Are there any free sites that will give me more than just some sample letters of recommendation?

Question

I am needing to write some letters of recognition.

I am looking for a site that has several letters that have already been composed (full letters). I have found a few with 1 or 2 sample letters, and I have found more that give you just the first few sentences of the letter. I need something similar to libraryonline.com but do not want to pay $30 for something I am only going to use a couple of time a year.

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

I am a teacher and have been asked to write many letter of recommendation. The first time I was asked to do this I sought help from an experienced English teacher. He gave me a copy of a letter that he had written to use as a guide. It helped a lot.

Most of the info that you find on line gives advice to students about asking for a letter, but not to teachers who have to write them. Below is a list of some things that should be included. Hope this helps; ask a fellow teacher for help.

Recommendation letters are documents that tell the reader about the unique strengths and assets you have to offer the company or school. A recommendation is only beneficial if it is very positive.
A poor or average recommendation does not help and can even hinder your chances of entering the
program or obtaining the position you are seeking.

Ideally, this should include:
•A Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV) (list the sports and other extra curricular activities that they are involved in. Tell how they are an asset to the community)
•Colleges/Universities attended (or things that they have done within the high school such as tutoring)
•Majors (interests if this is high school)
•GPA
•Professional, volunteer, internship and research experience
•Projects you have worked on
•Presentations you have given
•Awards and/or scholarship information
•Career/future goals
•Memberships/professional affiliations
•Hobbies/extracurricular activities
•Type of job/internship or graduate school/continuing education program for which you are applying

Answer 2

First, pick your date or at least a time of year. Then, look in the phone book under "wedding." A lot of reception sites, caterers, bakers, florists will be listed there. Otherwise, look up the individual entries of "banquets", "caterers", "florists", etc. Then, call the places and book appointments. Start with the ceremony location and reception site, depending on which one is more important to you (if, for example, you already know where you want the ceremony to be, start there so you can ensure your date). Compare the services of each one, keeping in mind that not everything is equal. Location, appearance, packages, etc. will all vary, and you will have to decide what is most important for you. Then arrange food, photography/videography, dj, transportation, florists, and cake in that order. Florists and bakers can do more than one wedding a day, but photographers can't so they need to be booked first. Once you have the vendors, then focus on the details like programs, favors, centerpieces, etc. The vendor search can be a little overwhelming at first because it's a lot of phone and leg work, but once you get the hang of it you can overlap planning the details with planning the big stuff. The Knot has a lot of wedding planning ideas. They also have a handy checklist that you can customize to feature the things you want to include in your wedding. There is no reason why you need a wedding planner, and they often get you to spend more than you otherwise would want to. If you want any more detail, contact me directly. I loved planning my wedding!