ITP - 050: Building a Career with CV and Job Search Support

Greg: Welcome to the International Teacher Podcast with your hosts, Matt the Family Guy, Kent the Cat Guy, and me, Greg the Single Guy. We are recording episodes from around the globe to tell you about the best kept secret in education. That's right, it's teaching overseas. We're glad to have you join us.

Kent: Hey, it's Kent the Cat Guy, back to you with the ITP. I'm here with Greg the Single Guy. Tonight, Matt the Family Guy might make an appearance. We'll wait and find out, but we are so lucky. We've got a friend of the ITP returning. Jacqueline Malay, JP Mint Consulting, has once again joined the program, and I couldn't be more excited. Good evening, Greg. Good evening, Jacqueline.

Jacqueline: Good morning from Mexico. Thank you so much for having me back on. I really loved listening to our episode back in October when we first taped that episode, and I begged you to come back on because it was just so much fun.

Kent: Well, it's been a couple months—October, if I recall correctly. Greg, what do you suppose JP Mint has been up to since the last time we talked to her?

Greg: I think she has some news for everyone. I think she's celebrating something right now, Kent. That's why she's back with us. Welcome back, by the way. Jack, what are you celebrating right now?

Jacqueline: I am today celebrating my one-year anniversary. This was one year ago that I created this website, jpmentconsulting.com, and I decided to go into business for myself. I'm really excited to share some stats and facts about what this year has been like, working for myself on my own schedule here in Mexico.

Kent: I just want to say congratulations. Big round of applause for JP Mint and the one-year anniversary. Give it up for JP Mint.

Greg: Jack, can we just start off this show—give us a synopsis. Let the listeners know a little bit of what JP Mint Consulting is, and then we can talk about what's happened over the year. Give our new listeners a little bit about you.

Jacqueline: I have deemed myself an international teacher consultant, and I work for teachers. A teacher will reach out to me and say, “Hey, I need some help with my CV, my cover letter. I don’t know where to look for a job. I really want to go overseas,” or they’re already overseas and they are looking for their next position. They’ll reach out to me, and we’ll get the ball rolling from there.

I work on their CV, rehauling it completely—basically recreating a CV in my own way that recruiters and heads of school can easily read and find the information. A lot of times I give my clients homework. We’re all teachers, we all love homework. I give them the homework of what they need to add to their CV. These sections are bare bones, and we need more meat on the bones. I highlight the areas that they need to work on. Then they come back to me and say, “Okay, I think it’s ready to go,” and I take a look at it. Then they make it into a PDF and they’ve got a new CV.

It’s the same with a cover letter. Cover letters are very rigid in the sense that heads of school and HR need to see certain information before they can consider somebody as a candidate. If they don’t see the ability to get you a work visa right away, they’re not going to keep reading. So a lot of that is expressing that information right at the top of your cover letter.

Greg: I want to say thank you for helping me out. I hadn’t looked at my resume in probably 15 years or really modified it. When you went over it with me, we had a meeting—we did a video conference together. You had already overhauled the whole thing. You had written up a nice cover letter for me that I would fill in with specifics for the school I was sending it to.

I sent out several more cover letters this time than I ever had, just because I had one. It was a real no-brainer because of the way that you wrote it up. You speak the language of the recruiters. You’ve been in admin yourself, and you’ve been to many schools around the world. It really helped to have a separate set of eyes on there.

You polished up my resume. I’m very flattered—you did a great job. What I really like more than anything, Jack, is how much you stick with your client. It’s not just, “How’s your resume doing?” It’s more like you’re trying to help them find the right fit.

Tell us a little bit about how you do that in addition to just the CV and cover letter.

Jacqueline: That came out organically. It was never something I intended. But because I’m on a lot of websites and have a lot of contacts in the international world, I started seeing jobs that were the perfect fit for particular clients. I would email them and say, “Hey, have you seen this?”

If they hadn’t, they were off and running with the application. Then I thought, maybe I can actually do this—go through my network and different websites and look for jobs specifically for my clients.

I get excited when I have my first math teacher—now I can go look for math positions. Or my first PE teacher—then I search for PE roles. It all came from sifting through the internet and finding opportunities at great schools.

I vet the schools. I won’t send just any school. I want my clients to be happy, to have job satisfaction and quality of life. If I wouldn’t consider working there, I won’t send it.

For example, I sent a client a job in Kyrgyzstan. It’s a small school community, and those places often create that international bubble where your community is your school.

Greg: You’re working for the teachers, not the schools. That’s important.

Jacqueline: Exactly. I’ve had schools reach out asking for candidates, but if I don’t know the school, I won’t share my clients.

I have worked informally through my network. An admin friend needed a teacher, and I had several clients who fit. I connected things quietly, and two of my clients got offers. They went elsewhere, but it showed me how my network can benefit my clients.

Kent: How has the business grown over the year?

Jacqueline: In one year, I’ve written 21 blog articles with over 11,000 views. I’ve published 26 job search tips, done six podcast interviews, gained 120 subscribers, and worked with 43 clients.

The best part—75% of those seeking jobs for this coming year have already signed contracts.

Kent: Wow, congratulations.

Greg: That’s huge.

Jacqueline: The remaining clients are deciding between offers. I offer video calls to help them weigh options—package, job, and lifestyle—but I never tell them what to choose. It has to be their decision.

Greg: What you value might not be what someone else values.

Jacqueline: Exactly.

Greg: We’re also celebrating our 50th episode and two years of ITP. Consistency matters.

Kent: It’s exciting to have you here for your one-year anniversary.

Greg: Your success rate is impressive.

Jacqueline: My clients are heading to places like Ho Chi Minh City, Chiang Mai, Abuja, Budapest, Dakar, Guangzhou, Seoul, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Bangkok, Jeju Island, Mont Kiara, Addis Ababa, and Phnom Penh.

Greg: That list sparks the imagination.

Kent: And these are quality schools.

Greg: I can see a future where your clients form a global network.

Jacqueline: I joke about that, but I can see it happening.

Greg: Even when you’re not directly placing them, they give you credit.

Jacqueline: They do, but they’re the ones doing the work. I’m just supporting them.

Greg: Like a matchmaker.

Jacqueline: International matchmaker—I like that.

Kent: Your positivity and support really stand out.

Jacqueline: It’s hard for teachers applying to dozens of jobs and hearing nothing. They feel isolated. I try to boost their confidence and remind them of their strengths.

Greg: You’re part coach, part consultant.

Jacqueline: I wear many hats—CV support, job searching, networking, encouragement, and even transition advice. I’ve moved countries seven times, so I can help there too.

Greg: I’m excited to see how this grows.

Jacqueline: Once someone is my client, they stay in my network. I keep in touch and learn from their experiences. It expands my reach.

I call it the Kevin Bacon effect—we’re all connected.

Greg: That’s the international teaching world.

Kent: Let’s shift—what’s been challenging?

Jacqueline: The lack of immediate feedback. You put content out there and hear nothing, then weeks later someone responds. It can feel like you missed the mark, but then you realize it landed.

I love the freedom of my schedule, but working for yourself means working all the time.

Greg: It’s delayed gratification, like teaching.

Jacqueline: Exactly.

Greg: What about year two?

Jacqueline: I’m thinking about starting TikTok—short videos with CV and job search tips.

Greg: That’s where the younger audience is.

Kent: It’s worth trying.

Jacqueline: I need to figure out how to condense my thoughts into 30 seconds.

Greg: That’s the challenge.

Kent: Use what you already create—clip content, repurpose it.

Greg: ITP on TikTok soon.

Kent: I’m in.

Greg: What do you watch on TikTok?

Kent: Cat videos and Irish dancing.

Jacqueline: I watch travel and animal clips on Instagram—things like an emu interrupting a serious video.

Kent: Your homework—go watch TikTok and figure out your strategy.

Jacqueline: I will. I’ll ask younger clients for advice too.

Kent: What advice would you give someone starting out like you did?

Jacqueline: Just start. I waited, wondering if I was ready. Then I launched. You don’t need everything figured out. Build, connect, and grow from there.

Use your network. Reach out, ask for testimonials, and get your name out there.

Greg: That leap is the hardest part.

Jacqueline: It is.

Kent: What surprised you?

Jacqueline: How invested I became in my clients’ journeys. Their success feels personal.

Greg: That’s powerful.

Jacqueline: It’s why I do this.

Greg: Final thoughts?

Jacqueline: If you’re thinking about teaching overseas, start exploring. There are resources and people ready to help. You don’t have to do it alone.

Greg: How can people reach you?

Jacqueline: Through my website, jpmentconsulting.com, or on social media—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and soon TikTok.

Kent: We’ll hold you to that.

Greg: Thanks for joining us, and congratulations again.

Jacqueline: Thank you. It’s been a pleasure.

Kent: Thanks to our listeners for joining our 50th episode.

Greg: Here’s to the next 50.

Kent: Absolutely.

Greg: Until next time, this is Greg the Single Guy.

Kent: And Kent the Cat Guy.

Greg: Saying, take care.