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TEFL interview questions

Five Common TEFL Interview Questions

TEFL interview questions

 

When it comes to your first TEFL interview, what kind of questions should you expect? How can you prepare for this kind of interview? Whether you have teaching experience or not, there are a few TEFL interview questions that you should be prepared to answer.

 

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TEFL Interview Question #1: Describe a lesson that you have planned that went well. Why did it go well?

In this question, you want to show the interviewer two main things: you can plan a lesson, you can reflect on your own performance. For this question, keep it simple and make sure you describe a lesson that can be easily followed by someone who wasn’t in the classroom (the interviewer). Explain the goal and whether or not you achieved it. If you have never taught a lesson, that’s ok, describe a lesson you have planned and why you think it would go well.

 

TEFL Interview Question #2: Describe a lesson that you have planned that went badly. Why did it go badly?

We all have bad lessons, or at least moments of our lessons that didn’t go as according to plan. Show the interviewer that you have reflected on your own performance and you are capable of learning from your mistakes. They want to see that you can solve problems because inevitably, there will be problems in an EFL classroom. If you’ve never taught, talk about some areas in a lesson plan where you anticipate that there may be a problem and how you would solve this. On the TEFLPros 120-hour course, we walk you through how to do this in your lesson plans.

 

TEFL Interview Question #3: Tell us about how you have adapted to cultural differences. What things about ____ country’s culture is different from your own?

Cultural differences exist across so many parts of life, you can easily answer this question whether you have lived abroad or not. For this question, identify a cultural difference and explain how it differs from your culture. Then explain how you adapted. It’s also a good idea to do some research about the country you’ll be teaching in and what some of the specific cultural elements are so that you can make an educated prediction about how you might adapt.

 

TEFL Interview Question #4: Explain XYZ grammar point.

The interviewer wants to see here that you can actually TEACH English and not just that you know it. This is why a good TEFL course is so important. Many people are under the impression that knowing English is the same as being able to teach it. It’s not. You need to know how to explain tenses and the nuances of English grammar in order to be an effective teacher. Obviously, there is SO much more that goes into being a good teacher, but on a basic level, you need to know your grammar.

 

TEFL Interview Question #5: How would you manage XYZ situation in your classroom?

They want to see that you can manage a class in order to avoid problems and disruption. TEFLPros dedicates an entire module of the course to discussing classroom management tactics. Some of the things interviewer may ask about are how to manage ill-behaved students, how to physically set up the classroom, how to manage a large vs. small class, how to manage young learners, how to handle an emergency etc. This is another test of your problem-solving ability. Think back to your own days in the classroom and what problems teachers may have had and how you could solve them.

 

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Your TEFL interview will go smoothly if you prepare for it. Just like an interview for any job, make sure you know a little about the organization you’re applying to so you can tailor your answers to their needs. TEFLPros includes a full interview and resume guide for all registered students. Our goal is to prepare you to get the job of your dreams and keep it! Good luck in your interviews!

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