TEFL Job Interview Questions: What to Expect and How to Prepare

TEFL can be a very rewarding career and there are many different opportunities out there for every type of teacher. You can teach in a variety of countries worldwide, teach online or teach in your own local city. You can work in a summer camp, volunteer teaching English to refugees and migrants or start your own TEFL school! The possibilities are endless.

However, to get to most of these opportunities, you’ll have to go through a job interview, sometimes more than one! This blog will talk you through some of the most common interview questions and how to answer them in a way that will help you shine.

General TEFL job interview questions:

Just like with any other profession, your interview will likely start out with some simple ‘get-to-know-you questions’. If you’ve ever had a job interview before, you can anticipate what type of questions you’ll be asked:

– How long have you been teaching?

– Tell me about yourself.

– What interested you about the job/position?

– What is your previous experience?

To answer these questions, just be honest. If you haven’t taught before, your interviewer will probably already know this from your application and they might adapt the question. Talk about any work experience you have and pull relevant skills from this to teaching. Do you have experience in customer service – if so, you know how to approach a range of people. Have you previously worked as an assistant? Then your organisation skills are top-notch! Any job can have transferable skills!

Remember that these questions are designed to start the interview in a relaxing way and to get to know you a bit. Let yourself relax and talk about yourself! Review the job requirements and research the school or company thoroughly. This shows that you are truly interested in the role. Show off your personality – this is important as it demonstrates what type of teacher you are also!

TEFL approaches and challenges

A common way to continue a TEFL job interview is to ask about specific techniques and ideas for the classroom and discuss how you would handle more challenging situations.

Some example questions would be:

– How would you encourage your class of teenagers to speak English?

– What is a fun game to teach vocabulary?

– How would you deal with a student who questioned your grammar knowledge?

– What would you do if a student asked you a question you didn’t know the answer to?

These are all practical things that happen in the daily TEFL classroom. Of course, if you are new to teaching, your answers might not be based on your own experience, but draw from your knowledge of your TEFL course and answer as thoroughly as you can. Remember it’s okay not to know everything, you can admit that you are keen to learn from the school and more experienced teachers.

Not knowing a grammar question is fine – show how you would deal with this in the classroom. Tell the student you will look it up for them and talk to them next class about it!

You will most likely be asked about your TEFL qualification, especially if you have no prior teaching experience. Reflect on your learning and show that you are ready to tackle the classroom.

You May be Asked:

– What’s the most interesting teaching approach you learnt about?

– Do you have experience writing a lesson plan?

– What challenges did you face studying your TEFL course?

Having faced challenges is not a negative thing at all. It’s how we learn and apply our knowledge. Admit if you found something difficult such as a particular aspect of the course, or the simple act of studying online might have been trickier for you. Explain the challenge you faced and how you overcame it to obtain your TEFL qualification. This shows you are a problem-solver and that you can stick it out to achieve your goals!

You aren’t expected to know absolutely everything about teaching in the interview. It is still a good idea to think about and even research the following type of question in preparation.

Including:

– How would you motivate a particular group of students (young learners, teenagers)?

– Can you handle classroom behaviour in an efficient way? How?

– How can you establish your rules and boundaries in the classroom?

– Tell me how would you teach more difficult classes (mixed abilities, large groups)?

Employers are also interested in knowing how you handle cultural differences in the classroom. This is especially true if you are to be teaching groups of mixed nationalities.

They might ask:

– How would you encourage a group to stop speaking their native language and start talking more in English?

– Explain how you would teach a group with low English if you didn’t have any knowledge of their mother tongue?

– How would you get your students to mix more and not only sit with their own nationality?

– Have you ever faced a cultural misunderstanding?

Let’s not forget your interview might be for an online position. In that case, you are likely to be asked questions related to teaching online and using technology.

– How can you motivate young learners in an online lesson?

– What would you do if a student had internet connection issues?

– How would you deal with a student having a lot of background noise?

– What would you do if you had a student who talked a lot in a group lesson?

– How would you continue if your internet connection wasn’t strong?

A potential employer will also check that you have suitable equipment for online teaching. They will be able to see this in the interview, so make sure you are up-to-date. You need a good camera, headset/microphone and a good, reliable laptop. Let’s not forget a strong internet connection capable of carrying out video calls and screen sharing. Have backup internet prepared. This shows the interviewer that you you are prepared for anything!

When finding any job, it’s important to make sure that the role is a good fit for you and your expectations. Employers will also check this during the job interview.

They might ask the following to flag any potential issues down the line:

– Are you willing to work weekends?

It’s perfectly okay to say no to this. However, if this is what the role expects, it’s better not to lie to try and please the interviewer. If you don’t want to work weekends, or you can’t then tell them upfront.

– How long do you plan to stay at the school?

Most schools and companies want teachers to stay for a few years. This provides consistency for the team and for the students. It’s good to express your interest in growing professionally with their team and making a commitment.

– What do you think of training sessions and observations?

When you are asked this question, it means that the director or supervisor will incorporate this into their ongoing training. They want to know you are willing to learn and grow as a TEFL teacher. Some of these sessions might be unpaid, so interviewers might want to gauge how you feel about this before you start teaching.

From your side, you should watch out for any red flags in a TEFL job advert or TEFL job interview:

Unwilling to disclose salary, even in the interview

You might be willing to ignore a lack of salary in an advert, even though this is not ideal. However, if the interviewer refuses to confirm any salary to you, then this is a red flag. Schools should already know what they’re going to pay you, after all.

A lack of support and training

Ask about the support available to you in terms of professional development and dealing with difficult students. It’s good to check if schools have policies in place to help you deal with anything that is out of your depth or job scope. If the response is that there is no training and no support, then you might need to consider whether this will be a positive environment to work in.

Asking for payment

Remember, you should never pay anyone for a job unless it is an organised internship programme. If a school asks for payment upfront, this is a big red flag that they are only after your money!

Ask about curriculums and resources

It’s good to know what is available to you and whether you’re expected to create your own lessons from scratch or whether you have a course book to follow. Of course, if the job requires you to teach private lessons, then you might have to plan them yourself as they will be catered to individuals. Ask what resources are available to you to help you with this.

Going to any job interview is nerve-wracking. Being prepared for what you might be asked is key to helping you feel more confident and ready for the interview. Remember, you shouldn’t rote learn any long answers as this will seem robotic and unnatural, but thinking about how you would answer questions is a good way to feel prepared. Be honest when you answer the questions and show you are willing to grow as a TEFL teacher and work as part of a team.

A TEFL job interview is your opportunity to showcase your skills, experience, and enthusiasm for teaching. By understanding the types of questions you might face and preparing well-thought-out responses, you increase your chances of securing a great teaching position abroad. Good luck!

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