Author: Carolina Hansson

Overview

Summary: TEFL qualified and ready to start applying for TEFL jobs but feeling a bit stumped on how to structure your CV/resume? Then, read on! In this mini guide we’ll take you through how to create a strong TEFL CV/resume, so you can land that job you’ve got your eye on!

Before we get going, just a heads up – we’ll be using the term ‘resume’ from now on, as this is the word used by most employers around the world to describe a CV / resume / biodata (a term sometimes used in South Asian countries). So, to avoid confusion with future employers, we’ll get you used to the word now!

We’ll also be applying some of the lessons we covered in another mini guide, Your Transferable Skills in TEFL, so it’s a good idea to read through that one first, if you haven’t already! That way, you’ll have covered the basics of preparing to apply before you try writing your resume.

The basics

Firstly, what do TEFL employers and recruiters look for in a TEFL resume? Knowing this will give you can have a clear idea of what it is you’re trying to achieve! Watch the video below, that has real employers giving resume advice to candidates, to find out more.

Top Tips (from the employers in the video, and us!):

• Keep it to 2 pages of A4 (max! Ideally 1 page if you can fit all your info on)
• Make the font consistent, easy to read, and an appropriate size (11 or 12 is best). Fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, Georgia, or Calibri are often used
• Headings should be in bold or underlined so that they are easy to identify
• Keep the layout clear and simple (no overcrowding!)
• Make the CV TEFL specific, don’t just reuse an old one, and ideally change the summary to match each job!
• Make the relevant information easy to find – be concise and to the point
• Include a photo – although this might be unusual in different industries, it’s standard in the TEFL world!
• Proofread, proofread, proofread! Typos and grammar errors annoy employers and show poor language and organisation skills (not something they want from a teacher!)
• Turn the document into a PDF before you send it out (to avoid formatting issues on different devices)

Take a look at this step-by-step resume writing guide to make it even easier to get the structure right.

⤓ Download resume guide (PDF)

The content

Now we’ve been through the basic outline, it’s time for the filling! The key content in your resume should be:

Your name and basic contact information

• Email, home address, phone number etc

A short summary / personal statement / profile at the beginning of your resume

• This should highlight your key skills and your most relevant experience / achievements

Your employment history

• Start with your most recent job and work backwards
• Put start and end dates next to each position – employers like a continuous history and you’ll need to have explanations ready for any employment gaps! (Don’t worry you can make these relevant too! E.g. “I travelled to Asia for 5 months to volunteer in new communities and experience new cultures, to ensure I was ready for working abroad”)
• If you do have teaching experience, as well as other employment experience, you can split the employment section into ‘Teaching Experience’ (list this first) and ‘Additional Work Experience’ (put non-relevant employment in this section)

Your education / qualifications and any relevant additional courses

• E.g., your TEFL certificate!

A short section at the end on your additional interests / hobbies

• Keep this very short and relevant (E.g. “I enjoy playing the piano in my spare time and I have taught lessons to local children on evenings and weekends for 2 years”)

References

• Ideally one employment-based and one academic (if you have been studying recently) or 2 employment-based ones
• If this combination isn’t possible, you can usually provide 1 character reference alongside an employment reference

Following on from our top tips in the basics section, remember that the worst thing you can do is quickly fire out your TEFL resume to every position you see without checking it or editing the content.

You need to take your time to research the position and employer first, so you can tailor the content of your resume, and proofread it thoroughly. Check out which employers / jobs you want to apply for by going to the LoveTEFL jobs board.

To be able to tailor the content, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why are you interested in this job?

Essentially, why do you want to be a TEFL teacher? And what experience do you have that’s relevant? (E.g., If you will be teaching younger students, you can mention babysitting or any other work / time spent with children)

2. What do you like about the company?

Why do you want to work for them? Are they innovative and forward thinking? Or well-established and well-respected?

Compliments go a long way with employers! Especially if you highlight something they are proud of themselves (what they are proud of will usually be made clear in their ‘About’ section on their website).

3. What are the key values of this company?

For example, if they value excellent communication, you should highlight your communication skills and experience. Again, their values will usually be clearly stated in the ‘About’ section of their website.

Tailoring your TEFL resume to the position and the company will give you a better chance at landing the job, so it’s worth putting the effort in initially!

Remember to also read Your Transferable Skills in TEFL first, to make sure you are making the most out of the experience you list in your employment history, and that you’re making it relevant to TEFL and working with children.

The summary/personal statement at the start of your resume is the perfect place to tailor your experience and key skills to the key values and requirements of the employer.

Once you’ve written your TEFL resume, try to keep it as up to date as possible, as you’ll need to provide the key dates for your previous work experience and qualifications when applying for jobs / filling in application forms.

Create your own 

Now it’s your opportunity to write your own TEFL resume!

Before you start, you should head over to the LoveTEFL jobs board to find out which jobs you are going to be applying for. Then, as we advised, you can make sure the content in your resume matches their requirements, so your resume stands out and clearly shows them you are the right person for the job!

You can use any resume template that you like – you might even have one already. If you don’t have one, and don’t have time to search for one, you can use our template! This can be accessed through Google docs or downloaded as a Word Document below.

⤓ Access resume template (Google Docs)⤓ Download resume template (MS word)

Examples

To help you to check the resume you’ve created, we’ve got 4 sample TEFL resumes for you to look through. Just remember, while you can use these examples as a guide, if you’re not happy with the structure and content you have, it’s not a good idea to copy the content of these examples word for word. You need to ensure your resume is personal to you, your skills, and your experiences.

⤓ Download resume example 1 (PDF)⤓ Download resume example 2 (PDF)

⤓ Download resume example 3 (PDF)⤓ Download resume example 4 (PDF)

If you want more advice about other aspects of the TEFL job application process, visit our Perfecting Your Application page, where you can find a number of other mini guides to help you out.

Good luck! And if you need any further assistance with applying for jobs, our jobs team will be happy to help you out!

Continue reading about: Writing a successful cover letter »

Overview

Summary: In this guide, you’ll learn why you might be asked to film an introductory video and what TEFL employers are looking for – and, more specifically, what they’re not looking for! By the end, you’ll understand what to say on camera as well as how to set up and film your introduction. You should come away with all the information you need to put together a professional, well-thought-out introductory video that you can send to employers with confidence.

In this guide we’re moving on to a specific part of applying for TEFL jobs – the introductory video. Whether you’re applying for a job in a classroom or online, you’ll almost definitely need to make an introductory video to go with your application. Recruiters like videos because they get to see your manner (and hopefully your smiling face!), hear your voice and get to know you a little bit before a formal interview. They can also help to ensure you have the level of English that the recruiter/school is looking for.

The practicalities

There are lots of things to bear in mind when filming an introductory video. Often, the employer or recruiter will give you some considerations or a brief before you film. These tend to deal with the practicalities of the video –such as the background or what you wear. Sometimes the recruiter will send you an example introductory video to watch before you start. Use this as a model but don’t forget to make your video unique to you – the employer is interested in getting to know you, not a copy of someone else!

Here are our top tips for filming an introductory video:

Background

You’ve different options here. If your introductory video is for a job application to teach children, you want to try and make things as bright and engaging as possible. This could mean a background of coloured card, or a brightly coloured wall, or a child-friendly English poster (like the alphabet, colours, or numbers) – you get the idea!

If your introductory video is for a job application to teach adults, your background can be a bit more sedate. You could use a plain background, such as a plain wall behind you, or a background that is relevant to teaching, such as bookshelves, a map of the world or some artwork.

Avoid filming in your bedroom with your bed behind you – this isn’t appropriate and comes across as unprofessional. The other thing to avoid is glare or lots of dark shadows as it makes it difficult to see you – so don’t film with a window behind you.

Clothes

In our experience, recruiters and employers want formal attire, similar to what you would wear to an interview. A button-down shirt or blouse is likely to be sufficient paired with dark trousers or a skirt. It’s unlikely the recruiter will be able to see your legs, but it’s best to look smart just in case. When it comes to colour, it’s best to wear a plain block colour instead of a pattern, which might not show up so well on the screen. And avoid wearing the same colour as the wall behind you – you might look like a floating head!

Camera and microphone

The equipment you use will really depend on the type of job you’re applying for. If you’re applying for jobs in a school, the standard of your equipment for this video isn’t too important. The employers just want to get to know you a little bit. However, if you’re applying for an online job, you might want to get a better camera than just the one embedded in your laptop. You might also need to invest in a headset with a microphone, which ensures there is a really clear audio recording. By using a microphone, you’ll help to block out any background noise or echo in your video.

What to say and how to say it

In this section of the course, we’re going to talk you through each stage of your video, so that you can begin to think about what you’re going to say. Although we really don’t recommend writing a script for your video, it’s a good idea to write some key words and phrases to help you form a base to work from.

It’s worth bearing in mind that you’ll actually only need to speak for quite a short time. This means you can really practise the recording and have several attempts, if you need to. We recommend rehearsing without filming a few times, then having a few practise attempts while you’re filming. If you make a mistake, just keep on going. Always watch the videos back, watching out for any odd habits you have, such as touching your hair, looking off to one side or saying ‘erm’ a lot. Then, the next time you film, try to avoid these as they can make you appear less confident.

Starting Off

Employers want to see that you’re friendly and approachable. Give the camera a big smile and a wave as you introduce yourself – a good starter is your name, where you’re from and where you live now, if different. From here, give one line summarising why your qualifications, experience and skills are perfect for this job. Keep it brief though – you’ll expand on these points throughout the video.

e.g. My name is Emily. I’m from New York and I currently live in Los Angeles. I’m a creative TEFL-qualified teacher with a degree in History.

Talking about your experience and qualifications

As we discussed in the CV course, it’s up to you whether you talk about your educational background or your work experience first. Whichever is strongest for you is the one you should put first. For example, if you have a lot of teaching experience or relevant work experience, talk about this first. If you have a degree, Master’s and a TEFL qualification but no teaching experience, start with this first.

You don’t need to give a lot of detail here but briefly outline the qualifications or work experience you have and the dates and locations. Like in your CV, focus on the transferable skills you have developed rather than your responsibilities if your background is not related to teaching. Make use of any prior experience you have – be it babysitting, lifeguarding or teaching guitar lessons.

e.g. After completing my degree at New York University in 2017, I trained as a TEFL teacher through i-to-i. I passed a Level 5 180 hour online course with a weekend practical course too, in which I prepared two short teaching practices. I really enjoyed this experience. Since graduating, I have worked in the university international admissions department. Speaking to students from countries all around the world has developed my communication skills. My job has also helped me to become more organised, especially when it comes to prioritising my workload.

Why do you want to teach TEFL?

When you’ve given a short overview of your background, move on to reasons why you are applying for this TEFL job. Have a think about your personal reasons for teaching English abroad and take the opportunity to show your passion and enthusiasm for teaching! Use the job advert to help you – if the job is teaching children, highlight why you want to do this – matching your interest to your background where possible.

Why are you interested in this teaching context? 

In the case that you are applying for online jobs, give the employer a couple of sentences on why you’ve chosen this option and what its benefits are for you and the learners.

e.g. I’ve applied for a job teaching children because I would like to inspire the next generation to be able to communicate with people from all over the world. Working with young people as a piano teacher has given me the skills to approach teaching in a child-friendly and fun way.

Why have you chosen that country/teaching online?

If you’re looking to teach abroad, finish the main body of your video with a brief section on why you have chosen a job in that country. The employer wants to know that you’ve done your research and that you are prepared to adapt to a life in their country. It’s a good idea to talk about the things you particularly like, especially relating to the culture.

e.g. I’m very excited to work in Vietnam and experience some authentic Vietnamese street food. I’d love to visit Halong Bay for its beauty and the Cu Chi Tunnels to discover more about the Vietnam war, which I’m interested in because I have a history degree.

If you’re looking to teach online, explain why! (Note: because you need extra money isn’t an acceptable answer for an employer!)

Finishing off

Finish the video with a final sentence thanking the employer and providing the best way to get in touch with you.

e.g. Thanks for watching – I’m really excited to find about more about working with you. I look forward to hearing from you – please get in touch via email. My contact details are on my CV.

Important things to remember:

In this video, your voice and pronunciation are really important – speak as clearly as possible so the employer can hear your ‘teaching voice’. Avoid speaking too quickly and avoid using colloquial language or slang as the person who picks up your video might not have an expert level of English.

Examples of introductory videos

Below you’ll find a few examples of good introductory video that can be used for applying to both classroom and online TEFL positions.

One of our TEFL graduates, Audrey Gillis (USA), has also done a webinar about how to create a great introductory video, which includes an example of her own. Check it out here:

Saving and sending

In many cases, you’ll need to submit your video by email, to an email address provided by the employer. In this case, simply attach the final file to the email and it’s good to go! This tends to work best if you save your video as a .mov file. If the file is too big, try putting it in a .zip file before sending (right click in My Documents, select New and Compressed (Zipped) Folder). Search online if you’re not sure how to do this, as the instructions are different depending on your operating system.

If neither of these methods work, it might be a good idea to upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo, setting it as private so the world can’t see it. You can then send a private link to the employer via email, who can then watch the video.

There are also several other websites you can upload videos to, such as Wetransfer and Dropbox, and then share the link by email. Search online for this if you prefer – there are a lot of options. Again, the instructions may differ depending on whether you are using a laptop, phone or tablet as well, as the operating system you are using, so make sure you pick the right one for you!

Creating your video

Now you’ve read through this guide and seen our examples, it’s time make your own! Use what you’ve learnt to create a really concise and professional introductory video. And be sure to watch your video through a few times after you’ve finished it, to check it meets the brief. It’s definitely worth it to ensure you make a good impression on potential employers. Good luck and remember to smile!

When you’ve created the video, you can make sure you haven’t missed out any vital information. Download our Rate your Introductory Video document and check each point against your video.

⤓ Access rate your video form(Google Docs)⤓ Download rate your video form (MS word)

Continue reading about: Mastering the TEFL interview »

Overview

Summary: In this guide, you’ll find out what a demo lesson is and what to expect. You’ll learn what kind of scenarios and materials you might receive and how to prepare for your demo. If you’re feeling a bit nervous about an upcoming demo lesson, expect this guide to put your mind at ease and prepare you for making a fantastic first impression. If you’ve already read our introductory video guide, this is our next recommended guide for you.

What is a demo lesson and what to expect?

In both in-person and online demo lessons, the employer wants to find out what you’re like in the classroom. They’ll be looking out for any number of specific criteria – from your facial expressions to your pronunciation to what you’re wearing – as well as your classroom management skills, teaching techniques and language awareness. It goes without saying that you’ll need to make a really good impression.

The school will always tell you the length of the lesson, the level and age of the students and any other important information in advance. Demo lessons can run in a few different ways, regardless of whether they’re online or not.

Materials you’ll need

You may be sent materials in advance or be provided with them on the day.

Materials sent in advance: here, you’ll receive materials for your lesson by email well before your interview. This means that you’ll have time to prepare for your lesson and put your spin on the materials. It also allows you to ask the employer if there’s something you don’t understand at this stage.

Materials provided on the day: in this case, you’ll usually be given some time to prepare before your demo lesson. ‘You’ll either be given materials to teach from or be given a page or two of a coursebook to prepare. Although this sounds quite scary, it means you can’t overthink what you’re doing – the only thing you can do is put what you know to good use!

Who are the students?

This is the tricky one.

In-person demo lessons

There’s every chance you will be teaching ‘real’ EFL students who go to the school. They might be attending your demo lesson without paying on top of their usual lessons there. This means you’ll get to show off your skills to a real class.

We’ve heard of cases where you might give a demo lesson to a member of the school staff, such as a receptionist. Here your student might pretend to have a lower level of English in order to make the lesson more effective. This might seem weird but it’s common practice. In some cases we know, candidates have unwittingly given demo lessons to the owner of the school who was using this method to vet who they were employing.

Depending on the situation, an observer may be in the room too. If so they’ll be watching you teach and making notes on the class. Don’t worry too much about the observer – they usually only take notes so they don’t forget things. In some cases, there won’t be an observer at all. Instead, the students will pass on their thoughts to the employer after the lesson.

Online demo lessons

Usually, when you are doing an initial online demo lesson, you won’t be teaching a real class but a ‘fake’ student, who is often an experienced teacher within the company.

This can sometimes be really weird – for example, the experienced teacher will adopt the mannerisms, accent and errors of a student. They might pretend to be a child or teenager or pretend to be from a different country and make lots of mistakes that they wouldn’t make in real life. If you’ve never done a demo lesson like this before, you might find it really off-putting and distracting. It’s best to just pretend that you’re speaking to a child – even if you’re not! This can be made all the stranger because the experienced teacher will speak to you normally before and after the demo lesson itself but slip into character in the middle!

Preparing for the demo lesson

Preparing your materials

If you’ve been given materials for your lesson in advance, it goes without saying that you’ll need to read them carefully and adapt them to best suit your teaching style. If possible, it’s best to print them off so you can write all over them and make any changes you need to. For new teachers, use what you’ve learnt on your TEFL course to help ensure the lesson will be logical. It’s a good idea to plan a lesson which is very communicative, student-led and ensures that students have learnt something new by the end of the lesson.

Researching the company

There are a few places you can look to see other people’s experiences when applying for jobs. Searching forums like Reddit or company review sites such as Glassdoor might bring up helpful anecdotes about what other people went through.

If you’re applying for an online job in a big company, it’s a good idea to have a look online for any demo lessons that have been uploaded. YouTube is a really good place to start – search for the company’s name and ‘demo lesson’ to see if there’s an example. If you don’t have any luck, there’s no harm asking the employer if they have a video you can watch to give you an example of what to expect.

Online considerations

Before you get into the online demo lesson, you’ll have to get set up and ready to teach online. This will usually include downloading some teaching software, playing around with the inbuilt tools and making sure your microphone and camera are working. It’s a huge advantage if you have a headset so that the employer can hear you clearly, rather than relying on the microphone built into your laptop – this can lead to quite muffled audio, which is made worse by echoes in the room you’re in.

You’ll also need to find an appropriate background to sit in front of – employers usually recommend a plain background, such as a plain wall, or something relevant to teaching, such as bookshelves or a map of the world.

If there’s anything you’re unsure about, ask the recruiter or employer for help or advice but only as a last resort. Where possible, research as much as you can yourself.

What happens during the demo?

At the start of the demo you’ll be introduced to the student – as we said before, this could be a real student or a recruiter pretending to be a child. Keep calm, keep smiling and do your best. It’s OK to be nervous. By preparing a professional background and getting to know the materials and software, you’ve done everything you can. That just leaves the teaching element! Speak slowly and clearly and ensure the student(s) understand everything before moving on. Pay particular attention to your instruction – giving too.

Getting feedback

After a demo lesson, expect to receive some feedback – this might happen immediately afterwards, it might be sent by email after the demo or both. The feedback will tell you whether or not your lesson was successful. If it was successful, you might be…application. Either way, you may also get some feedback on your performance and be given advice on how to improve.

The employer will be marking you against criteria, which will be different depending on whether your demo lesson was online or in person. In the case of online demo lessons, they’ll comment on things like the background you were sitting in front of to how effectively you used the tools in the lesson software.

If you had an in-person demo lesson, the feedback process will depend on who you were teaching real students, the observer will give their feedback either immediately or send it to you by email. If there was no observer, it might take a while for comments to pass from the students to the employer and then back to you.

As with all feedback on your teaching, read it carefully and make some actions points to help you improve next time.

What happens next?

In the exciting case that you are successful following your demo lesson, you will usually be offered the job and be given some further information or documentation, such as a contract or code of conduct for teachers. If not, you might be given the opportunity to complete a second demo lesson – if this is the case, the employers are looking to see that you have made improvements based on the feedback you were given.

If you are unsuccessful, you can use your experience and feedback to help you in your next demo lesson. There might be something unclear in the feedback or something you don’t really understand – in this case, ask the employer for clarification.

We hope this has been useful and has given you an insight into what teaching a demo lesson might be like. Although we can’t help you with your lesson planning, knowing what to expect might take away some of the fears of completing this stage of an application.

Overview

Summary: In this guide, you’ll find out what kind of questions you can expect in your TEFL interview and how best to answer them. You’ll find out what you need to prepare in advance and what knowledge you may need to brush up on. This guide is perfect if you’ve already worked through our CV/Resume and cover letter guides and you’re ready for the next step!

In this guide, we’re moving on to the final stage of the application process – attending interviews. We’ll give you our top interview tips, give you some insider advice from TEFL recruiters and go through some of the most commonly asked interview questions to help you get prepared.

How to prepare for interview questions

The following two pages are going to give you lots of example questions that you might be asked by a TEFL recruiter or Director of Studies. These will range from general suitability questions to very specific TEFL questions about lesson planning, classroom management and grammar. Depending on the type of job you apply for, you might be interviewed directly by the school – by the Director of Studies or School Head – or by a recruiter first and then someone within the school at the second stage. If you apply to jobs in Europe, you’re more likely to be communicating directly with the school. For jobs in Asia, you’re more likely to be interviewed by a recruiter first.

We asked TEFL recruiters and employers how you can prepare for interviews, what they hope to see and what makes an amazing impression. It might help you to write notes while you watch, so you don’t miss anything important.

Questions recruiters ask

If you’re applying for a TEFL job through a recruitment agency, you might have an initial interview to check your suitability for the position. Although this interview will be with an experienced recruiter, they might not have a TEFL background, so the questions are likely to be quite general – not TEFL specific. The recruiter will want to know the basics about you to determine if you’re suitable for a job teaching English abroad.

Below are some sample questions that a TEFL recruiter might ask you. We’ve compiled this list using our knowledge of the industry and our experience working with recruiters. However, there are no guarantees these will be the exact questions you’ll be asked! Often, recruiters work on behalf of a company who might have many schools across a country, so you might not know exactly which city you’ll be working in before the interview.

Initial Questions

The first few questions are very general – their purpose is to find out if you’re a good fit for the job:

• Why do you want to teach English as a Foreign Language?
• Why do you want to teach in… China?
• Do you have previous experience teaching/working with young people?
• Do you have a TEFL-qualification?

With all these questions, we can’t really help you! It’s up to you to think about the answers. To give you some inspiration, we asked experienced teachers why they love TEFL. They said:

‘I love giving people the language and cultural understanding they need to communicate effectively and motivating students to persevere with language learning. Watching students developing and growing more confident with their English speaking is very humbling.’ @ElouiseColbourne

‘The ‘thinking on your feet’ and ‘each day is different’ aspects keep me in TEFL. It’s extremely stimulating!’ @ClareBurkeELT

‘I like their smiles when they understand a new concept and succeed in using it.’ @HeleneCombe

‘I enjoy learning more about my learners’ culture and getting them to share their experiences with me. That’s what I find engaging.’ @ELTExperiences

Suitability

The next few questions might look at your suitability for living and teaching abroad. Recruiters are looking for someone who isn’t going to run home in the first few weeks, who will work the whole of their contract and will embrace the differences between cultures, not reject them. You might need to do some research here to show that you’re genuinely interested in living in that country.

• Do you have a lot of travel experience?
• What do you know about living in… China?
• How will you adjust to life in another country?

Preferences

The recruiter may then move on to your preferences for the job:

• When are you available to start?
• What age or level of learners would you prefer?
• What length of contract are you looking for?
• Is there a city in particular where you would prefer to work?

When it comes to preferences, it’s best to be honest, but you’ll need to be open – there’s every chance that you’ll be teaching a range of ages. If you’re really against teaching children, be careful with your applications as the majority of jobs are teaching young learners. When thinking about the city, do some research into the best place for you. There are plenty of travel blogs out there, highlighting the best (and worst) parts of cities all around the world.

Practical Questions

The final few questions are likely to tie up any loose ends – and ensure you’re the best fit for the company. These questions are quite often logistical and practical.

• Do you have a police check / can you get a police check before the contract begins?
• Can you support yourself financially for the first 4-6 weeks that you’re in the country?
• Do you have any tattoo/piercings that we need to be aware of?
• Do you have any medical issues?

Before moving abroad, several countries ask for police and medical checks before you arrive in country – though the employer should give you the information about this when you receive an offer. You’ll also need some start-up funds to get you on your feet when you arrive in country – this will contribute to accommodation and transport costs (if they aren’t included in your employment package) plus money for food, socialising and exploring.

TEFL interview questions

When you get through the first interview stage, the next interview will be a little bit more detailed and focus more closely on teaching. Whether you have a lot of teaching experience or you’re totally new to the industry, you’ll be expected to answer quite specific TEFL questions about grammar, cultural awareness, classroom management and teaching techniques. There will also be a range of ‘what would you do if…’ questions to test your ability to think on your feet. Have a look at the following questions – for each one we’ve included some advice for how to answer them.

Overall teaching competency questions

• Do you feel comfortable teaching grammar?

If your answer to the first question is a resounding NO! you need to review foundation grammar as well as techniques and tasks you need to present and practice the grammar points. Ensure that you have got to grips with the tenses as well as key grammar points such as gerunds and infinitives and conditionals. You could get hold of coursebooks for each level and ensure you know the grammar you’ll be teaching or use a grammar book such as Grammar for English Language Teachers by Martin Parrott. Review different teaching techniques and be ready to use buzzwords, such as Guided Discovery and inductive/deductive learning. (Tip: You can also get a copy of our own Ultimate Grammar eBook).

• How do you ensure you’re sensitive to other cultures when teaching?

It goes without saying that the EFL classroom should be a respectful and culturally sensitive classroom. Cultural awareness is expected from all teachers. Take the time to learn about the culture of the country and be aware of any taboos that don’t exist in your country. Read up on blogs. A copy of Learner English by Swan and Smith is also useful for finding out about the culture and the language of your new destination

• How do you help students to improve their skills outside the classroom?

Developing students’ study skills is really important for lots of schools. Write a list of things you will recommend your students to do outside the classroom, such as listening to podcasts or how to record and organise their class notes.

• What would you do if your students kept speaking in their first language (L1) in the classroom?

This can be a big problem across all ages and levels. There are many ways to deal with it, from rewarding the well-behaved to forfeits for those who break the rules. Have a think about the best ways to deal with this problem. Will your suggestions change depending on the learner’s age?

• What would you do if the same student repeatedly didn’t do their homework?

Your answer to this might depend on the age of the learner and their lifestyle. Again, think about how your answer might change depending on the learner. Similar questions you could be asked are ‘what would you do if the same student was always late?’

• How would you deal with a mixed-ability class?

Although most language schools will endeavour to keep similar levels together, it might be the case that some students in your class are stronger or weaker than others in different skills. There are lots of strategies for differentiating your lessons to ensure that every person in your class is being pushed.

Questions on your teaching experience (where relevant!)

There might be some questions that ask you to reflect on your own teaching background. If you are new to teaching, answer the questions to the best of your ability using your life experience. We’ve provided some questions and put in brackets the points that are particularly relevant if you have teaching experience.

• Why is teamwork important in teaching? Are you a team player?

Although on the surface teaching looks like an individual career, supporting your colleagues is an important aspect of work. From making a weary colleague a coffee or bemoaning your group of upper-intermediate teenagers to sharing lesson plans, materials and teaching tips. Building a relationship and working as a team is a fantastic way to develop your own teaching and help make the workplace a friendly environment.

• What’s your proudest (teaching) moment? Or: talk about a time where you successfully resolved a problem with a difficult student.

These are questions that might only be asked if you have experience. Without teaching experience, it might be better to prepare for a lot of ‘what ifs’. If you have a year or two of TEFL teaching under your belt or you have prior experience in a different area, prepare for a question like this and write some notes about your teaching highlights and your best problem-solving scenarios.

• What are your strengths and weaknesses (as a teacher)? How are you going to develop your teaching?

A classic interview question for every industry, it’s a good idea to prepare in advance for something that’s bound to come up. If you’re a new teacher, it’s perfectly OK to be honest and say that you’re worried about teaching more complicated grammar or worried about feeling insecure in a class of Business learners. Make sure you’re clear that you will aim to improve on these things with professional development and how you plan to do this. For professional development, consider reading blogs, articles and books or going to conferences and workshops in your area. Join the TEFL Twitter community and keep an eye on hashtags such as #eltchat, #eltwhiteboard and #celtachat.

• How would your friends/students describe you?

Strict, funny, friendly, a little bit crazy? Avoid negative adjectives and play to your strengths.

Language Awareness Questions

The final type of question to ask in this interview are those directly related to language and your awareness of language. These can be some of the trickiest, especially if you’re not very confident in your knowledge. Not only might you have to answer some questions to see what you know, you might also have to explain how you would teach certain language points or vocabulary.

1. How would you teach 1) balloon 2) to leap 3) proud 4) subtle to a group of learners?
2. How would you introduce the 1) present perfect 2) present continuous 3) third conditional?
3. Can you use a timeline to show the past perfect?
4. Can you use the phonemic script?

If you struggle with any of the above, you might want to do some work on your weak areas. You can use a grammar guide to improve your knowledge or grab a decent TEFL handbook to fill in any gaps in methodology (like our i-to-i Ultimate Grammar eBook). If you don’t know an answer in an interview, at least tell the interviewer how you would find out the answer.

Top tips for in-person interviews

If you are meeting in person for an interview, there are some further points to consider. As the interview is likely to take place in the school, you can make use of the equipment. For example, if you’re asked to teach the word ‘balloon’, ask for a whiteboard pen and draw one on the board!

In an in-person interview, aside from the practicalities of turning up on time and dressing appropriately for the role, you might have to complete some additional interview tasks. These might include planning a short lesson from some materials the interviewer provides – a couple of pages from a coursebook or from the school’s set syllabus. You might then have to explain your plan to the interviewer or even give a short demonstration lesson to students from the school or to its administrative staff. This demo could be observed by the interviewer or the students may pass their comments on later. Whatever the situation, keep your cool and do your best.

Top tips for Skype or phone interviews

In the majority of cases, you’ll be doing your interview on Skype or a similar software alternative. Making a great first impression is just as important as in real life. Follow our advice to ensure interview success over the internet:

• Be on time! In real life, you wouldn’t turn up late to an interview – it’s the same on Skype. Double/triple check that you’re logging in to Skype at the right time in the correct time zone.
• Dress the part. Forget wearing a shirt on top and pyjamas on the bottom – dress smartly and you’ll automatically feel more professional. Smart clothes, neat hair and a big smile is the way to go.
• Speak clearly – you’ll need to make yourself understood by the recruiter who might not speak English to an expert level. Doing this interview over the phone or Skype makes it even more important to speak slowly and clearly.

Summary

In this guide, we’ve looked at some commonly asked interview questions both by recruiters and by Directors of Study. The questions range from super generic to very specific and linguistic. We’ve also presented some of our top tips for interviews in person and online. You’ve also had the chance to become the employer, by writing the questions you’d ask a candidate. We hope that this guide has given you plenty to think about when preparing for your interview.

If you’re about to attend your interview, read our pre-interview checklist below to make sure you’ve covered everything before you go!

⤓ Access pre-interview checklist (Google Docs)⤓ Download pre-interview checklist (MS word)

If you’re applying for an online teaching position, there might be a last step you need to do – the employer might ask you to perform a demo lesson. Check out the last chapter of this guide with everything you’ll need to know to feel prepared!

Continue reading about: Create great demo lessons »

Overview

Summary: This guide offers tips and advice for writing a professional cover letter. It covers writing a cover letter from start to finish, including the salutation and sign off, letter content and format.

In the first two guides, we’ve looked at how to write about transferable skills in a TEFL-friendly way and writing TEFL resumes from scratch. In this one, we’re moving on to the next stage of the application process – writing a cover letter. When sending resumes to employers or recruiters, it’s common practice across all industries to accompany it with a cover letter. We’ll give you our top cover letter tips, analyse and improve on some sample cover letters, give you the tools you need to complete your own cover letter and then rate it against our criteria.

Top tips for writing a cover letter

So why do we need to write a cover letter? It’s an opportunity to expand on your resume  – you can develop your explanations about why you applied for that job in particular and you can do more to emphasise the match between your skills and the advert.

Cover letters also allow you to explain any difficulties that might count against your application, such as periods of unemployment, a lack of teaching experience or poor exam results. You can then turn these potential setbacks into positives by showing the employer how they demonstrate your determination to succeed. You may also want to disclose any health-related issues at this stage – but this is up to you.

Recruiters and employers may judge you on the quality of this letter. If they read the cover letter first, they may choose not to even open the resume.

It’s important to use formal English, correct grammar, spelling and punctuation, and a clear, easy-to-read appearance.

• The cover letter shouldn’t be more than one page of A4.
• Write with an appropriately formal style and check your spelling and grammar throughout.
• Use a range of sentence structures – avoid starting every sentence with ‘I’.

For example, I worked in a bar for 6 months where I gained excellent interpersonal skills.

During 6 months of working in a bar, my interpersonal skills greatly improved and this received recognition from my managers.

• Get a friend to check your letter before submitting it to any job applications.
• Like with resumes, provide evidence for what you say – it’s not enough to list skills or claim that you’re ‘passionate about education’ if you can’t back it up.

Structuring a cover letter

Personal details

Use the layout and conventions of a formal letter, even if you’re sending it as a Word document online. You can include your address if you think it’s relevant.

Salutation

Where possible, address the letter to the employer, rather than Sir/Madam. Read the advert and the organisation’s website carefully for the name of an individual.

Introduction

Start your letter with a short introduction explaining why you are writing, in relation to the job advert you’ve seen. Give some details about where and when you saw the advertisement.

If you are only inquiring into job possibilities within the organisation, make it clear what type of work you are looking for.

Why are you a good candidate for this job?

Move on to the body of your letter. The most important thing to do here is ensure you relate everything you say to the job you’re applying for. Answer the question ‘why are you a good candidate for this specific job?’ relating it to your qualifications and experience. Don’t copy text exactly from your resume – reword and develop what you’ve said, focusing on your skills and how you developed them. Again, like your resume, it’s up to you whether you lead with your experience or qualifications – put whichever one you think is stronger first but keep it relevant to the skills listed in the job description. Show the employer how you will be an important and valuable member of their teaching team.

Finishing off

Finish the cover letter by reiterating why you are right for this particular job. You can also give your availability for interview and when you are able to start working. Then simply thank the employer for their time and sign off the letter. Use formal layout conventions when ending your letter too – using yours sincerely or yours faithfully as appropriately.

Sample cover letters

To help you to put our advice into practice, we’ve created a couple of sample cover letters for you to use, which follow our tips and advice. You can use these as a template to structure your own cover letter, but it doesn’t have to follow our order exactly. You might want to discuss your education/qualifications/employment first, then move on to something else. Your cover letter should present the relevant information about you in the best way possible.

⤓ Download cover letter example 1 (PDF)⤓ Download cover letter example 2 (PDF)

Create your own cover letter

The time has come to create your own cover letter. Use the tips and advice in the course to produce your own document. When you’re ready, click on the quiz below. Click the button below to download a sample cover letter as a Word Document, which you can edit with your own information. Remember to get a trusted friend to check your cover letter carefully before sending it out to any employers!

⤓ Access cover letter template (Google Docs)⤓ Download cover letter template (MS word)

When you’ve completed this document, use our Rate your Cover Letter document to ensure you have created a really good document with no key information missing.

⤓ Access rate your cover letter (Google Docs)⤓ Download rate your cover letter (MS word)

In this course, we’ve looked at the different techniques to communicate our experience and achievements to others in a way that will create a positive and professional impression. By reading sample cover letters and analysing them, you can get a better idea of what a TEFL recruiter is looking for.

We hope that you have found this article helpful in preparing your written application for a TEFL job. By this stage you should feel confident in your resume and cover letter! We hope that the document you have produced highlights how you and your dream job are the perfect match. In the next stage of this series, we’ll be looking at a more interactive and technological approach to job applications – introductory videos. See you there!

Continue reading about: Creating effective introductory videos »