How Teacher Interviews Work (offline/online) – What to Expect. Questions You’ll Be Asked. How to Prepare.

Interviews are not only stressful but also an essential step in getting a job as a teacher. But with this comprehensive guide, you will ace your next job interview and land your dream teaching job at your favorite school. 

Before becoming a math teacher in China, I worked as a recruiter at one of the major banks in Canada. In this article, I will share everything you need to know about how teacher interviews work.

How to prepare?

• Resume and cover letter: 
  • Keep your resume and cover letter concise and related to teaching. 
  • And more importantly, make your resume looks nice, and don’t be vague on your resume. 
  • Check both resume and cover letter for spelling and grammar errors.
  • Take time to customize your resume to the school and job you are applying to.
  • And avoid sending out one resume to 100 schools. 
  • Tip: Do a little research about the school, the recruiter’s name. Instead of writing dear hiring manager, you can write “dear miss Amber from XYZ school.” 
• Scan of all relevant degrees: Properly label all attachments. 
• TEFL certification scan: Don’t just write a 120-hour TEFL course, instead provide details on where you got TEFL and what you learned. 
• Passport scan (your future employer will need to confirm if you are from a country they can hire) 
• Optionally: reference letters or supporting documents 
• Before you interview, learn how to market yourself as a TEFL teacher. 

What to expect during your interview? And how to properly answer. 

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

• Present: Talk a bit about your current situation
  • Past: Tell the school about any relevant experience, education, and TEFL certification (possibly any award you received) 
  • Future: Segue into what you are looking for and focus on what you will bring to the school.

Why would you like to teach English in the chosen country?

• Research the country’s culture, tradition, and what interests you. 
  • Avoid discussing politics and religions.

 Do you have any preferred age of students that you would like to teach? 

• Don’t lie; if you prefer teaching adults, be honest and tell the recruiter. Personally, I prefer teaching at the high school level.

How do you handle challenging students?

• Discuss a situation where you dealt with difficult students, how you handled it, the outcome, and what you have learned. 

How do you teach a class with different levels of English? 

• This is one of the most asked questions; you need to demonstrate how you differentiate, diagnose, and scaffold for students with different language needs and in a specific situation. 
  • Focus on conveying a calm and patient personality. 
  • Use examples where you went above and beyond to help students understand concepts. 

Why do you want to leave your current job? 

• Keep it positive. For example, you might say you are ready to take on more responsibility or try new things and grow. 

Do you have any previous teaching experience?

• If you have prior teaching experience, be concise and mention relevant experience. 
  • If you don’t, discuss the TEFL certification you have earned. 

How do you ensure that your students have understood the content delivered?

• Generally, TEFL teachers should expect proficiency in the subject with proper command. 

Do you have any questions for us?

• I would recommend asking follow-up questions because it shows you are listening and interested in what the recruiter said. And it also builds rapport between you and the recruiter. 
  • You might also ask about any challenge the school is facing. 

Interview Tips: Dos and Don’ts

Dos: 

• Genuinely smile during your interview. Smiling will help you make an excellent first impression, appear professional, and communicate self-assurance. 
• Be energetic and enthusiastic. Being energetic and enthusiastic will make your interview pleasant and will increase your chances of being hired. 
• Watch your body language: Ensure you appear approachable, confident, and trustworthy. Remember, you may be around children, and most recruiters are looking to create a safe and enjoyable environment for the kids. 
• Show a desire to help others: After getting hired by one of my employers, I asked the academic director what influenced their decision in selecting me. He said my desire to help others. Use examples to show that you care and easily connect with the people around you. 
• Research the school before your interview: 
  • Learn who they are and what they do
  • The type of programs they teach and their locations
  • Talk about what you like about the school from what you found on their website (this tip will almost always help you get the job)
• Answer grammar and teaching theory questions with examples. 
• Don’t lie about your salary expectations and your preferred location. If you only want to work in big cities such as Tokyo, Seoul, or Shanghai, then don’t apply to schools with no presence in big cities. 
• Prepare an introductory lesson relevant to the job if the interviewers ask you to do a mock teaching session.
• Ask the interviewer interesting questions to demonstrate your interest and dedication.
• Do keep any recognition you receive, such as 
  • An award for being a good teacher
  • Excellent feedback from your students
  • Certificate from attending a TEFL seminar

Don’ts

• Don’t talk too much and ensure you answer all questions clearly.
• Don’t burn bridges. If you decide to take another job at a different school, email the recruiter and kindly let them know. It is usually not a big issue, and besides, you might want to change school in the future, or your other job offer could fall through. 
• Don’t have any massive time gaps on your resume without saying what you were doing.
• Don’t say anything negative about your current or previous employers. It will make you appear as a disloyal employee. Stay positive and keep it short and sweet: I am looking forward to growing personally and professionally.
• Don’t undermine the interviewer: even though you want to appear confident, don’t try to undermine the interviewer. Let the interviewer finishes their sentences and lead the interview.