ESL / EFL Administrator Home | ESL / EFL Jobs Home

---------------------------------------------------

The ESL / EFL Job Interview

---------------------------------------------------

I pay close attention to what happens in the minutes before the class actually starts, the milling time when the students are either chatting or busily finishing their homework. It is always a great sign to me when a teacher immediately begins socializing with the students. After the lesson begins, I often listen to the teacher’s voice. Can I hear them from the back row? Am I falling asleep? Is their speech punctuated constantly with ‘um’ ‘like’ and ‘you know.’ I also pay a lot of attention to what the students do while he or she is teaching, because in the end, it all comes down to the students being happy.

A great thing to watch for is when something on the teacher’s lesson plan doesn’t quite work out, a chink in the chain. The way the teacher responds to that situation will reveal what I consider the single most important characteristic necessary in a good teacher, the ability to adapt. In my years of experience, probably only 1% of my lesson plans were followed exactly. A teacher must be adaptable due to the basic truth that people all learn in different ways.

If there is any employer who really wishes to put an applicant to the test, I’ll make a modest proposal. Prior to coming, inform the applicant that their interview will last two hours. Spend the first half-hour as an interview, and then tell them they’ve a half-hour to prepare a one-hour class. Give them the books, show them the library, and see what they can do. It maybe a bit hard, but if the teacher is good, they’ll do fine.

In my experience, ESL teachers and employers are a pretty non-confrontational bunch of people. I’ve never met any boss who showed any of Donald Trump’s zeal while firing someone. Likewise, anyone in the business knows that firings do not usually happen in one moment, but are actually a long painful process involving excuses, second chances, and intense frustration that can last months. No employer wants to go through this.

The only real solution to the yang of firing is to find the yin of hiring.

By Mike Dunphy

---------------------------------------------------

Mike Dunphy was born and bred in Northern Vermont. He joined the Peace Corps and began his teaching career in Estonia. Mike taught for two years at Kilingi-Nomme high school in Estonia, later moving to Prague to deal with businessmen. He has also lived in Italy, and Slovenia where he stayed until this past July. Mike currently resides in Boston, where he is the Director of Studies in a language school. He plans on moving to Istanbul in August.

---------------------------------------------------

 

---------------------------------------------------

Like this article? Let someone know! Click here to send it to a friend.

ESL / EFL Administrator Home | ESL / EFL Jobs Home

 

  • FREE Weekly ESL Jobs
  • ESL, EFL, TESL, TEFL -- Get weekly updates of the Hottest New Jobs direct to your inbox as well as easily apply to new openings!
  • Enter your Email:

  • We value your privacy    . We will not rent your email to anyone.