[absentminded]

I've been unemployed for a year and six months and I'm getting interviews at the moment for teaching jobs abroad. The problem is I don't really have any references apart from a report by my tutors on a teaching course and one of the interviewers wants to contact my previous employers and this is hard because I asked one of them for references a few months ago and they didn't reply back. I've told the employer that I haven't been in contact with them for a long time and it might be difficult to get references from them. I'm on edge at this stage. I try so hard to make a good impression at interviews. I do my best to answer the questions well. I have qualifications and I have no criminal record and sometimes when something is imperfect during the interview, that can spoil my chances of securing the job. I hate asking people for references, because I've always been paranoid of what people of think of me. I'm always afraid they'll say no. I've always been very humble and introverted. I'm so anxious for the future. Sometimes I just feel there's no hope.

Have you done any volunteer work? If so, those can be used for references as well.

[StrongerMan]

Right there with you in hating to ask for a reference. The ones I had have gone stale. I've been out of work too for even longer and am embarrassed to contact these people again even though I know they'd be glad to hear from me. I just don't feel it's genuine to not be in contact for so long with people and then call them up out of the blue for a reference. I have been trying to volunteer to get some new ones. But I have gotten jobs in the past with old references and I don't think the place even called any of them or, if they did, cared about not reaching them. They were just desperate to hire someone decent. But today's job market is not so forgiving.

[absentminded]

Originally Posted by unguy

Have you done any volunteer work? If so, those can be used for references as well.

Hi, I have just been offered the job now,. You're right, I should've done volunteer work before. It would have helped me a lot with my personal development and for references.

[absentminded]

I'm with you there, Stronger Man, I'm emigrating as I've tried for a year to secure a job in my country that I've come to the point where I'm accepting that I'm never going to get a job here. It's okay though as I want to travel, I don't want to be cooped up here.