PalFish: Creating your applicant profile

Get Hired: PalFish PalFish: Get Started PalFish: Creating your applicant profile

The PalFish initial application form is relatively straightforward, asking for basic information on your name, nationality, date of birth, address, etc. as you would expect from any job application. However, there are two parts which are a little more complicated: creating your text self-introduction and recorded audio introduction.

Text self-introduction

Your text self introduction is not only assessed as part of your application, but also forms the introductory text on your profile when presented to families (don’t worry, you can edit it later if you wish!).

In general, my top tips would be:

Highlight your relevant qualifications and experience at the top.
Explain why you love teaching English and how much you are looking forward to teaching them.
Discuss your teaching style – do you love props, focus on key learning objectives or enjoy pronunciation/ accent training?
Mention your hobbies and interests to inject some personality into your introduction!
Use simple and clear English, structured with bullet points or short paragraphs.
Use loads of emojis!! These are very popular in China and also help kids/ parents understand your English.
Add a simplified Chinese translation of the key highlights at the top (Google Translate is great for this, or reach out to me via PalFish after using our referral code to receive a personal translation).

Audio introduction

Your audio introduction is primarily intended to allow PalFish to check your English pronunciation and grammar, while also being helpful for parents to hear from you more directly. It must be a minimum of 30 seconds long and should essentially introduce yourself and summarise any key points you would like to highlight from your application.

Here are some top tips for your audio introduction:

Sound enthusiastic and cheerful – don’t record it on a day when you have a croaky throat!
Make sure you have no background noise or disturbances, so the audio is perfectly clear.
Speak clearly and a little slower with simpler English to ensure you are easy to understand.
Avoid putting on a fake accent or “baby voice” – instead, show off your own, authentic accent and voice.
Summarise a few key points from your profile, e.g. your previous experience/ qualifications/ love of teaching kids.
End with a positive message about how much you are looking forward to seeing them in class!
You can keep re-recording it until you are happy, so just give it a go!

Note: Once you have applied through our referral link, you should be able to view my own profile to listen to my audio introduction!

Teaching certificates

All PalFish teachers are required to have an English teaching certification of some form (although you do not need a degree). This must meet the industry standard of a minimum of 120 hours of training, as well as being accredited and having a unique verification code which PalFish can use to confirm its authenticity.

The majority of teachers have a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) or TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) qualification.

If you do not yet have one, you can sign up for our 120 hour TEFL course here!

Other recognised certifications include the CELTA, DELTA, and Trinity CertTESOL qualifications. Note however that, although PalFish does accept some nationally recognised teaching credentials, they do not recognise UK PGCE certificates as they typically do not include a verification code and are not aimed at teaching English as a foreign language.