Can you help me succeed in an interview?

[kamalika_s]

Dear Aunty Lucy,
I am a qualified EFL teacher,returning to teaching after 2 years.I taught at 3 different institutions during summer months in 2001 & 2002.I became a Mum last year and as you can presume,it has changed my lifestyle totally.I am not a native speaker of English,though my teachers say that I have native-like competence in English.
I am applying for a few jobs close to home but am concerned about the interview.Can you tell me what kind of questions I can expect and the answers to them?As you can understand,I don't have a lot of experience in teaching EFL,it will be of immense help if you could advise me.
Thanking you for your help,

[Lucy]

Dear Kamalika,

Maybe your first question to yourself should be what area you would like to teach in. This could be teaching young children, teens or adults; work with adults could be general English or specific areas like IT, medicine etc. Consider your own preferences, experience and possibilities in your town.

Make a list of your skills, talents, personal qualities and qualifications. Then go back through your career history and write down what you learnt in each place you worked at. This can include teaching techniques, people skills or things you learnt about yourself. Remember to add anything relevant since you stopped working. I find it helps to get this down on paper. This will serve two purposes: 1) it will remind you how much you know and so boost your confidence and 2) it wil prepare you for a lot of the questions that will come up in interviews. Think about the objections that employers could have about your status as a mother and have your own counter-objections ready. Remember to make it sound positive. Thinking about this and your CV will help you see where you are already strong and then you can work out from that strong base.

In an interview, you could be asked about where you taught and what sort of classes you did. Other common questions include your qualifications, teaching methods and favourite course books and materials (you could read up on these for the interview). You could also be asked about your current situation and how you hope to evolve. These are just guidelines as every interview is different.

As you are looking for a job, do you have references from past employers and students to support your application? If not, think about getting these and be ready to give them to potential employers in an interview.