Job Discussion Forums

[ExpatLuke]

For all you newbies coming to Vietnam who have just completed your TESOL certificate, an invaluable skill to learn is not just passing an interview but also performing a solid demo.

Anyone who has taught for a few years can probably do a solid demo lesson with little to no information about the class they're going in to. But if you're inexperienced in a classroom this is an area where your lack of experience will really show. Developing a handful of excellent games and activities which can be plugged into any lesson is something extremely simple to do, yet many new teachers haven't developed these yet and are grossly unprepared for a lesson which is supposed to showcase your strengths as a teacher.

When asked to do a demo, there are a few small bits of information you should ask for and once you have these, performing an adequate demo should be a piece of cake, not taking longer than 30 minutes to prepare for since you should have your list of go-to activities already ready. The information you should ask for is as follows:

-What's the layout of the classroom? Once you know this you'll know how much freedom of movement you'll have and how easily conversations will be to facilitate.

-What are the ages of the students? Young children will obviously need different types of activities than adults or teens.

-What are the levels of the students and is the classroom mixed levels? While most of your go-to activities should be scalable for level, this is good for your own mental preparation.

-What material will I be teaching? Most schools in Vietnam will provide you with 1-2 pages from a book to teach a 60-90 minute lesson on. This should be no problem for you as a trained teacher.

-What is the length of the lesson? This will let you know how many activities you need to plan and prepare for.

-What materials and resources will I have access to? Boards? Computers? WiFi? Etc.

With just the information listed above, planning full length lesson with all your best activities should be a breeze.

Plan a well rounded lesson and realize if you're teaching kids, the focus will be a fast paced, active lesson. Avoid passive learning where it's mainly choral repetition or the teacher just talking to 1 student at a time. Avoid a reading activity unless it's specifically included in the material given to you. Include at least one writing activity or game, but not writing a paragraph... Make it a pair or group writing activity. Include a review at the beginning of what the students have already been taught. Include a pronunciation activity and a listening activity. Make your presentation of the new material clear and understandable.

Of course many of the lower qualify schools in Vietnam won't require a demo lesson, but the popular trend for the better schools is to require this for all new potential hires. So if you hope to work for one of these better schools, be prepare to give a strong demo.

I have written this because recently I've seen so many terrible demo lessons by teachers who had excellent interviews. I encourage all new teachers to fine hone this skill. Ive executed demo lessons where afterwards the school basically begged me to take a position, and gave me a lot of power in salary negotiation. Whereas if you do a bad demo, you'll either not be offered a job or be offered the lowest starting salary.

[currentaffairs]

I have taught all over the world and never had to do a demo lesson. I don't think that they are particularly fair because the teacher has never taught any of the students before. Maybe ask for a video of the teacher in the classroom? At least on the TEFL courses you are assessed over a few weeks and can understand the dynamics and personalities of the classroom.

I do remember one interview that I had in Japan.. I had to do a psychology test, perform a charades activity to explain the images on the card in front of me, and then 'pretend' to teach (with no prior warning) one of the interviewers in a crazy roleplay activity where he was playing up!

[ExpatLuke]

[skarper]

I would rather do a demo lesson than not. It is as Expatluke says the easiest way to find out if you are a good fit for the school - and vice-versa.

I can imagine a lot of newer [and many experienced] teachers utterly fail at these. They may or may not be good teachers but to be able to prove it on a one off lesson with a new class is another story.

Preparation is key. If the school cannot give you a good answer to the question listed above [or the answers prove to be incorrect] it is a good signal about how professional they are.

A caveat to this trend is to be wary of schools interviewing a stack of teachers and getting most of a week taught for free!

I would be happy to do a 30-45 minute lesson free. But not a 90 minute one. If the job was juicy enough I'd be more willing to put myself out.

I did demo lessons once in Japan and once in Korea. I 'aced' the one in Japan but didn't get the job. Still baffled by this but maybe they had valid reasons. As usual it is probably a lucky escape on my part.

I got the job in Korea - no other candidates having showed up! This was a much better job than the typical hogwan gig. I'd never have done a demo for one of those.

I've done 'mock' lessons teaching an admin staff member or fake student a few times. I think it's pointless hoop jumping.

[currentaffairs]

Okay, I remember that I had to do two demo lessons during some interviews for high school jobs in the UK. The first school gave me two weeks' notice and a topic that I knew a lot about, the second called me on the Friday and asked for a demo on the Monday morning on a very obtuse theme! For ESL university jobs, I have never had to do a demo lesson.. I suspect it is not so much about the standing of the school and more to do with the whims of the administration. Did you teach in the UAE? I seem to remember reading that a number of schools request a demo lesson in the UAE..

[ExpatLuke]

[skarper]

I agree we would know if the school was scamming us for free lessons. Some of the newbies might not though. It's a stable mate of the old - teach the first week on trial/as training and only get paid at the end of the month. Some schools always have one or two new teachers on trial and working for free.

For an average to good job I'd be happy to do 30-45 mins. For a top job up to 90 minutes. It'd be nice to get paid for it but not essential.

Sadly, we are only talking about the top tier jobs that have any kind of professional interview/recruitment process.

I would also ask to observe the class 24 hours ahead of my demo, or observe the teacher who is going to assess my lesson. Maybe both. This could save a lot of aggravation in the long run.

[currentaffairs]

[ExpatLuke]

[kurtz]

Maybe another thread should be started such as "How to smell a rat" when applying for a job.

There is a good chance I am out of touch for entry level work, but if someone has a BA and a CELTA, is it really necessary to do a demo?

I know we have thrashed this out before, but in 10 years I have never had to do a demo. An observation lesson yes, but never an unpaid demo lesson. How commonplace are demo lessons?

I would smell a rat if I saw that as a part of the selection process; they either want you or they don't.

[ExpatLuke]

[nomad soul]

It depends on the employer; for some, it's standard for all job candidates. I've never taught in Vietnam, but at a private college in another country, I was required to present a 20-minute lesson on conditionals to a small group of Arabic language teachers. And I'm an experienced teacher with an MA in Teaching that included a teaching practicum. Apparently, the director was mostly interested in teaching style and personality --- how the students reacted to me. Plus, the program was new and focused on ESP domains (e.g., I taught business English and English for Legal Purposes). Another employer requested that I bring a short lesson plan to the interview to explain how I would teach X grammar point. Either way, both situations didn't faze me.

I could see a demo being required for new teachers as well as those who state they have years of experience but no references or documentation to back up their claim. However, the demo lesson should be short and not a full-blown 45-60 minute lesson. As for videotaped teaching demonstrations, they're not always ideal because 1) they usually don't show the students; 2) some teachers give a rehearsed performance rather than teaching; 3) the "students" in the video may not be real; 4) video can be edited; 5) it's too easy to submit a video of one's rare, best teaching moments; and 6) the teacher and/or the students may find the video camera intrusive and subsequently, come across as wooden or unnatural.

[currentaffairs]

Luke, I think you put it in rather black and white terms. Firstly, what university asks you to do a demo in front of students who you have never taught before? Are you taking up a slot in the schedule? Are you wasting everyone's time with unfamiliar material and in an unnatural environment just to jump through a hoop? An interview, good references and the requisite training should provide an employer with more than enough information. Anyone coming off a CELTA/Trinity TESOL will have already had x amount of observed lessons.

In a language school setting I can see the advantages of asking for a demo. However, as we have mentioned above, the school should:

1. Give at least a weeks' notice.

2. Provide a copy of the syllabus and the weekly plan or outline.

3. Provide material or resources as needed.

4. Set the demo up in agreement with the interviewee in regards to timing, level of students and the classroom set-up.

If the proper support is provided then I think a demo could be useful at times. The way I am reading Luke's messages it seems like 90% of the prospective teachers at his school were useless and grossly unprepared. Were they given enough support? Out of my four points above which ones were actually done? Was the recruitment process faulty?

[ExpatLuke]

I don't feel I'm painting it black and white. I've already said that there are multiple ways in which the demo can be executed (mock classrooms, actual classes, paid, unpaid, etc).

And I've also very clearly stated this is about new teachers fresh off their TESOL certificate with little to no classroom experience. If a teacher comes in with years of experience, recommendation letters, and delivers a good interview, a demo lesson might just be a formality or unneeded at all.

I've also been quite clear in stating that this is just recent trend I've seen with teachers who themselves are unprepared or unable to execute a good demo. 90% seems an antagonistic exaggeration. I don't know why offering advice for how to improve this skill is being met with resistance.

Personally, I'd be more wary of school which doesn't ask for a demo lesson and just hires teachers on the spot. Do they really care about the quality of your teaching? Most likely not. It's clearly more important to fill a classroom with a white face.

It is strange to me how the topic of doing demos so often stirs up such controversy. On one hand, there seems to be those who have had their degrees in TESOL and above average training, who are not "phased" by delivering a demo, as Nomad Soul said. I was always told when attending my TESOL classes to be prepared to do demo lessons... Perhaps this isn't instructed to those who just have their TESOL and an unrelated degree?

[kurtz]

Given that many teachers uproot themselves and move to another country, which involves a considerable cost, and that recruitment is a time consuming and expensive process if work visas and work permits are involved, I think demo lessons are unreasonable.

As an example, we had a teacher that wasn't up to standard after he did his required observed lesson. Instead of firing him, he received constant support and lesson planning hello and now he is one of the better teachers.

Another example was a chap who also had a dodgy first observation lesson. He was constantly late and after given a verbal warning and a written warning, on his third strike he was cut loose. He had only himself to blame.

In short, it is up to the school to help the teacher as much as they can. I think this is better than showing a teacher the door after a bad lesson, especially given the fact that he/she might have flown across the world for the position. Personally, I think HR is largely to blame.