JSA of LIS Instructor Job Bank Tips - November 2007
To make the most effective use of the JSA job bank, please use these tips. There is a section for club employers and a section for sailing job candidates.
Clubs:
- Post all your open positions on the JSA Job Bank, because when candidates ask the JSA office about clubs that are hiring, the only answer we can give is “Please look at the current job listings.”
- If you wish to attract candidates from outside the JSA area, you might consider posting on the national web sites listed below.
- Having a detailed job description for each staff position will be a valuable aid to inform your new staff about your expectations and manage their performance on the job. And by referring to the job description in your employment contract with staff you can inform them of your expectations for sail training objectives and the ethical and behavioral traits you expect them to model for their student sailors.
- Review the Personnel Practices Briefing materials from the 2007 JSA Midwinter Meeting to assure your hiring practices are up to date; the link is here.
- When you have completed negotiations with a candidate, it’s best to promptly summarize the agreed terms of employment in a job offer letter/employment contract that the candidate reviews, signs and returns. Each party retains a copy, which helps prevent misunderstandings.
- When you have completed hiring for a position, please notify the JSA office so your job ad may be removed.
- Candidates being employed for their first season as full-time instructors may not be required to accept an offer of employment prior to 6 pm on Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. This embargo is designed to allow these first-season candidates to educate themselves about the employment options available at various clubs before making a commitment.
- If you have resumes of candidates that you did not hire, forward copies to JSA office for inclusion in the Candidate Resume File. Other clubs that are still hiring may find these resumes very helpful. We prefer email attachments, but if you have the resumes only in paper format, please mail to JSA of LIS, 1 Woodbine Ave, Larchmont NY 10538.
- If your club wants copies of resumes from the Candidate Resume File, please email your specific request to JSA office; we do not email unsolicited resumes.
- The JSA job bank is for instructor positions located only on Long Island Sound. JSA clubs that wish to advertise outside of the LIS area, and non-JSA clubs, may wish to consider posting jobs on national web sites, such as www.sail1design.com [select Coaches Available or Job Bank], www.highschoolsailingusa.org, www.ussailing.org, www.sailingscuttlebutt.com or www.usoda.org [select from top menu HelpWanted].
While you are at these sites make note of instructors looking for jobs and coaches whom you might email to notify their team members of your openings.
Candidate Suggestions:
- Send your resume and cover letter to all jobs for which you feel qualified that are posted on the JSA Job Bank, or the national web sites.
- Some of the job websites listed above accept candidate postings, so consider placing your ad there.
- You may also email a copy of your resume to the JSA Candidate Resume File, following the guidelines listed below.
- If you need to obtain or update your certifications, read the US Sailing website descriptions (use this link http://www.ussailing.org/training/Instructors/InstructorCourses.asp to find out what is required). Pay particular attention to prerequisites. For example, the Level 1 instructor course prerequisites include a safe-boating certificate, experience in operating a safety powerboat, current USCG approved CPR and first aid certification, and other prerequisites listed on the US Sailing website. It is best to handle these prerequisites before the summer. For example, the US Sailing instructor certification courses are generally given during college breaks (winter, spring and early summer). The schedule may be viewed by clicking on Course Calendar on left side of the US Sailing instructor training link, above. Some warm Southern and California locations may be listed for the November and December holidays, but the ones for the Northeast may not be listed until late-January or February (spring and early summer dates). Keep a close watch weekly on the schedule as most locations can accommodate fewer than 20 people and the popular ones get booked quickly as soon as they are listed. US Coast Guard Auxilary and US Power Squadron units, as well as continuing education classes at high schools and colleges in your local area are all good sources for off-season safe boating certification.
Candidate Resume File Guidelines:
- Please email; do not fax nor postal-mail your cover letter and resume, because we cannot easily forward non-electronic formats to our clubs.
- Email to JSA office at info@jsalis.org. Send your cover letter and resume as an attachment in Word .DOC (or generic .RTF) format. It’s best to include your cover letter as part of the same attached file, not in the body of your email to JSA, so when the attachment is printed your cover letter appears first, followed by your resume, all at one printing.
- Name your letter/resume file something like “MyLastName_MyFirstName_2007SailingResume.doc” so that when it is forwarded to clubs, they can distinguish your letter/resume file from others. Your letter and resume will remain in the active file until a JSA club requests copies of current resumes. Then your letter/resume and all other active resumes will be sent to the requesting club.
- If you accept a job, or are no longer available for any reason, please email the JSA office requesting your resume be removed from the active Resume File.
Other Instructor Hiring Resources
American Camping Assoc has tips on hiring and managing summer staff as well as access to their counselor job bank. A qualified camp counselor with a sailing background and US Sailing certification may be a good match for your non-racing students or sailing camp.
Check out http://www.acacamps.org/ click on Knowledge Center | Human Resources.
Foreign sources: If you can provide housing, you may be interested in foreign instructors. Many JSA programs have had great success with instructors from Ireland, England, Canada and Australia, to name a few. It is important to keep in mind that JSA by-laws require all instructors to have successfully completed US Sailing Level 1 or its international equivalent.
If you are considering this source, see these sites for intermediary organizations that can assist with identifying candidates or sponsor visas for candidates you already know:
- International YMCA ICCP http://www.internationalymca.org/ICCP/home.html (high marks from some JSA clubs)
- CampUSA http://www.interexchange.org/campusa/
- Camp Counselors USA http://www.ccusa.com/
- Camp America (Stamford CT) http://www.campamerica.aifs.com/
- British Universities North America Club (BUNAC) http://www.bunac.org/usa/directors/ or www.bunac.org/usa/employers.