TEFL English Teacher - Job Application, Interview Tips and How to Answer

As mentioned in our previous articles about being a TEFL English Teacher, often it is best to just show up looking for work. It indicates you are readily available and raring to go. However, doing this also attracts ambush interviews so it is best if you are always prepared.

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Below are awesome tips to make sure you shine during the interview when you’re applying for a TEFL teacher job.

10 Tips to Ace Your Interview for TEFL English Teacher Job

1. Dress to impress. Whether it is a Skype interview or a face-to-face one, you are one step ahead if you have dressed appropriately. Be sure to pack a set of an office-acceptable wardrobe inside your backpack for this purpose. This includes slacks, leather shoes, long-sleeved polo shirt and tie, and coat for men. Knee-length skirts and slacks in neutral colors for women, with collared tops and cardigans in neutral shades, or smart, comfortable, charming tops that are neither too sexy nor too dressy for classroom work, all with well-heeled pumps or closed flat shoes.

2. Research. About the company or academy, and think about what you can contribute to their organization if they decide to hire you.

3. Don’t just highlight your training, experience or skills. Tell the interviewer exactly what you are going to bring to the table, tell them how you are going to meet their goals.

4. Be punctual.

5. Maintain eye contact and smile.

6. Speak clearly. Adopt a natural, unhurried pace, and in good English, of course.

7. Learn useful phrases in the local tongue. Greet your interviewer in their language and see how they respond. Also, learning useful phrases in the local language shows you are serious in relating to them as an English teacher and reaching out to communicate effectively.

8. Ask questions. Particularly at the end of the interview.

9. Be ready. Come to the interview knowing your answers even before they ask all the questions.

10. Study! Anticipate questions and rehearse answers in advance.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers:

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1. Why do you want to be an English teacher?

"Teaching is not only a skill I got certified at but also a passion. English can open many doors for students and being part of their journey is something that really appeals to me, and makes me feel fulfilled. When my students learn as they should, it means I already achieved my goal."

2. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Identify your strongest skills and answer the weakness part with another strength. For example, one of your strengths is your keen organizational skills. Discuss the many situations when you were able to demonstrate this skill. However, explain how this trait easily gives way to a certain inner frustration when something does not go according to plan. You can consider this as your weakness.

3. What problems have you encountered and how did you solve them?

Focus on the solution rather than the problem. Here you can highlight your adaptability and your problem-solving skills.

4. What’s your approach to teaching English?

"My cue will always be the student’s level of understanding English." Explain how important it is to use strategies and materials that are appropriate to the level of your students. For example, the material can be a short anecdote in English. Focus on one aspect of learning a language. You can gauge what to focus on by measuring the student’s answers to your pre-evaluation. Allow students to give their own examples so they can give you cues on which opportunity to focus on. You can focus on improving comprehension, pronunciation and enunciation, sentence structure.

5. How flexible are you? What is your approach to teaching children? How about adults?

"I can adapt to changes, if necessary. I believe that the ability to be flexible makes difficult situations easier to handle."

TIP: Remember that children are naturally creative. Tap into creativity to capture interest and create engaging lessons. On the other hand, adults focus on useful details. They are likely to remember if you connect the lesson with actual skills that apply to their jobs.

6. How do you feel about working in a team?

"I believe that collaborating with a team works best when trying to reach a goal. The success of one means the success of the whole team as a unit."

7. Why should we hire you?

"If you are looking for someone who works hard to reach a goal, someone who takes their work seriously, someone who makes sure that students learn lessons according to plan, I am the best person for the job."

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