My very first Skype interview for a job abroad was with EF English First. I found their job posting on Dave’s ESL Cafe, my go-to site for TEFL/EFL job searches. I sent an email to the recruiter with my CV, a recent head shot, and a short cover letter. I generally always send these three things even if the employer does not ask for them. The interview process was fairly easy and they seem like an organized, professional company. Here is my interview timeline and the process I went through with EF English First.
Hiring Timeline
- March 1 2019: I applied to the position via email. This particular position was for teaching children and teens in Moscow, Russia.
- March 6 2019: I received an email inviting me to an online Skype interview for March 11th at 10:00 AM MT. I sent my confirmation, added the recruiter on Skype, and sent him a neutrality task that he had requested. The neutrality task was a short paragraph that I recorded myself reading. I think it is to hear your accent and hear how you pronounce and enunciate words. They also send you a sample lesson that they ask you to prepare a 2-3 minutes “practice lesson” where the person interviewing you will act as the child.
- March 11 2019: I logged into Skype about 15 minutes before 10:00 AM. I waited a half hour with no call from the recruiter. I began wondering if I read the wrong time or date. I did some double checking and soon realized that daylight savings time was the day before…for the U.S.A. London has their daylight savings time at the end of March. The recruiter told me 10:00 AM but did not account for the time change so the interview was really supposed to be at 11:00 AM- simple mistake, no big deal. I waited until 11:00 AM and the recruiter called me from his office in London, England.
- March 13, 2019: I received an official offer to teach for EF in Russia beginning August 5, 2019. They attached a bunch of files relating to the company, the position, and Russia. They sent a sample contract and a sample teaching schedule. I was told I had one week to accept or decline the offer.
So What Was the Interview Like?
The interview itself was relatively easy and the interviewer made me feel very comfortable. He began by making some conversation to ease into the interview. He asked whereabouts in the world I was at the moment, what brought me there, and how I like it. Then he moved on and asked me some simple questions about my CV; My school, previous work experiences, and asked about my time traveling abroad. He also asked me why I chose Russia and what interested me in moving there.We talked for awhile before he said, “Alright so let’s move onto the actual interview then.” Move ON to the interview? Were all those questions you asked me NOT the interview? I smiled and said, “Okay!”
When I get nervous about something I often dissociate and completely forget everything. I will do my best in describing the questions he asked me. He clarified that he’d like me to relate my answers to teaching, if possible. Unfortunately my teaching experiences were very little and mostly positive. Most questions asked were about conflicts and difficult times, not the happy moments. Most of my anecdotes were from my time working as a supervisor at Starbucks Coffee and a manager at a local art-supply store. He asked me to describe a moment where I had to deal with change and how I reacted to it, a time I had to deal with conflict, a time when I was really stressed and how did I handle it…those are mostly the questions I remember. I do remember him asking me to elaborate on all my answers, which threw me off! I prepared my answers before the interview but he asked a lot of ancillary questions and I found it difficult to come up with quick answers. We then moved on to the sample lesson they asked me to prepare for. It was for children between 3-5 so I felt kind of silly talking to this grown man like he was a little kid but I got passed that. I prepared this ahead of time so I knew exactly what I wanted say and how to present it. He asked me a few questions about the lesson as well: what age group is this for, what do I think might be difficult for the students, and what is the main purpose of the lesson. He gave me some feedback on what he liked about my lesson and what he thinks I could add to make it better. I told him I appreciated the feedback, which he seemed to like.
He then asked me if I had questions for him. I prepared a handful of questions about the company and about what was expected of me as a teacher. I think you should always have questions prepared. Even if it’s just one or two thoughtful ones. It shows you’re interested in the company and the position. I made sure to read about the company before hand and threw in what I had read about the company’s philanthropy and worked that into a question. And that concluded the interview! He told me the next day him and his colleagues would discuss the potential hires and get back to me within a few days. Two days later I received a job offer and was given a week to accept or decline.
So Did You Move to Russia?
I still have two days before I send them my decision! I am keeping it a secret for now but ya’ll will soon find out where in the world I will be off to next! Feel free to ask me any questions you might have about this hiring process. Good luck to all you future TEFL teachers!
The Wandering Witch 