How to Apply for the SSEAYP Programme and Survive the First Interview?
I was in need of a break and a change in 2015. I decided to apply for the Ship for Southeast Asia and Japanese Youth Programme, fondly known as SSEAYP. I remembered vividly that I sought advises about the application process from Anthony. He was a former participant of the programme and sat on the SSEAYP International Board then. He happened to be a facilitator for one of the plans on board too. He advised that it would be good to have a testimonial to go with the application. I supported my file with 2 letters of recommendation; 1 from Anthony and 1 from my former boss.
I would suggest attending the information session as well to have a better understanding of the latest installment. During the sharing session, there was the emphasis on “flying the Singapore flag high”, “you are representing the country” and “once in a lifetime experiences”. It may be a good idea to use the SSEAYP language too. This acts like a sprinkle of fairy dust in your statement as it sounds more personal.
在2015年, 我决定申请东南亚青年船（SSEAYP）计划。我记得从安东尼那里寻求有关申请程序的建议。他曾是该计划的参与者，然后坐在SSEAYP国际委员会。他也是其中一个计划的推动者。他建议我有一份推荐信。我准备了两封推荐信支持我的档案; 一个来自安东尼，另一个来自我的前任老板。
我建议参加信息会议，以便更好地了解最新计划。
Here’re some tips for the application process:
1. Be Neat!
I remembered using Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Reader to fill up the Application form repeatedly. It was a painful process as the file was not user-friendly. I printed out the document and used my neatest handwriting to fill up the form, and that was 3 years ago. I hope that you could now easily use software to fill up the form. Nothing pisses off an administrator if he/she can’t read what you are writing.
2. Check your documents before submitting!
Check that you have all the documents before submitting. You may have to forfeit your chance for any missing documents. You may want to note that it’s not the administrator's responsibility to tell you that you have missed out a paper. Your application may just be rejected.
以下是申请流程的一些建议：
1.要整齐！
我记得使用Microsoft Word和Adobe Acrobat Reader重复填写申请表。 这是一个痛苦的过程，因为该文件不方便使用。 我打印出文件并使用我最好的笔迹来填写表格。这是3年前的事。 我希望您现在可以轻松使用软件来填写表单。
2.提交前检查您的文件！
在提交之前检查您是否准备好所有文件。 管理员没有责任告诉您忘了一些文件， 因此您的申请可能会被拒绝。
HOW TO SURVIVE THE FIRST INTERVIEW?
Before the first interview, we were told to dress comfortably, preferably in pants and covered shoes. This is an obvious clue that there would be some hands-on activities during the interview. Around 50 youths turned up on the day of the event, and indeed we were split into teams for team bonding exercises. We even had to come up with a performance by the end of the day. In the midst of all the activities, the National Leader (NL) and NYC representatives would be giving you eye power, in other words, observing you. I would assume you know what to do, right?
The interview is similar to almost every other job interviews. Why did you join the programme? How could you contribute to the team? Blah blah blah... They could direct a question to the party too. The keyword here is TEAMWORK! Learn to agree to disagree.
第一次访谈
在第一次面试之前，我们被告知穿着舒适，最好穿着裤子和鞋子。 这是一个明显的线索，在面试过程中会有一些实践活动。 活动当天约有50名年轻人出现。 国家领导人（NL）和纽约市代表都会观察您。
面试与几乎所有其他面试相似。 为什么你要加入该计划？ 你能为队做出贡献吗？ 等等。。。。。。 他们也可以向党派提问。 这里的关键字是TEAMWORK！
Anyway, every country has different sets of criteria and ways to shortlist the ambassadors for the programme. Whatever that I wrote in this post is about my batch only. I am sharing my experience. From what I heard from other youths were that, for some countries, only 1 person would be shortlisted to represent their province/city/state. Over the years, even the format changed. For some years, only the finalists are required to go for the teambuilding exercise. Time has changed.
Application for SSEAYP opens annually. In Singapore, the programme is administrated by the National Youth Council (NYC). Details are available on their website.
Hope this post has been useful to you. Feel free to comment and share the post.
每个国家都有不同的标准和方法来列出该计划的大使。 我在这篇文章中写的是关于我的经验。 在新加坡，该计划由全国青年理事会（NYC）管理。 详情可在其网站上获得。
希望这篇文章对你有用。 随意评论和分享帖子。
x, Esther