How to Ace Your TEFL Job Interview

After completing your TESOL certification the dream of living and teaching English overseas mostly depends on how you perform in your interviews. Depending upon the organization's recruitment policies, your interview can either be face-to-face or via phone or skype. Regardless of the organizations recruitment policy, there are a few tips that we think can help you successfully crack your TESOL job interview.

1- A smile goes a long way!
As they say, first impressions last! It's very important that you're cheerful and polite during your entire conversation. This depicts a positive and proactive attitude, which is an essential quality for a TESOL teacher.

2- Present yourself well
Presenting yourself well provides a good impression and an upper hand in your interviewing process. Dressing smartly by understanding the local traditional culture will help you showcase your ability to be culturally aware and adaptable.

3- Speak clearly
Generally people whose first language is not English conduct most of the TESOL job interviews. Hence it's very important to speak slowly and clearly so that you make yourself understood. Most of the interviews nowadays are conducted over phone or skype, so it becomes far more critical to talk slowly and clearly. The simple rule here is, "if your interviewers don't understand you, then your students probably won't either."

4- Prepare, prepare, prepare!
It's always good to be prepared for your TESOL job interview by going through the preliminary information about school and your destination country. Spending some time thinking about the questions that are likely to be asked will help you ease out your worries and make you far more comfortable. Here are a few of them clubbed for you,

• Do you prefer to use text books or your own materials?
• How would you settle a group of lively students at the beginning of the class?
• Is this your first visit to (country)? How will you adjust to life in another country?
• Which levels do you prefer to teach?
• Have you ever taught before?
• Do you prefer to teach adults or children?

It's always handy to prepare a few questions that are likely to be asked in an interview. You don't really need to have answers ready for all them but it's always better to give it a before thought. In some face-to-face interviews applicants are asked to give a short practice lesson, so be prepared.

5- Show an interest
No one likes hiring people who don't seem interested about the school or the country they want to teach English in. So make sure you show plenty of interest in all the activities and have some knowledge about the country. This will portray your liking and keenness to teach English overseas. It also gives a strong impression to the interviewers about you being a perfect fit for the job.

6- Ask questions
Asking questions indicates that you are interested in the role. So don't be afraid. It's also important that you don't overdo it as eventually it might turn into an interview for the interviewer! Here are some questions that you may consider asking about,

• The number of teachers and student in the school.
• If there are any other teachers teaching English?
• Dress code, working hours, climate, local life and the activities that you can participate in for the functioning of the school.
• Duration of contract.

With loads of preparation, culturally appropriate dressing and enthusiasm you will surely be able to get your dream TESOL job. All you need to have is a friendly attitude and professional manor to teach English overseas. Lastly, remember that if things don't go well in a particular interview, don't worry! There are a lot of jobs out there and you will find one that suits you!

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