Business interview questions answers

A refresher for EBC graduates and advice for anyone else interested in interviewing for an English teaching job abroad.

Initially when you interview always state that you are available for work until the end of the school year. Schools are looking to keep teacher replacement to a minimum. Be dynamic and SMARTLY DRESSED, most language schools want a teacher with a friendly, outgoing personality. If you are teaching private classes to children, you'll have to meet the parents first and they can be even more demanding than language schools.

The following is a checklist of things to ask when you go for your interview:

• What type of age range and social groups will I teach to? You'll find that the age range and social groups that schools will expect you to teach to vary on a school-by-school basis. If you are hired to teach a specific set of students, for example: you are hired to teach primary school children aged 5 to 11, you'll know beforehand what type of students you'll have to teach. If not, you'll have to find out at the interview.
• Do you also teach Business English classes? Any language school has the possibility of teaching Business English, some do and some don't. If your preference is to teach Business English or you do NOT want to teach Business English, then make it clear from the start so that you don't waste your time. Please note that many language schools classify Business English as teaching English in an office or another type of business environment, not ESP (English for Specific Purposes).
• What is your class cancellation policy? Most companies have a 24 hour policy. If the student cancels at least 24 hours before the class, it gets rescheduled. If it's cancelled less than 24 hours, you usually get paid and the class is written off. The last thing you need is to suffer because a student didn't show up.
• Do I have to turn in a timesheet/attendance sheet? If the school insists that you get the client to sign time sheets – DO IT – if not and there is a dispute, the client will win and you will not get paid. If you turn up for a class and the student fails to show, find someone who can sign your timesheet (or any other documentation) that can prove you showed up and the student didn't. If you don't, you run the risk of not being paid.
• How and how often will I get paid? Payment frequency depends on the country you work in. When you are paid you may need a bank account as payment is often done by bank transfer or cheque. Cash payment is not unheard of but cheques and transfers are much more common payment methods. 
• Where is the job and how much travel is involved? This is important from a purely financial point of view. Imagine that you have to travel for an hour, teach for one hour and then take yet another hour to get to your next class. You just got paid for one hour's work but took up 3 hours of your teaching time. In these cases, ask if more hours can be added. If not, it's usually not worth accepting the class.
• How big are the classes? Big classes (10+) are hard to teach unless they are in a state school (K to 18).
• Are the classes arranged by level? If they aren't, you may have problems because mixed ability classes progress slowly, if it all. If the students are expected to improve, you may run into difficulties.
• Am I taking over an existing class? If the answer is yes, then also ask, “May I speak to the previous teacher?” If the previous teacher is no longer around, ask about where the class had got to. You need to know this in order to avoid repeating work that has already been done or planning a class that is beyond your students skill level.
• Do you or the student(s) provide all the learning material (books, photocopies, etc.)? It's important that you know this because if you are told that you have to pay for text books and photocopies, then forget the job. Text books are usually quite expensive. You should only provide material at your own cost if you REALLY want to.