CASE #023: Guide in Applying for RQA Part 1

RQA stands for Ranking of Qualified Applicants which is a list of qualified candidates for teachers in the public-school system. I remember my professor back during the time I was earning my CPD units for Education once told us that if we really would like to embrace the challenge of teaching, we should try teaching in the public schools.

I believed her. Though I did not go to a public school during my elementary and secondary years, I believe her because my aunt was a public-school teacher for more than 30 years. I have practically grow up in the public-school environment because she would often involve me in every activity they have in school.

The cramped and hot temperatured classrooms, student population ranging from 50-100 in a class, lack of books, dirty toilets, dilapidated blackboards, lack of school facilities, etc. All the horrors and problems facing our public-school system today have been existing even during my Tita’s first day of teaching. Hence, it teaching has truly become a challenging career.

To make the long story short, I gathered all my courage and determination to brave the waters and applied as a public-school teacher. So, how can one apply as a public-school teacher?

Disclaimer: This guide was based on my own experience only. The process may be different depending on the Division Office in your area. I only applied for the Division Office in Pasig City, so these “rules” could only be applied within Pasig. There might be some differences with the division offices in your area so it would be best to visit them and consult.

For you to be able to teach in the public schools, you would have to undergo a ranking process. There are requirements that would need to be submitted to the nearest elementary or high school in your area. For Pasig City, they follow localization scheme which means, your will need to apply for the position in the public school nearest to your residence.

Waiting for the Call

The DepEd (Department of Education) Division Office will release a memo addressed to all district offices and their respective supervisors ordering them to start accepting teacher applicants. This memo also includes instructions on how to apply and the requirements that would need to be submitted.

Sample memo from DepEd

The memo is usually posted on the bulletin board in your respective local division offices and schools. In case the office/school does not have a bulletin board, you can drop by the Personnel Department and ask for it. You may also visit Facebook pages and blogsites that your division office regularly maintains. Some division offices are able enough to update these pages for announcements like this.

Preparing the Requirements

Requirements may vary from time to time. It will all depend on DepEd’s advisory, so you really have to read the entire memo to be sure.

Below is the list of some of the requirements that they generally would ask for:

• Transcript of Records (With proper notation such as, For Employment, or For Board Exam, etc.)
• Diploma (Make sure its’s not from Recto!)
• Certificate of GWA or General Weighted Average (Manual computation will no longer be accepted)
• Certificates of Trainings and Seminars attended
• Certificate of Employment (if you have teaching experience)
• Latest NBI Clearance
• Barangay Clearance or Proof of Residency
• Birth Certificate
• Marriage Certificate (If you are using your maiden name in your transcript and diploma)
• CSC Form 212 Personal Data Sheet (go to http://application.deped.gov.ph/ and register. Once Registered, fill in the required information then print a hard copy.)
• Omnibus Certification of Authenticity and Veracity of All Documents (should be notarized)
• Letter of Intent (in formal format, and duly signed)

You need not to worry about submitting the original copies because the evaluation committee will only be needing a photocopy of all your documents. So, make sure you were able to photocopy all the documents. Then, file it neatly in a long folder.

I would suggest that you use a fastener in filing your documents instead of a slide folder. This way, the evaluators can easily flip through each page and validate your qualifications conveniently. Remember, this is your first attempt to impress them. So, IMPRESS!

It would also be helpful if you are going to include a table of content, tabs or labels on the side for easy browsing, and dividers to introduce them to sections (i.e. education, training, seminar, teaching experience, etc.) This would come in handy to those applicants with a lot of documents in their portfolio. You should also include a title page that indicates the purpose of the file (i.e Pertinent Documents for RQA, Requirements for Application, etc.) and your name together with the application number in your CSC Form 212.

Again, the purpose if for the evaluators to immediately see your qualifications, and, also to IMPRESS.

Submission of Requirements

Once you have finished filing your documents, it is now time to submit them to the nearest elementary or high school within your barangay. In case, there is no high school within your own barangay, you can go to the next barangay and submit there.

Make sure you have two to three copies of the files that you are will be submitting. Some schools may require two copies and you always must have your receiving copy. You will submit this to the principal of the school you are applying to. If the principal is not around, you can ask an appointment with the assistant principal.

Wear decent, presentable clothes. It would be best to come in business attire. You can wear a dress just make sure that it is not too short. Ladies can wear slacks. Wear a formal footwear. If you can, wear closed shoes, do so. For men, it would be best to don that leather shoes you have stacked away for ages. Make sure it’s clean and shiny. Again, remember, you are making a good impression. You must look good.

If you have extra piercings some where in your face, you should remove the earrings or accessories that would only emphasize its existence. If you have visible tattoos, you may consider hiding it for a while. Face it. You are applying as a public-school teacher. The standards of a public-school teacher in our country requires you to have that level of decency and morality above than what is just socially acceptable nowadays. Yes, they are still the traditional and conventional types. You should be virtuous as all times.

I would also suggest submitting your documents early in the day. That way, the principal is not yet too busy or too hot-headed to deal with you. Teachers are usually in school by 6:00 am or 7:00 pm. Principals, however, can come in up to around 8:00 am. You have plenty of time in between to come in with your documents.

Take note. Never come in during lunch breaks. Teachers and principals love savoring their lunch hours. Well, who doesn’t? So, it would be best if you would come either way before that time or after. Do not make them feel that they must cut short their breaks to accommodate you.

Be polite and courteous. Remember, you are applying for a job and you could probably be dealing with some one who already had earned his or her doctorate degree. Treat them with respect. Some principals are too sensitive when it comes to that. But don’t be too arrogant. Confidence is good. But if there is one thing that government employees hate, that is arrogance. Anyone with a condescending tone or look will immediately earn the ire of all of them. So, keep your chill.

Prepare for preliminary interviews. Some principals would conduct on the spot interview. They could browse through your documents at once and ask some questions. They will also point out what documents you lack. When you lack documents, they will return your file to you. You will have to resubmit it once completed. But you can also negotiate with them. Others would still accept your file and would just ask you to come back with the additional documents. It varies from school to school.

Have them sign your receiving copy. This is very important because your documents can be lost in tons of files that comes into their office every day. When that happens, then you would have to resubmit again. Or worse, they could deny ever receiving your documents. Better safe than sorry.

The Waiting Game

After submitting your documents, then you would have to wait for the deliberation. Officials in the school will evaluate your clarifications and then you will be called to take the English Proficiency Test (EPT), interview and the demo teaching. You can wait for the school to call you, but it would be better if you could just visit the school and follow up with them personally. That way the principal of the school and other officials will get to know you personally. That would reflect your determination and show how serious you are in vying for the position. Extra pogi points for you!

In my case, I went straight to the division office to get the official list. You just must be patient because you will never know the specific time when the list would come out. It may entail several visits to the division office or school.

Once you see name in the list, you will have to go the venue of the exam, interview, and demo teaching at the time or schedule stated in the list. It’s game time!

to be continued...