1. Tell me how did you hear about this position?
If you have a reference or a referral (please be sure they are in good standing with the university, to the best of your ability, before name dropping!) then explain that. If you found it online you can say that too. I would suggest somehow bringing in why you wanted to work here or what you found appealing in the job description as well.
2. Tell me what do you know about [insert country name here]?
Only say positive things about the country you are going to. Make it sound like it is flawless and perfect. Don't offend your interviewer by pointing out their country's faults, no matter how true they may be.
3. Can you explain what's your motivation for teaching?
You're going to need to dig deep for this one. Is it because you want to do something rewarding? Fulfilling? Make a difference? Maybe you feel a calling to teach abroad, and you can't ignore it.
4. Tell us why do you want to come to [insert country name here]?
Make sure you answer this interview question by saying positive things about the country you want to work in. Talk about people you know who have visited and loved the country, or your own previous trips to the country. Don't mention how it is a convenient place for you to use as a base to visit other countries.
5. Tell us how do you like to spend your free time?
Don't say that you like to spend it at bars getting drunk. A better answer would be to say that you are planning to spend your free time in [insert country name here] by visiting different places around the country and learning about its culture.
6. Explain me about a time when you disagreed with higher management?
Tread lightly here and make it positive. Give a specific example from a previous job or teaching experience and how collaborating with higher management resulted in a better outcome.
7. Tell us how well can you manage a class whose first language is not English?
Here, you can talk about how it is extremely important to be patient, and be sure to tell each and every student about how they can learn at their own pace without any judgement whatsoever.
8. Explain me your experience with teaching adults?
The interviewer is wanting to find out not just about your experience, but that you know there is a difference between teaching adults and teaching traditional students. I suggest making this clear in your response.
9. Where do you see yourself in a few years as Online Teacher?
Another typical question is where you'll see yourself in the future. This is again one question that engages discussion and is used to further allow the respondents to open up about their hopes, dream, and expectations, and how they hope to manage those in the immediate future.
10. Tell us how would you describe your teaching style?
If they are looking for a ‘friendly, positive teacher', then say that you teach in a friendly, positive style. Also mention how you care about every student and will do whatever you can to help any student.
11. Tell us about your experiences have you traveled abroad before?
Sometimes experience with traveling abroad is a prerequisite for teaching English abroad, or it just helps your chances of securing a spot in the program. Here you can talk about if you've studied or volunteered abroad or if you've just traveled abroad for fun. Talk about the value you got out of it and what it taught you for future travels abroad.
12. Can you tell us what teaching experience do you have?
Even if you have no teaching experience on your resume, you will need to think of an answer to this common interview question. Talk about times you've tutored students in school, even times you've helped your younger brother with his homework. Just make sure you have a good answer to this question.
13. Tell us what did you learn from your TEFL? / Why don't you have a TEFL?
Pick something that shows you'll be a great teacher. A bad answer would be that you learned some grammar, as that implies you didn't know the grammar in the first place. If you haven't done a TEFL, then say you are planning to do one online while teaching.
14. Do you know how can ESL teachers ensure they're being understood?
The best thing teachers need is efficient command on the subject and an ability to convey their point across in an efficient manner.
15. Explain me your strengths and weaknesses?
This is a common question because it's a great opener, gets the ball rolling, and it allows for the respondent to open up and speak on his own terms without any hesitation. Discuss strengths from previous experiences that relate to the position, such as management, leadership, and organization. Don't go in depth about your weaknesses - just name a couple that you're working on and how you're working on them.
16. Tell us what do you do - or plan to do - to maintain discipline in the classroom?
Discuss that you'll make sure the lesson plans are highly engaging with some entertaining aspects to keep the students busy and out of trouble. If trouble arises, you'll follow the discipline procedures outlined by the school.
17. Tell us won't your family miss you?
Family is very important in many countries like China and Korea. Say that they'll miss you but you will skype them every week.
18. Why do you want to work here as Online Teacher?
Simple enough. You read about them online right? You learned about them in our forums right? You have heard great things about how they uphold academic integrity, how they stand behind their faculty, they communicate regularly, your colleagues love working there, etc. If you are applying to a faith based school be sure to mention this element.
19. Tell me have you ever had to troubleshoot any problems?
Use the STAR technique here: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Tell a story that demonstrates how you effectively handled some technical problems in a learning situation. If you have good problem-solving skills then promote those.
20. Please explain some of your positive guidance strategies?
Be sure the strategies you describe are developmentally appropriate and effective. It is best to share ones that you have implemented successfully, so you can use examples from your own experiences. Administrators seem to appreciate discussing guidance that reinforces positive behaviors and involves children in deciding how to work together in the classroom.
21. Tell me how much time would you give to a student?
It's easy to get carried away. In my early days of online teaching, I answered emails around the clock. Generally, I get back to the students in 24 hours or less, but I don't answer emails in the evening and on weekends. Some students require less support than others. Sometimes a short email will suffice. Sometimes, assignments require detailed feedback.
22. Tell us how would you deal with a troublesome student?
Say that you will try and be understanding, but if necessary you will deal with them according to the school's policy.
23. Explain me have you ever lived abroad before?
If you have, great! Talk about your fantastic experience abroad, and how it made you want to visit whatever country you are applying for a job in. If not, then make sure you show that you won't get homesick and quit after a month.
24. Tell us your experience teaching online?
Just like the question about your experience teaching adults, the interviewer may just be checking to be sure you know that there is a difference between the methodologies used and engagement level online than in traditional education. He or she is also looking for what your experience level is (“I have X years experience teaching in XYZ platforms teaching ABC subjects” is a nice way to start this one). If you have no experience teaching online, just be candid about it. “I have experience doing ABC, but I have yet to teach online. However. .I believe an online instructor needs to…” and this is where your teaching philosophy comes in. What does an online instructor need to do? What open source platforms have you used just to learn them online (Moodle etc)? Did you have experience as an online student that transfer into the classroom as a professor?
25. Explain me about a time where came up with something creative in your teaching?
Do you think outside of the box? Online teaching is for creative teachers. Ideally, if you can think of a technology-related idea, so much the better. Do you like to experiment with the internet to try new types of assignments or teaching strategies. Recently, I created a screen cast tutorial (I bought my own copy of Camtasia, a screen capture program) and created a video on how to revise a badly written document. The students liked it because they could scroll through it quickly or slowly, as they wished.
26. Tell us how do you plan to communicate with families?
Your answer should reflect the culture of the community in which you are interviewing. Find out the home languages spoken, the economic status of most families, and the kinds of family involvement encouraged by the school or program. Knowing these details, you can shape a response that demonstrates respect for the families. Would it make more sense to use email or to send letters home? Would it be beneficial to create a class website? Is there a teacher portal available? Be sure to mention that you chose a method because you are aware of the community demographics!
27. Basic Online Teachers Job Interview Questions:
☛ What experience do you have in e-learning and online education?
☛ What are your relevant academic credentials?
☛ What are you strengths?
☛ What are your weaknesses? How do you overcome them?
☛ What is your technology expertise?
☛ How do you stay up-to-date with the changing worlds of technology and education?
☛ How do you actively engage students in a virtual classroom?
☛ What methods do you use when providing students with individualized instruction online?
☛ What types of challenges have you faced in e-learning? How did you overcome them? What did you learn or gain from them?
28. Fresh Online Teachers Job Interview Questions:
☛ Tell me about a time when your computer crashed during an online learning session. What did you do?
☛ Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with another online educator.
☛ Tell me about a time when you had to implement a new type of software or online platform.
☛ Tell me about a time you had a real challenge engaging one of your students.
☛ What programs do I currently use?
☛ What software would I like to learn more about?
☛ What platform works best for students of X age?
☛ What programs are most helpful for students with learning disabilities?
☛ What software is the most effective for X subject matter?
☛ What do I use to assess students' performance?
Here you can talk about what you've learned from earning a TEFL certificate, or you could discuss creating lectures using the presentation, practice, presentation method. Arming yourself with examples, description, charts, and games is necessary. Using a planner or a calendar with alarms is also important to keep everything organized.
30. Tell us how are you going to fit this into your workload?
Try not to take offense to this question. Simple answers here will do wonders. If these scenarios apply, talk about them. 1. The other universities you work for only schedule you X number of times per year and you find yourself very often with far less work than you can handle. 2. You manage your time very effectively. 3. You never take on more work than you can handle and still provide quality instruction. 4. While your CV may seem as though you work for a lot of places, this has given you a lot of experience and scheduling is all over the map, with little consistency. Dean's tell me they want candidates who address this question candidly and honestly, and that they understand an adjuncts workload can be scattered and that it is very likely the candidate does in fact have time for the job.
31. What is your teaching philosophy as Online Teacher?
Expect an educational institution to ask you this one. If you have studied education at the undergraduate or graduate levels, inevitably, you will have had to discern what your philosophy of teaching is. Online teaching most commonly falls into the realm of humanistic (focused on the individual) teaching and behaviorism (focused on outcomes) approaches, so any authentic statement you can make about aligning with these two types of teaching will stand you in good stead.
Dean's tell me they are looking for candidates who know they need to
☛ 1. Follow university protocol first and foremost,
☛ 2. Communicate, 3. Try to reach the student,
☛ 3. Try to understand both sides of the issue when applicable,
☛ 4. Let the student's adviser know,
☛ 5. Re-engage the students to try to retain the learner.
With these items in mind, try to tell the story. Explain what the background is with no names whatsoever (no university names and no student names), how you handled it, and what the outcome was.
33. Tell us what would you identify as top-notch qualities to be a successful ESL teacher?
Talk about how it is essential that you should be passionate about teaching, empathetic to their students' frustration, and dedicated to helping others learn, and for that, you need to be proactive, patient, and have a sense of understanding that far transcends others.
34. Tell us how has your education supported your ESL teaching experience?
Here's a good opportunity to discuss English classes you've taken, where you've learned grammar in depth, and foreign language classes you've taken, which helped you learn how to empathize with students learning a new language.
35. Tell me what do your parents do for a living?
Don't get offended by this question. It might be illegal in many countries, but it is often asked as an ESL interview question. If you don't want to answer it honestly, then feel free to lie. Say that your parents are teachers and taught you lots about teaching or something.
