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kirby42
Joined: 14 Nov 2014
Posts: 55
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 Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 3:49 pm Post subject: Preparing for an interview |
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I have an interview coming up for teaching abroad. It'll be done via Skype. What sort of questions would I be asked? At the moment I'm brushing up on basic grammar points and going over potential classroom situations in my head. What questions have you been asked in the past?
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 5:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Depends on the job and the location really. You need to provide more information. |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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| MuscatGary wrote: |
| Depends on the job and the location really. You need to provide more information. |
That would help.
General categories of questions that I've been asked in the past include:
1) Teaching Style -- e.g., How would you explain _discrete point_ to a group of intermediate students? How do you build rapport with students? What do you typically do on the first day of class?
2) Technology (for countries and schools where it is available) -- e.g., How do use technology in the classroom?
3) Scenarios (vary widely depending on context) -- e.g., How would you respond to a student who needs to miss two weeks of class due to a family emergency? Tell us about a situation with a student that you wish you had handled differently?
4) Diversity (primarily, I think, a concern in U.S. contexts) -- e.g., How do you handle diversity in the classroom? What is your experience with students from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds? This category could, of course, cover things like diversity in age, physical or learning disabilities, learning styles, etc.
5) Institutional -- e.g., What is the difference between teaching at a two-year college and a four-year college? What is the difference between teaching at a language institute and a university?
6) Generic Interview Questions (of the type that you'd normally be prepared to answer for any entry-level job interview) -- What is your greatest strength? What is your greatest weakness? Where do you see yourself in five years?
One thing that might help, which I often do, is to carefully read over the job description for the position that you're applying for and, then, prepare sample interview questions based on the job description. You'll likely find that most stuff in the job description falls into the categories of likely questions listed above but, occasionally, you'll find an item or two that doesn't neatly fit and, later, actually comes up in the interview.
And finally, remember that Google is your friend. Try doing a search on "Sample Interview Questions for ESL Teachers" or "Sample Interview Questions for Language Institute Instructors in China" or whatever fits your situation. You'll come up with more than enough sample questions in a matter of minutes. |
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kirby42
Joined: 14 Nov 2014
Posts: 55
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| Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks.
It's in Eastern Europe and it's my first time applying for an ESL job. Job is just general English teaching for teenagers and adults. |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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First time applicant I'd probably be trying to asses if you could hack working abroad. Have you ever lived in another country? Did you travel on a gap year. They may quiz you on pedagogy and grammar especially if you haven't got a recognized tefl qualification.
Anyway stay calm and good luck. |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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| kirby42 wrote: |
Thanks.
It's in Eastern Europe and it's my first time applying for an ESL job. Job is just general English teaching for teenagers and adults. |
Sounds like fun! Keep us posted on how it goes. |
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kirby42
Joined: 14 Nov 2014
Posts: 55
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| Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Also, what sort of hours a week would a newbie teacher be expected to work? I've been told that 30 hours can be quite rough if it's your first year. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 10:14 pm Post subject: |
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| kirby42 wrote: |
| Also, what sort of hours a week would a newbie teacher be expected to work? I've been told that 30 hours can be quite rough if it's your first year. |
The number of teaching and prep hours are topics you'd bring up during your interview. Since this forum is for general discussions, you should also post your questions over on the specific country forum. (Your potential employer may even be mentioned.) |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 12:58 am Post subject: |
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| esl_prof wrote: |
| MuscatGary wrote: |
| Depends on the job and the location really. You need to provide more information. |
That would help.
General categories of questions that I've been asked in the past include:
1) Teaching Style -- e.g., How would you explain _discrete point_ to a group of intermediate students? How do you build rapport with students? What do you typically do on the first day of class?
2) Technology (for countries and schools where it is available) -- e.g., How do use technology in the classroom?
3) Scenarios (vary widely depending on context) -- e.g., How would you respond to a student who needs to miss two weeks of class due to a family emergency? Tell us about a situation with a student that you wish you had handled differently?
4) Diversity (primarily, I think, a concern in U.S. contexts) -- e.g., How do you handle diversity in the classroom? What is your experience with students from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds? This category could, of course, cover things like diversity in age, physical or learning disabilities, learning styles, etc.
5) Institutional -- e.g., What is the difference between teaching at a two-year college and a four-year college? What is the difference between teaching at a language institute and a university?
6) Generic Interview Questions (of the type that you'd normally be prepared to answer for any entry-level job interview) -- What is your greatest strength? What is your greatest weakness? Where do you see yourself in five years?
One thing that might help, which I often do, is to carefully read over the job description for the position that you're applying for and, then, prepare sample interview questions based on the job description. You'll likely find that most stuff in the job description falls into the categories of likely questions listed above but, occasionally, you'll find an item or two that doesn't neatly fit and, later, actually comes up in the interview.
And finally, remember that Google is your friend. Try doing a search on "Sample Interview Questions for ESL Teachers" or "Sample Interview Questions for Language Institute Instructors in China" or whatever fits your situation. You'll come up with more than enough sample questions in a matter of minutes. |
Two more categories of questions come to mind:
Get Acquainted Questions -- e.g., Tell us about yourself. or How did you become interested in teaching?
Wrap up Questions -- Do you have any questions for us? What's one question that we didn't ask that you were prepared to answer? Tell us something about yourself that we haven't already asked you about and wouldn't know from reading your resume. |
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santi84
Joined: 14 Mar 2008
Posts: 1317
Location: under da sea
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| Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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| kirby42 wrote: |
| Also, what sort of hours a week would a newbie teacher be expected to work? I've been told that 30 hours can be quite rough if it's your first year. |
Your first year will always be rough no matter what, that's just the nature of teaching.
Which comes to the very relevant question about teaching and prep hours - what is expected from this potential employer? What is expected from you as an instructor? If you are given a set of lesson plans and textbook, you may require less prep hours than someone like me (who is handed a key to a classroom and told "go for it!"). I spend a LOT of time prepping for my classes, but I've also done classes that required five minutes of photocopying. What kind of school is this and what are their expectations in terms of prep time?
30 hours for a first-timer is doable if you are given a good foundation of prep materials and guidance about what needs to be taught. If you are told just to do "whatever", you might double or triple that just in preparation (depending on your background, training, and desire to do well). |
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