Each year the Human Resources Office receives many inquiries about certificated applications from candidates wanting to present their paperwork in the best manner possible. In response we’ve compiled some tips on submitting your paperwork to assist you in gathering and completing your application packet.

READ THE APPLICATION CAREFULLY

Sounds simple, but some candidates accidentally skip over lines or miss something on the instructions. If you read the entire front page, and every line of the application, you will gain important information.

SUBMIT A COMPLETE APPLICATION

The list of supporting documents we require is on the front page of the application. If for some reason you are going to submit your application lacking a required document (e.g., “I’m waiting for my coursework to be posted before I request my transcripts”), please address that in your cover letter so that we know to expect your additional paperwork.

A WORD ON DOCUMENTS

We get a lot of questions about sources for letters of recommendation. Letters should be from a professional, rather than personal, source. In other words, someone you worked for rather than worked with. If you are seeking your first teaching position and haven’t had a supervising administrator yet, a good source might be your university supervisor, or perhaps a master teacher you worked with for your student teaching.

If you are submitting your application without a credential (if you are, for instance, finishing your credential program or hope to obtain an Internship), address that in your cover letter. We receive many applications from uncredentialed candidates, and unless you tell us your plans or timeline for becoming credentialed, it can be problematic. A valid C-19 letter from your recommending credential program is the only official document that can take the place of a credential for purposes of an application. If you are not submitting a copy of a credential or a C-19 letter with your application, please tell us why.

If you don’t submit official transcripts with your documents, good clear copies of your current transcripts will work, as long as you copy both front and back.

PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES

Current phone numbers for your references are very important. Remember, we may not be calling your references until late spring or early summer—will we be able to reach your references if it’s after school ends?  We recommend cell phone numbers as well as work numbers for your references, and of course home numbers are very useful.

I hope this information is helpful to you as you go through the certificated application process. Thank you for your interest in Tracy Unified!