By Michael G. Hines

I wanted to talk about interviewing from both perspectives which are that of the ESL TEFL TESOL teacher looking for a new teaching job and that from the ESL TEFL TESOL school looking for a new teacher to fill their available teaching position. Keep in mind that this is just my advice and opinion on the matter. You should decide what you find useful and what does or doesn’t work for you.

Clarity is a very necessary ingredient to an interview whether it is for a teaching job or any other job. In a virtual interview, your interview questions and answers must be clear because you can’t rely on body language to make your point. Even most video interviews via web chat sites are only from the shoulders up. Also, remember to be concise. Rambling or long winded questions and answers can be confusing as well as paint a bad picture of your professionalism as a teacher and potential employee.

Once you have identified the perfect teaching job or teacher candidate based on the skills or requirements you are looking for, it is time to prepare for the potential interview. Interviewing is never an easy thing and having to be interviewed or conduct an interview virtually (via the internet or over the phone) can add a whole new set of issues.

Teachers: Remember to review your ESL TEFL TESOL teacher resume and cover letter prior to the job interview so that you can highlight your key points and don’t have to “fumble” for the information. You never know what the school has focused on and will want to talk to you about so review all your points for the teaching resume you sent them. Make sure to have your TESL TEFL TESOL teacher training certification prepared and ready to present along with your university degree.

Schools: Remember to have all your ESL TEFL TESOL teaching job information as well as school information ready for the interview. This would include a list of duties and benefits as well as links to your website to further explain the position. Teachers are very sought after and may base their whole decision on whether to take your teaching job based on the details of the information you gave them. For example, pinning your schools location on Google maps can help a teacher quickly locate you.

Finally for everyone, remember to show some passion (not too much) because it shows that you take an active interest in what you do and this is an active ingredient of any good TESL TEFL TESOL school and class.

The most important thing to do for any interview is simple…prepare!

Teachers:

o Know your positive and negative aspects so that you can highlight or negate any points raised.
o Research the school, company and position so you can ask relavent questions.
Schools:
o Know the positive and negative aspects of the position so that you can “sell” yourself or lessen any aprehension a teacher may have.
o Research your candidate so that they feel you actually took them time to consider them as an individual.

Here are some great online resources for both the interviewer and interviewee:

Teacher Interiew Questions Video: youtube.com/watch?v=HrxoIg9YRVc
Interactive Practice Interview Questions: career-advice.monster.com/job-interview-practice/home
Monster.com Quizzes – This has great stuff like resume readiness, virtual interviews and culture quizzes: resources.monster.com/tools/default.asp

About the author

Michael G. Hines is the Founder of Icon Group Thailand (IGT) – Educating the Future: TotalESL.com – ESL TEFL TESOL Teaching Jobs

by Michael G. Hines

I regularly receive emails from teachers asking whether certain ESL TEFL TESOL teaching job offers are ‘legitimate’. This interconnected world allows scam artists to thrive. As the global economic environment continues to change, the number of employment scams increases. In addition, the scams become much more creative and ingenious with their tactics. I would hope everyone follows a very simple rule when looking at teaching job offers or any type of employment offer: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.

Whenever I receive a complaint about an actual ESL TEFL TESOL teaching job posting from an ESL site, I investigate the ad to see if I can find anything questionable. Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop all unscrupulous individuals from contacting teachers with fraudulent offers even when there is no ad in question. Regardless, all scams tend to follow a general format: (1) make a very generous offer, (2) ask for a response with documentation/personal information, (3) make a request to send money for services (i.e. visa or airline ticket) or promise of employment. Since the scams ultimate goal is to retrieve money or something else of value such as personal information, I find the routine rarely varies because the end result is always the same: to obtain something of value from you, whether it is information or money.

In addition, you should do some very basic background work on any ESL TEFL TESOL teaching jobs offer such as:

1. Did they actually post the terms of the teaching job offer on a public job board or are they just contacting teachers at random? If they did post, do the terms they state match what they are offering or is there a very wide variance.
2. Ask for contact information for present teachers employed with the school and speak with them.
3. Ask them for their contact information (Name, Address, Phone Number, Website, school email, etc.). If they don’t give this, don’t continue with the application.
4. Google the school name to gather information about them. Double check it with the information given in item #3 above. If the school or agency has a website, contact them through the website to ask about the job offer in question.
5. Compare the job offer to others. If the terms and benefits are far greater than the industry norm then it is probably not legitimate.

Please note that some scams have become very sophisticated with glossy websites, etc. to attract the unwary. Best to always Google search potential employers and do some basic research prior to accepting a job offer or responding to an unsolicited job offer.

I have added a ESL TEFL TESOL Jobs Employment Scams Listing to my site with some of the most infamous scams that I have been alerted to. This would be a helpful list for teachers to review though it is by no means complete. There are always new and unique scams being generated. Every time I confirm a scam, I add it to this list so that teachers can have a broad idea of how to recognize potential scams.

I would suggest reading through my article Evaluating ESL TEFL TESOL Teaching Job Offers so that you know what questions to ask. There is also some good Employment Scam Advice on Wikipedia.

Remember: Anyone using the internet to find any employment, regardless of the industry they work in, should use caution and discretion. In addition, you should limit any personal information you send/share (i.e. don’t send government ID numbers or credit card information) and never send money for a promise of employment. Legitimate employers do not ask for this type of up-front monetary guarantee. Finally, follow the simple rule: “If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is”.

If you are ever a victim of internet fraud and want to take action, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission at [email protected] or to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). In addition, there are international agencies such as ICPEN that handle cross-border/international internet fraud.

Best of luck in your job hunt and wishing you continued success.

About the Author

The author is the founder of Icon Group Thailand – Educating the Future.

By Michael G. Hines

You have decided on being an ESL/EFL/TEFL teacher so you are off on the job search. Aside from the obvious considerations such as what country to work in and what training/qualifications (TEFL/TESOL/CELTA/DELTA) to obtain; there are other things a teachers should consider when looking at potential job offers.

There are many factors a teacher considers which will affect whether they accept a teaching position. The most obvious factor would be the content of the position (i.e. what is going to be taught). What is the school asking of you as a teacher? You must ask yourself if the ESL/EFL/TEFL job is interesting and fits into your career plans as a teacher. The person and ESL/EFL/TEFL school you will be working for is also an important consideration so you must take the time to talk to them either via email or phone. It would also be beneficial to ask to speak to other teachers from the school to find out their impressions. Knowing what the job is and whom you will be working with are the first step in deciding whether to pursue it further.

Some may say that the most important consideration would be salary and benefits but these should be a secondary consideration to what you want to do and who you will be working with. Regardless of the salary paid, most people will not stay at a position where they feel unsatisfied or have no growth. In addition, the people you work with or for have an enormous impact on your job satisfaction. However, when considering salary and benefits, do not focus as much on the starting salary but rather on the potential for growth and increases. Does the school have growth potential for you as a professional? Do they spell out cost-of-living increases and meritorious raises? Benefits are other areas that can supplement a position where the starting salary is not as good as you would have wished. Get a list of benefits from the company and formulate any questions you may have regarding them so that you can better discuss the position with management and other teachers at the school.

Another factor that may come into play with many teachers when evaluating a position is the ESL/EFL/TEFL resources provided by the school for the teacher to prepare their lessons. Teachers spend a large majority of their time preparing for upcoming classes. This requires readily available resources such as teacher edition books, computer, printer, internet access, and preferably a reference library. In addition, there should be a work area set aside at the school for teachers to plan and prepare. Whether the school already has a set curriculum/syllabus for the class to be taught and ESL/EFL/TEFL student books because the teacher may be asked to help to create these resources (i.e worksheets) for your school year if they are not provided. I have known many teachers that have felt the need to move on because of the demands of planning for a school year without adequate resources.

To help you find that perfect (or near perfect) ESL/EFL/TEFL teaching job, you should ask these questions to all prospective employers/schools:

1. What is the salary?
2. How many months is the teaching contract?
3. Do/Can you sponsor me for all paperwork, including teacher’s license, work permit, and visa extension?
4. How soon can you get this paperwork processed?
5. How many hours will I be teaching per week?
6. What kind of medical/travel insurance is on offer?
7. When are the starting and ending times for being at the school regardless of whether there is a class?
8. About how many school or community events a month are teachers required to attend outside normal working hours (teachers’ meetings, parents’ meetings, school festivals, seminars, etc.)?
9. Does the school have/provide ESL/EFL/TEFL student books or will I be required to make my own worksheets?
10. Does the school have whiteboards or chalkboards?
11. Does the school provide all teaching materials needed? What are the items provided?
12. Does the school require that I attend/teach a summer camp?
13. Is there a discipline policy? What is it and how is it enforced?
14. What are the details of the teaching contract “extras” such as:
a. Resigning bonuses
b. Biannual or annual plane tickets to visit home
c. Housing allowances (if no housing allowance then ask about help finding accommodations along with cost in the area of the school)
d. Internet access both in and outside the school
e. Raise schedules

Searching for an ESL/TEFL/TEFL teaching position is difficult. After spending many hours on a search, making a careful decision regarding a job offer is important. Getting a job offer does not necessarily mean you should take the job. Most schools will not expect you to make a decision on the spot. You will probably be given a few days to a week to make up your mind. If they are unable to provide you with the time to make a decision then you should not consider this teaching job as a viable position. On the other hand, if you decide to go with a school without finding out the proper information, don’t blame the school when the position turns out not to be what you expected or wanted. Weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the job will help you make a more informed decision, rather than deciding on impulse.

When considering where in the world you want to teach, the big 3 for ESL/EFL/TEFL jobs are:
Asia: Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia are the popular spots because they have so many ESL jobs available but there are always positions coming up infrequently in places like Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia though you must be a qualified teacher to obtain these. You may even find positions for Cambodia and Laos but you should look at the reputation of employers carefully due to lack of a solid legal system for recourse. Life can become very difficult off the beaten path.

Europe: Everyone dreams of teaching in Greece, Italy, France or Spain but unless you are an European Union (EU) citizen it is difficult to obtain these positions. The more frequent positions are available in Eastern Europe in places like Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine and Russia. These positions don’t pay very well compared to the cost of living in some of these countries but they provide lot’s of opportunity for travel while not teaching.

The Middle East: Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE) are the most common with Bahrain, Yemen and Qatar occasionally having openings. Now there are also more teaching positions available in Iraq. The Middle East is popular for the money paid for teaching positions but don’t expect much of a social life due to cultural restraints.

About the Author

M. G. Hines is an English teacher teaching in Bangkok, Thailand & founder of IconGroupThailand.com – education websites for ESL/EFL/TEFL jobs, resumes, articles, resources, banner ads & links directory/top site portal: TotalESL.com – Edu-Sites.com – EduBann