The eTEFL Online Self-Study Mentorship Course
Hello and welcome back to part 4 of my blog series!
My name is Thapelo Ntlhabo and I am from South Africa.
I am in the process of building my TEFL career and I have been offered a temporary TEFL-related gig by www.eteflonline.com which I would like to share with you.
My assignment is to test drive their self-study Mentorship Program and then write (or report back) about it here in this space.
You can read Part 2 of my series here https://eteflonline.com/tefl-online-self-study-mentorship-course-part-3/
WEEK 4 – SESSION 3 – Interview Preparation
After the Resume/CV and the Introduction Video, the Interview is the next important thing on the TEFL job search journey.
A potential employer will have looked at your Resume and Intro Video and will have probably liked what they saw. The job interview call-up is them saying they want a closer look at you.
During this session, our instructor (via video) covered the most common questions you are likely to be asked.
Here is a sample of a few of them (and how to answer them):
Q: Can you tell me more about yourself?
A: (Be human first. Say something about your interests and hobbies before going on to mention your qualifications and relevant experience).
Q: How do you feel about teaching children and adults, do you have a preference?
A: (Stay neutral here. Cover all the bases by saying you like to teach both.)
Q: So, you don’t really have any experience in online teaching, especially with children?
A: (Never say ‘Yes’ and just leave it there. Always say, “Yes, BUT….” and go on to mention any experience you have had with children. This kind of answering goes for any question that exposes your lack of experience in any area related to teaching. Show a willingness to learn or improve in that area.)
We were also given some general tips:
– Smile and appear friendly.
– Never ever have notes with you during an interview.
– Use props. It shows that you are prepared.
With the Resume, Intro Video, and Interview all now covered, Session 3 is also ‘Application Week’!
Application Week
I submitted applications to the following online schools:
1. iTutorGroup = ✅
2. TutorABC = Loading…
3. Eigox = Loading…
4. Cambly = Loading…
5. EducationFirst = Loading…
6. Palfish = Loading…
That wraps up Session 3 (Interview Preparation).
But my neat plan was derailed – 
.
On my very first application, I passed the initial screening process and managed to secure a job interview!
This early success, so to speak, threw me off guard. Suddenly, I now had to decide whether to proceed with the rest of the list or to start furiously () preparing for the upcoming interview.
I went with the latter option. To that end, I have been watching video after video on YouTube of sample TEFL job interviews.
And from all this video binge-watching (), my main takeaway has been that ‘TPR’ is everything when it comes to online teaching.
TPR stands for ‘Total Physical Response’. And it is simply the way you use your body (hands in particular) to communicate with your young students online.
Here is hoping that from all that video watching, one has now become a TPR expert – .
That’s all for today’s post. I will let you know how it went in part 5 of my blog series. See you next time!
The Self-Study Mentorship Program is included in all Standard Programs including the Standard Online Teacher Training Program for people who are just starting out and the Standard Mentorship Bundle for people who already have a TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certificate but need help in launching their online teaching careers.