How to write a letter of recommendation in English. How to write letters of recommendation for schools and universities with examples

Drawing up a document for a trusted person confirming certain merits of a person and describing his strengths is not the easiest task. Most often, such a paper is drawn up by a former employer or simply a person acquaintances for an employee when changing jobs, upon dismissal, or for some other reasons. Such a document is called a recommendation letter, or letter of recommendation in English, and its essence is contained in the name itself. Any sample letter of recommendation from an employer or other person contains a description of the strengths of a particular person, his capabilities and advantages. And the person, in turn, provides this paper as proof of his experience. There are certain rules for writing this document, so you should consider it in more detail and determine in what cases it is written and in what areas it is used.

For example, if an employee needs to receive a corresponding document from his place of work stating that he regularly performs his duties and has certain talents and skills, then he goes to his boss, who writes the text of the letter of recommendation. A document, of course, can be addressed to more than just one person. Thus, a letter of recommendation for a company is written with the aim of addressing the entire specific enterprise; Any example of a letter of recommendation to students is aimed at the head of an educational institution.

In this regard, it can be noted that there can be quite a lot of examples of letters of recommendation in English, and they are all used in different areas:

• letter of recommendation to a student for admission to a university. Such a document is usually prepared by a respected teacher or other person involved in the field of education. In Western countries, the preparation of such a paper is practiced quite often, and such a document is called a letter of recommendation for student from professor. As a rule, the main goal is to obtain a scholarship at a specific university (recommendation letter for scholarship). But there are also cases when a student needs a recommendation to move up the educational ladder, for example, when entering a master’s program;

• a letter of recommendation to an employee (recommendation letters for employees), drawn up by his former boss. A similar letter of recommendation is drawn up for the organization so that the other party has an idea of ​​the qualifications of the employee being hired and understands that the new employee was valued by management and had a positive reputation;
• a letter of recommendation to suppliers, informing, for example, that a particular client has a reputation as a conscientious partner with whom a transaction can be concluded without any fear;
• a letter of recommendation for counterparties to a particular agreement, for example, to be sent to a bank or other financial institution;
• A letter of recommendation for a project is considered a document confirming the qualifications of certain performers who are hired on the basis of an agreement on mutually beneficial cooperation.

Rules for writing recommendation letters

Regardless of whether the recipient of the recommendation letter is a university, an organization, or any other entity, it is important to maintain a certain business style when writing such documents.

So, at the very beginning of the letter you need to indicate the exact details of the addressee: name of the organization (or specific person), address, contact numbers. Further, the form of recommendation paper provides an opening statement by the so-called guarantor. This is the person who takes responsibility for recommending a person or group of people. When addressing, for example, the director of a certain company, the guarantor describes the type of activity of the person he is writing about, joint work experience and other desired information. This is followed by a detailed professional description: achievements, valuable qualities, career prospects, etc.

Despite the formal style, there is no fixed shape. It may be better if the text of the document does not resemble a form with dry data. The recipient must understand that the guarantor is vouching for a specific person or several people. And this, in turn, will give him respect for the person being described and his merits.

Although there is no rigid format, there are still some useful phrases, and each template can make things easier for the guarantor. Before writing a letter of recommendation, you can pay attention to them and use one or more standard structures:

· I am writing on behalf of... - I write on behalf of...
· I am pleased to contact you with the description of... - I am pleased to contact you with a description...
· I would like to draw your attention to the fact that... – I would like to draw your attention to the fact that...
· It will be superfluous to note that... – It would be worth noting that...
· In addition to the above-mentioned merits of... - In addition to the above-mentioned merits...
· I can say only good things about... - I can only say good things about...

As a recommendation letter example, you can give a letter of recommendation from an employer describing the qualities and merits of his former subordinate, who decided to take a new job:

Dear Mr. ...,

My name is … I am a former employer of Mr. … and I am pleased to contact you with his description. It would be pleasant for me if you paid attention to Mr. …since he is a valuable employee who is able to professionally perform his duties. During our joint work with Mr. …, we did not have any disagreements, he clearly fulfilled his tasks and had rather high ambitions and a talented approach to solving complex problems.

I am pleased to recommend him as a responsible employee. I hope that in case of any questions, you will contact me, and I will be happy to contact you.

With deep respect,

Signature

Thus, the procedure for drawing up letters of recommendation is not very complicated, and the document itself can be useful if it is drawn up by a competent person who has a certain authority and respect. Otherwise, the value of such paper is unlikely to be appreciated.

Useful phrases for making a request to the guarantor about the so-called letter of recommendation (Letter of Reference, a Western analogue of the job description that was common in our past), as well as for drawing up the letter of recommendation itself by the former employer.

At the end of the page there are useful information on the topic Letter of Reference

• reference— 1. reference 2. footnote 3. reference 4. mention 5. recommendation 7. person giving the recommendation 8. attitude
• apply for- apply for
• Grateful— 1. grateful 2. grateful 3. grateful
• ability— 1. ability 2. skill 3. dexterity 4. talent 5. competence
• be satisfied with- to be satisfied (with something)
• satisfactory— 1. satisfactory 2. sufficient
• demand— 1. requirement 2. request 3. need 4. (eq.) demand 5. need 6. make demands
• require— 1. to order, demand (something) 2. to need (something)
• request— 1. request 2. requirement 3. request 4. application
• redundant— 1. redundant, excessive 2. dismissed due to staff reduction
• disposition- 1. disposition, placement 2. disposition 3. (to) predisposition (to something), inclination (to something) 4. character, disposition
• hardworking— 1. hardworking, diligent 2. efficient
• reliable— 1. reliable 2. durable 3. trustworthy, trustworthy 4. trustworthy
• hesitation- 1. hesitation, doubt 2. indecision
• on his behalf— 1. in his interests, in his favor 2. on his behalf

Is your student planning to continue studying abroad and has asked for a Letter of Recommendation? This task should be approached with all possible attention, because your reputation as a teacher is at stake!

Before you agree, decide: can you write a letter of recommendation in a positive way? If you don’t have a high opinion of a person or simply don’t know him well, it’s better to refuse immediately - it’s in your common interests.

To begin, have the student provide (preferably in writing):

• a story about what he is interested in, what he does outside of school hours and what he has achieved in this (for example, he is the captain of a football team);
• a text about why he wants to enter a given university, why he thinks he is ready for this;
• some universities develop their own form, which indicates which points must be included in a letter of recommendation;
• a stamped envelope with the recipient's address (if you have to send the text yourself).

It would be good to talk with the student, discuss his goals in study and career, choice of university, and any extracurricular activities that can be mentioned in the text. Find out why he turned to you.

The letterhead of your educational institution will give the text credibility. In general, follow the standard rules of business correspondence (some of the features of written business language we discussed earlier). It is necessary to accurately name the addressee. As a last resort, “To Whom It May Concern” (“To All Interested Persons”) will do.

Part 1. Introduction

Depending on which university the letter of recommendation will be sent to, it is written in American or British English. We discussed some differences in one of the previous articles, and you can check the nuances with your teacher at regular or distance English courses.

Part 2. Characteristics of activities

It's not just about studying. Perhaps the student worked as a laboratory assistant for you, gave lectures, or helped classmates in some subjects. The more details and specifics, the better, but outright exaggerations should be avoided - the admissions committee will not accept them at face value.

Part 3. Personal qualities

Although the conversation is about intangible things, specifics are still appreciated. Comparisons are in order.

It is not enough to say: “Mary is a patient mentor to her peers” (“Mary patiently taught her classmates”), one must give an example. You should also avoid ambiguous expressions.

Part 4. Summary

Emphasize the most significant characteristics and formulate a conclusion:

A teacher I know sent us a reference for a student who is going to live in America. I decided to post it here as an example:

Ivan was a press photographer in the editorial board. He always ran all errands in good faith. Ivan was engaged in the thematic class hours, in all class evenings; moreover, he was engaged in mentoring work with young children. He participated in all school activities: the staging of patriotic military songs, ceremonial review, memory watch, school subject olympiads, events devoted to healthy lifestyles. He participated in the city conference “Mind of the heart”, dedicated to a healthy lifestyle.

Ivan enjoys football, basketball and swimming in his spare time. Three years in a row he has participated in local sports competitions “Presidential race”, in which the team took the third place in the city. Ivan is a hard worker. He participates in all labor matters in the class. He is brought up in a large close-knit family, where the relationship between the parents is good and trustworthy. Ivan, as the eldest child, helps in raising the younger children. Parents attend all class meetings. They are aware of all school affairs. Ivan is very sociable, kind, sensitive, sympathetic, honest, principled, balanced, friendly. He freely gets into contact with teachers and classmates. Ivan enjoys respect and love among peers.

Translation of student characteristics into Russian:

Ivan had a permanent assignment in the class: a member of the editorial board - a photojournalist. He always treated all assignments conscientiously. He took part in conducting thematic classes, all class evenings, and was involved in mentoring work with younger schoolchildren. Participated in all school events: staging of a military-patriotic song, drill review, memory watch, school subject Olympiads, events about a healthy lifestyle. Participated in the city conference “Mind of the Heart”, dedicated to a healthy lifestyle.

In his free time he likes to play sports: football, swimming, basketball. For three years in a row he participated in the city sports competitions “Presidential Competitions”, in which the team took third place in the city. Ivan loves and knows how to work, takes part in all work activities of the class. Ivan is being brought up in a large, friendly family, where the relationship between his parents is good and trusting. Ivan, as the oldest child, helps in raising the younger children. Parents attend all class meetings and keep abreast of all school affairs. Ivan is a very sociable person, kind, sensitive, sympathetic, honest, principled, balanced, always friendly, and freely finds contact with teachers and classmates. He is respected and loved among his peers.

Letter of recommendation provides objective information about a person, guarantees his high business qualities, and emphasizes personal abilities. This is a personal review of one person about another.
Among letters of recommendation in English, there are three types of letters:

• a review from a former employer about their employee, it is used when applying for a new job,
• feedback from a teacher about his student, used to continue education or when applying for a job,
• a review by a private person of his good acquaintance or friend, which serves as evidence of the high moral and business qualities of the recommended person.

1. Letter header. If the recommendation is written by a former employer or teacher, then the name of his organization, its address and telephone number are indicated in detail in the header of the letter. This information may be useful to verify the validity of the recommendation. In the recommendation of a private person, this point is omitted.
2. The following indicates the date the recommendation was made.
3. Below is a description of who the recommendation is addressed to. If there is no specific person or organization, then the phrase To Whom It May Concern: (to interested parties) is written.
4. And finally it is written Reference for Mr... (Recommendation for Mr...).
5. The body of the letter of recommendation in English begins with information about the time of work (acquaintance) of the recommended person in the relevant organization. This confirms the fact of working with the recommended one.
6. In what capacity (position) did he work?
   
7. The following describes professional and personal qualities. Any achievements of the recommended person are also mentioned here. His strengths.
8. A direct recommendation for a new place of work for the recommended person is written in a separate paragraph.
   
9. The final part of the letter asks you to contact the recommender for additional information.
10. At the end of the letter, after the name, the position of the recommender is written, as well as any contact coordinates (telephone, email).
11. A simple letter of recommendation in English must be signed and, preferably, with the seal of the organization.