Expert: Michael - 4/12/2010

Question
I am applying for a summer residential activities organiser position at an international school in the UK and I am required to submit a CV.  I'm not sure whether I should set it up like a US resume and just include the most relevent experience and skills on one page or if it should be a true CV and have multiple pages with all of my previous employments and accomplishments.  I do know that either way I need to include some information that is not typically found on a US resume, like nationality, date of birth, interests, etc.  Any additional insight you could provide would be greatly appreciated!  Also, as I am a US citizen and do not hold an EU passport I was wondering if you have any suggestions as to how I could become a more appealing candidate to the school.  One of the questions on the application is whether or not I am able to work in the UK and I was planning on writing "Only with a Visa" as I believe the school would have to apply for a work Visa on my behalf even if I was only in the country for 3 weeks.  Would this be an appropriate response?  Thank you in advance for all your help!

Answer
Dear Brooke,

Thank you for your question.

First of all, the matter of your CV. In the UK now, a good rule of thumb is that your CV should cover no more than two pages at most. However, if you will be working with children it will be important to submit a full record of employment and education which accounts for all of your time since school-leaving age, as employers need to verify your suitability to work with vulnerable groups.
There is some good basic advice on the BBC website about constructing a CV:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2950896.stm

As for the issues of Visa application, I would suggest contacting the school in advance, well before sending in your application. You would indeed need to arrange a visa with working permissions, and these are now far less easily available to travellers from outside of the EU and the British Commonwealth. Once you have discussed the issue with the school, then you can check with them whether it is okay just to indicate 'Visa required' on the form.

I wish you luck in your application

Michael