The Inside Track: Getting Hired to Teach in a Canadian School

Christine Linge is a past director of the Toronto & District Parent
Co-operative Preschool Corporation, a freelance writer, and a bookseller
specializing in children’s literature.

Barlow S. Patten investigated the stages and methods of staff hiring
processes during his M.A. studies. The energy, clear-sightedness, and
humor evident in this volume make it easy to understand why Patten
became a principal at the tender age of 24.

The Inside Track progresses logically through the steps leading to a
job. In discussing the basics of the screening process, the author takes
into account the employer’s point of view with respect to incoming
applications. He goes on to address such topics as the essential
ingredients of résumés, making a cover letter stand out from the rest,
and acing the interview. His discussion of the latter includes general
tips on interviewer personality types and such formalities as who sits
down first, as well as advice on over 200 interview questions separated
into such categories as “Programming and Curriculum” and “Dealing
with Parents.” He also discusses contracts and how they differ in each
province and territory (NB: the book predates Nunavut).

Chapters on teachers’ federations, volunteering, and supply teaching
are followed by appendixes that are rich with resources, from the
“occasional teacher readiness checklist” to “homework ideas for
primary pupils.” A generous selection of sidebars is one of the most
attractive features of this well-organized, user-friendly, and highly
recommended volume.