or Hepatitis A, B or C, is the carrier of the psych-neurologic and cancer or the similar (chronic) disease, which may prevent from fulfillment of his/her activities or otherwise fails his/her medical exam as stipulated by Employer;

11.3.1 If Employee tests positive for TB, HIV, other STD’s, marijuana, narcotics, other drugs or Hepatitis A, B or C, is the carrier of the psychiatric and neurological impairment and cancer or the similar (chronic) disease, needs surgical operation (excluding the emergency situations), which may prevent from fulfillment of his/her activities or otherwise fails his/her medical exam as stipulated by Employer and when the medical test can not define the type of disease;

OPTION (2) At Home

If:

• you prefer to do your medical in your home country or in your current location,
• you have enough time do complete it and collect all the lab test results, or
• you think you might have some medical conditions which will not allow you to pass the medical check, then please take the Medical Check Form to your doctor and he/she will fill it in and send you to the necessary tests.

If you are doing your medical check at home, please make sure your doctor fills in all the information requested by the form and gives you all the lab test results.

The section “Required Lab Tests (Lab Reports must be attached)” requires lab results to be attached for ALL 5 lab tests:

• • HIV
  • Hep B
  • Hep C
  • Drug
  • TB

If there is no lab result provided for one of these tests, your medical check will not be accepted or may have to redo the entire medical check in Georgia.

Please send us the complete medical form and lab reports all in one PDF file with the title Medical_John Smith  

If you fax the medical reports to us, please send them as a separate fax, without other documents.

Please bring the original to Georgia.

If you are absolutely confident that you do not have any of the illnesses listed in the clauses
4.1.23. and 11.3.1. of the Employment Agreement, if is a lot more cheaper, convenient, and faster to do the medical check in Georgia.

It is up to you to consult your family doctor about any immunizations that they may recommend for your travel to Georgia, in addition to the ones required by the employer. These other immunizations are not part of the job requirements; they are for your personal protection; they are up to your and your doctor’s choice.

You will receive Consent for Verification form after you successfully pass your interview.

Please print, fill in, sign, scan and send it to us in PDF with the title Consent_John Smith

If you fax medical reports to us, please send them as a separate fax, without other documents.

Please bring the original to Georgia.

You will receive the Employment Agreement after you successfully pass the interview.

• The Employment Agreement is in TLG Application – 2^nd part. It is in English and consists of 11 pages. Please read it, understand, print out, sign and scan or fax to Footprints in its entirety (all 11 pages) at any time before your deadline for submitting the documents. The Employment Agreement becomes binding when Footprints presents it to the employer as part of your application.

• When you arrive in Georgia, you and the employer representative will sign a hard copy of the contract in English and in Georgian. The Employment Agreement is in both languages because it a government project and Georgian is the official language of the Republic of Georgia and its government. The translation was done by an official translator of the Georgian government and the lawyers. Both language versions of the contract must be signed in Georgia.

• The words “Tbilisi, Georgia” at the top of the contract identify the location of the employer, the Ministry of Education of Georgia, not the location of your particular placement.

• On top of the first page put the date when you sign the contract. a

• Write your name and address in the space provided in the upper part of the first page.

• In Article 6 please write as a start date the date you intend to depart and the end date is up to you, keeping in mind that the school year ends June 15 and the fall semester on December 20. Please do not leave blanks in Article 6.

• Please read, understand, print, and sign the contract, print your name under your signature, scan and email it to us georgia@footprintsrecruiting.com or fax the entire document to us at 1- 604-677-6556 with the title “Georgia” and your name on the front page. Please email or fax to us the entire document, all the pages, not only selected ones.

• It is best if you can submit all the pages as one file. Please make sure the size of the file is reasonably small for transmission and is legible. If for technical reasons you cannot send it as one file, feel free to break it into portions or send it to us page by page.

• You may want to bring a copy of your contact with you to Georgia just in case there are any questions at the boarders of the countries you may be crossing during your flight.

• In Georgia you and the employer will sign either this copy or a fresh print-out of the contract. In Georgia you will be required to sign both, the English and the Georgian copies of the Employment Agreement.

Please email the Employment Agreement (Contract) to us in a single PDF file with the title: Contract_John Smith

In case you have hard time emailing it all in one file, you can also email it page by page, all pages.

If you fax it, please send it as a separate fax, all pages of the entire contract included, without other documents.

Please bring the original to Georgia.

Sworn Declaration is in the TLG Application Form – 2^nd part. It serves as your confirmation that you agree to participate in the program and fly to Georgia on or about a mutually agreed upon date, and protects the TLG from your withdrawal from the program once your flight is booked.

Please email the Sworn Declaration to us in a single PDF file with the title: Declaration_John Smith

If you fax it, please send it as a separate fax, without other documents.

Please bring the original to Georgia.

Waiver is in the TLG Application Form – 2^nd part. It indemnifies Footprints Recruiting Inc. against potential liability. By signing this form you agree not to sue Footprints. This document requests a witness’ signature. Anyone can be a witness: parent, sibling, neighbour, friend, co-worker, teacher…

Please email the waiver to us in PDF file with the title: Waiver_John Smith  

If you fax it, please send it as a separate fax, without other documents.

You do NOT need to bring the original of the Waiver to Georgia.

After you successfully pass the interview you will receive the guidelines on how to record your own 2-3 minute answers to the simple questions about your motivation for teaching in Geogrgia.  You will need Internet and webcam, that's it.

There will be NO VISA at all required for volunteering in Georgia for the citizens of the countries listed here Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia (no tourist visa, no work visa, none). These teachers can volunteer in Georgia for up to 360 days without any visa. The teachers who will want to extend their contract for a second year will do so with the help and further instructions of their employer in Georgia. If you are a citizen of a country which is not on this list, it is your responsibility to contact a Georgian Embassy or consulate in your country and find out the process, timeline and cost of obtaining a visa. Present them a copy of your contract as a proof of you being accepted into the program.

Applicants from the Philippines will be able to obtain a visa at the immigration desk upon arrival in Tbilisi, Georgia. If there are any difficulties TLG staff will assist you in the process. Please note that it is the applicant’s responsibility to pay for the visa, not TLG’s and not Footprints. Please contact a Georgian embassy or consulate to inquire about the current price of the visa and make sure you bring enough money for it.