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**** The Solo Sensei Newsletter - Volume #17 ****
December 5th, 2003
Over 5500 readers Japan-wide.
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You are receiving this newsletter as part of your membership in
findateacher.Net. If needed, see remove instructions below.
IN THIS ISSUE
1. FindaTeacher.Net / SenseiSagasu.com News
2. Christmas Party - You're Invited!
3. Site Upgrade - Station Search Ready
4. Come Clean - Add More Credibility
5. Refresh and Win
6. Tips/Miscellany
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1. FindaTeacher.Net / SenseiSagasu.com News
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Thanks to all findateacher.net teachers for helping make 2003 our best year yet. It's great to hear how findateacher.net is helping teachers all over Japan earn a living, supplement income, or just earn some extra spending money.
We are sending out well over 1000 teachers contact information each week. In the findateacher.net database, there are currently 3850 active English teachers and 1278 teachers of other languages. About 1000 teachers are on break. Please be sure to put yourself on break if you are planning to take a lengthy winter vacation.
On another note, 290 guests joined us for the November findateacher.net / SenseiSagasu.com international party. We hope you'll be able to make it to our.......
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2. Christmas Party - You're Invited!
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Join the 2003 findateacher.net / SenseiSagasu.com Christmas Party set for Saturday, December 20th at Club Pure in Shibuya from 6:30 - 9:00 PM for a merrymaking night with a great mix of friendly people (mostly students, findateacher.net teachers, findateacher.net staff & related websites staff).
Over 200 guests are expected. We hope you'll be one of them!
DATE: Saturday December 20th
LOCATION: Club Pure Shibuya ( http://www.clubpure.com )
MAP URL: http://www.clubpure.com/images/kmap.gif
TIME: 6:30 - 9:00 pm
HOW MUCH?: 3000 yen for full open bar (beer/wine/cocktails) and snacks
Although looking for students is not required at findateacher.net parties, three teachers informed us that they were able to find new students at the November party.
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3. Site Upgrade - Station Search Ready
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Students can now look for you by station. Actually, about half of the current searches are those using the station search instead of the previous search method using prefecture-city-ward (ken-shi-ku). So, if you have not added your nearby station(s) yet, please log in and add them or your record will not be displayed properly to those students who prefer to search by stations.
http://www.findateacher.net
Log in and click "Edit Places / Stations" towards the bottom of the page.
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5. Come Clean - Add More Credibility
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In our constant quest to make findateacher.net database a place where truly good teachers can shine, and where students can feel confident in selecting a teacher, we have added more optional ways for you to add credibility to your findateacher.net record.
1. You may now send in a copy of your diploma and/or final year transcript from any high school, college, graduate school (etc.) noted in your findateacher.net record. A symbol will then be added to your record letting SenseiSagasu.com's browsing student know that we have proof of your educational background and/or teaching certification.
We are aware the most of you do not have transcripts and diplomas lying around your homes (we don't either) but now is one of those rare times when you can say that you actually found a use for them. Plus, its super easy to request these now as most schools have a website offering an alumni resources section. Often they are free.
2. Proof that you have taught or still teach at any of the language schools you have listed in your findateacher.net record may also be sent in to receive a different symbol (we love symbols). This proof should be a signed copy of a letter of recommendation from your previous employer OR most recent receipt of payment from your current school.
Please send these to: FindaNet, Ltd, PO BOX 195, Minato Post Office, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan 231
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4. Refresh and Win
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Five findateacher.net teachers will win the "Macmillan Essential Dictionary for Intermediate Learners" (value 2,900 yen). A user-friendly dictionary with over 45,000 headwords, phrases, phrasal verbs, 36,000 examples showing how words are used. Short and clear definitions use only 2,300 words. Special emphasis has been placed on contemporary vocabulary, such as computer language, new senses and colloquial language.
TO QUALIFY for one of these, refresh your findateacher.Net record (by logging in and clicking "Refresh") then email us at prize@FindaTeacher.Net before December 20th 2003 to let us know you want this Dictionary. Include your *postal* mailing address.
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6. Tips / Miscellany
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A. Please save the "Congratulations!" note that automatically goes to you when a student selects you. It often contains contact information that the student decided to tell you so that you can try to contact them first. Every day we get 2 or 3 requests for us to re-send this note to the teachers who acidentally deleted it. Of course we will re-send it but it may take some time.
A. Ring in the new year with an updated photo. Changing your photo is easy and quick. Log into the Record Control Center at http://www.findateacher.net and you can upload and crop any image you want. After we approve it (usually under 6 hours) you'll have a fresh photo for 2004! you can change it as often as you wish.
C. SInce our last Solo Sensei newsletter, 6 teachers were awarded 5000 yen each for letting us know that a school contacted them. For details on how you can win see:
http://findateacher.Net/solosensei/volume15.html
D. For those registered with a cell phone address, if you would like to get the longer messages we send please log in to the Record Control Center and add the email address of a computer based email account. We are working on a solution for this now.