
 
This has been derived from a genuine cover letter and is used with the originator’s 
permission. Details have been changed. Please do not circulate or share. 
 
 
42 Long Road  
London  
SE12 3AB  
31 January 2010  
School for International Students  
123 Educational Road  
London  
SW1 2BC 
 
Dear Anne Warwick,  
I was very interested to learn of your current vacancy for a Sessional Lecturer to teach Ethics 
in Global Business, advertised by jobs.ac.uk. I write to apply for the post as I believe the 
course content, the skills needed and the timing of the work all match my knowledge, 
experience and current situation particularly well. I enclose my CV to provide evidence of 
this, however I hope to highlight here the key reasons why I am so keen to be considered and 
what I could contribute to the School for International Students and your students. 
 
Firstly,  the  course  is  directly  related  to  my  main  research  area  of  corporate  social 
responsibility  and  the  PhD  I  completed  at  London  School  of  Economics  last  year.  My 
qualitative  study  took  a  global  perspective  to  the  issues  involved  in  ethical  business, 
investigating a number of case studies in relation to corporate responsibilities to the workers 
of  transnational  companies  and  in  global  supply  chains.  Being  able  to  teach  a  topic  so 
connected to my chosen field is always a joy and an excellent opportunity to drawn on in-
depth knowledge and to share up-to-date original research. I am delighted such a course is 
included in your programme. I can see this reflects the values of the School for International 
Students and your emphasis on the importance of international citizenship, which I share, and 
so  I  would  really  welcome  the  opportunity  to  work  with  you.  The  course  outline  is 
comprehensive and covers areas I am very familiar with. This is such an interesting time to be 
teaching this course: I already have ideas from my own research and current events that could 
be used to bring the issues alive for students. 
 
Secondly,  I  have  a  good  range  of  teaching  experience  gained  over  12  years  and  I  am 
particularly familiar with working as a sessional lecturer at short notice. This has regularly 
included  posts  where  I  have  been  responsible  for  convening  the  whole  course,  including 
lectures,  seminars,  student  support,  producing  course  materials  and  online  resources, 
assessment and administration. My previous teaching has involved a great deal of work with 
international students at different levels, including Americans, and I value and enjoy this. I 
am aware of the need for teaching excellence to involve high standards not only in the content 
of the course, but also in how well it is run. I prefer to make classes as interactive as possible 
to draw on student experience and I am always keen to learn of students' interests early so the 
cases and examples used can be tailored to the particular class, as well as to current news 
stories and events, including cultural ones. Your course lends itself well to this, as does your 
School’s approach of promoting a global perspective and encouraging students to maximise 
the value of their studies here. 
 
Finally, I am based in London with easy access to your Study Centre, am able to work on a 
self-employed basis,  and  the  timing of the  post  suits  my current  circumstances very well, 
meaning I am available to start preparing immediately. As my PhD thesis is submitted and I 
am awaiting my viva, my time is very flexible as I write papers from my research and lecture 
part time at Kings College London - at times that do not clash with your course. I would be 
grateful for the opportunity to discuss these points further with you if invited to interview and 
I am available at your convenience at any time on 6 and 7 February. However, my current