Job Discussion Forums

[Omeo]

Man, have I got a GREAT idea. Here's what I wanna do. I want you guys to post questions you were asked during your interviews and I'll post my honest answers and you critique them. Sound good? Awesome. Thanx in advance.

[canuck]

[Omeo]

[canuck]

[Omeo]

Thanks for the feedback. I don't really have any teaching experience aside from exchanging emails with a couple of friends I've met online in Japan and correcting their English as we go along. This is why I'm planning on taking a TEFL course before I start interviewing. Anyway, how's this for an answer?:

A good lesson should start by introducing a word or phrase followed by a few examples of how to use it. After that, the students should be given time to try to use the word or phrase on their own in conversations with each other or with the instructor. After that, the teacher should give a brief review of the lesson and ask questions of the student(s) to be sure they understand what they've learned. The teacher should not spend too much time talking so as to allow the students as much time to practice as possible.

Better?

[canuck]

Better. You have no teaching experience. Exchanging emails doesn't get you any credit.

You learn stuff when you take your course...stuff about drilling, pair work, teacher talking time and all that jazz. They will give you a base on what elements you can use in your lesson, depending on the type of lesson etc. If you're taking a TEFL course, revist this thread then and you'll be able to give more specific examples of what an example of a good lesson is. You'll also have some experience, assuming you're taking a course with observed lessons etc. Good luck.

[Omeo]

That's it? Anybody else? Any other questions? C'mon, this is a great idea. Everybody should do this. There should be a whole seperate message board in this site just for mock interviews.

[Omeo]

Since canuck has been the only one willing to offer any practice questions for the interview so far, I decided to scour the site and find some myself. Again, I would appreciate some feedback on these. Here goes:

Tell us about your overseas experience.

Well, during my time in the Army, I had the good fortune to be stationed in South Korea for about a year and three months. When I was told I was going, I felt the same way I feel about going to Japan; I was somewhat nervous, but mostly excited. I had a great time there. I took a bus to Seoul almost every weekend I could because I had friends there. I went hiking in the mountains twice. I went to a big amusement park/shopping center called Lotte World. I actually didn�t see as much of the country as I would�ve liked because I didn�t have that much free time to travel and it was hard to find someone to go with me, which I had to have since we weren�t allowed to go out alone. I found out shortly before I left that I could�ve been teaching English in Seoul on the weekends the whole time. What a missed opportunity. Other than that, I went clubbing in Tiajuana once, but I suppose that doesn�t count, does it? (Ha, ha)



Tell us about your previous jobs:

My current job, which I�ve been doing for about two and a half years now, is working as a caretaker in a group home for adults with mental disabilities. I�ve enjoyed working there. The other staff are a pretty friendly, easy-going group and the clients are charming and fun to work with. Part of my job is teaching the clients new behaviors and modifying current behaviors such as helping them learn how best to brush their teeth or how to wash and put away clothes. It requires some patience because, of course, they don�t always grasp what you�re trying to get them to do right away. Some of them don�t speak very well and a few don�t speak at all. You just have to be patient, keep trying, and encourage them. They�ll get it.

Other than that, I�ve had a couple of food service jobs. I delivered sandwiches for a deli and worked as a buffet attendant. You had to move fast and you sometimes had to deal with irate customers, but in that case, you just apologize for the trouble and do your best to solve the problem

Then, of course, there was my time in the Army. As a medic, I was responsible for maintaining equipment and medical records as well as treating patients for mostly minor injuries and illnesses under the supervision of a resident doctor. It really taught me accountability and enhanced my attention to detail.




Why do you want to teach English?

I decided that I wanted to get off the beaten path and do something different with my life. The idea of seeing the world and experiencing life in other cultures had always intrigued me and when I found out I could teach English in other countries I thought, �That sounds like a great idea.� I loved the idea of a career that would allow me to travel. Besides that, I�d be helping people. The reason I became a medic was because I wanted to be in a line of work where I would be helping people. Teaching English would allow me to see the world and enrich other peoples lives by providing a valuable service.



What�s your interest in Japan?

I�ve been interested in Eastern culture for a long time. I�ve always loved Asian food and philosophy. Japan in particular has fascinated me for years. The whole country seems to have creativity and energy to spare and it just looks like an exciting place to live. I think most Americans associate Japan with innovation. It�s seen as a technological trend setter; a testing ground for the future. It�s also the home of karaoke, the samurai, the tea ceremonies, and the geisha. Besides Buddhism, Japan is also influenced by Shintoism and Confucianism. Besides the standard assortment of anime most Americans are exposed to, I�m also a big fan of live-action Japanese film. The only Japanese cuisine I�m familiar with is sushi, which I�m not crazy about, to be honest, but then, perhaps I haven�t had good sushi. I�ve heard, though, that the Japanese eat a lot of seafood, which is great. I love seafood. I�m sure I�ll find plenty of great food if I get to go there. I also have a background in art and I�m interested in learning about Japanese art, particularly the calligraphy. I also have to climb Mount Fuji, of course.

I realize, by the way, that companies like yours are concerned about teachers getting lonely and homesick and wanting to go home. You don�t have to worry about that with me. Do I expect there to be an adjustment period? Of course. Do I expect it to be at least somewhat rough on me? Sure. But do I expect it to be so hard that I would seriously entertain the thought of quitting and going home? No. I consider that very unlikely. Teaching English is what I want to do with my life. There�s not job in America that I�m nearly as interested in doing as this. Will it be tough adjusting at first? Sure. Will my enthusiasm for the job fade when reality sets in and I�m actually doing the job? Maybe a little. But I�m not giving up. This is what I want to do.



Do you have a passport?

I DO have a passport. I actually got it shortly before going to Korea because I anticipated having the opportunity to take a ferry to Japan at some point. I never got to do that, but I still have my passport.



How long do you expect to stay in Japan?

I�d say a good five or six years. We�ll see how I feel about it then.



How much time do you need to prepare before coming to work?

Well, from what I�ve read on the internet, it�s usually two or three months between the job offer and the departure. That seems like plenty of time to sell my car, get some travelers checks ready, and sell or give away any possessions I don�t plan on taking with me. I�ve tried to anticipate every possible detail I�ll need to take care of, but there are some things I can�t or shouldn�t really do until I know I�ve got a job. I think a couple of months aught to do it, though. I�m sure as soon as I hear I�ve got the job, I�ll start spending every waking moment tying up loose ends.



Do you have any teaching experience?

Well, I logged a hundred and twenty hours at the Linguatec course. I realize, by the way, that if I do get to teach in Japan, the school I teach with will have their own methods they�d like me to use. I took the course to get an idea of how to teach English, but I knew that wherever I go, the methods will be different and I�ll have to learn more. I�ve also exchanged emails with two friends in Japan where they were helping me with my Japanese and I was helping them with their English. I would correct them on grammar, spelling, and punctuation. That�s about it, though.



What will you do if you have a young student in your class who is being disruptive?

Well, not to dodge responsibility for the situation, but it�s my understanding that the responsibility of dealing with something like that would lie primarily with the Japanese teachers I�d be working with, so I�d probably defer to their judgment first. Before I even begin teaching, I plan on talking to the other teachers and, if possible, the principal of the school about what they want me to do about that. I�ve read a number of suggestions on the internet. The ones I like are things like separating the disruptive students so they don�t sit next to each other, putting them in a chair outside the door with an exercise and telling them they can come back in when it�s completed, or just keeping them busy. If all else fails, perhaps we could get the parents involved.



Where would you like to teach?

Ideally, I�d like to teach in the biggest city you can put me in. Not that I mind teaching in small-town rural Japan; I grew up in a very small town, but I prefer city life with lots to do and see and plenty of opportunities to meet new people relatively close to my age. If I can�t get that, I�d like to be near the ocean, if possible.



What kind of students would you like to work with?

I don�t have any preference as far as their level of competency; I don�t care if they�re beginners who know almost nothing are advanced students who just need a little help. As far as the age goes, I prefer adults. I don�t mind teaching kids-I like kids-but I prefer adults simply because they�re more focused and more likely to be committed to the lessons.



That�s about all I can think of for now. Again, please, please lend me your feedback and please, please give me any other questions you were asked and/or that you think I might face. Thank you.

[Omeo]

Wow. A whole week and no feedback. Sure glad I thoughta this. Thanks guys.

[canuck]

[PAULH]

[quote="Omeo"]

[JimDunlop2]

Don't take it too personally, Omeo. I also post up questions and comments that get zero response. Somtimes people just don't know WHAT to say, or don't feel like they can provide quality feedback. Hey, be glad you aren't attracting troll responses... IMO that's worse than any response at all.

Anyway, I don't think I have too much to say either. The biggest problem here is that exchanging "mock interview" ideas over the net is a little bit unrealistic. I often do "mock interviews" with my friends in person -- as it better simulates being put under pressure, and having to come up with a good response on the fly, whereas this exercise is just plain preparation... There are many websites dedicated to helping people better answer interview questions...

Anyway, I can try to give you a few ideas -- but by no means should my opinions be taken as being anything more than just personal opinions...

[PAULH]

[Omeo]

Sorry about the whining guys. I didn't take it personally, I just thought this was a really good idea that was really gonna help me out so I got irritated when no one responded. I really appreciate the feedback. Next time, I'll try not to be such a grouch.

[fion]

Seeing I'm in the internet cafe anyway, I thought I'd just mention that 'do you have a passport?' seems an unlikely interview question to me. It's like 'do you have a head?' or something.

If you are asked about lesson planning, you could do worse than refer to the old 'presentation, practice, production' format. This means that first you present the grammar point, vocab, pronunciation or whatever you want them to learn, by overtly 'teaching' it using diagrams on the whiteboard or whatever seems appropriate. Then they 'practise' it, by using it in a safe, controlled context; maybe you just change a couple of words and they do it as a drill, for example. Then, in an ideal world, they progress to 'producing' the grammar point, vocab or whatever in a natural context, discussing something that interests them.

It's not rocket science, but the '3Ps' approach does generate useable lesson plans and it's a good recipe to follow if you are asked to teach a demo lesson.

You can also do '4Ps', where you start with 'pre-presentation'. In this case they try to do the production part before you teach them the language. It makes them aware of the gaps in their knowledge so they are more open to the 'presentation' stage.