Teaching job interview questions

I've just come back to New Zealand from teaching English in a private school in korea for 7 months. Before that, I completed my degree and got some tutoring experience as I realised I wanted to teach kids for the rest of my life after spending time with my young neices. (3 and 5). I'm patient and friendly and get along very well with kids of all ages. I have experience teaching kids from kindergarten to middle school and I have a versatile approach to teaching which is sensitive to the unique needs of each student. I'm really motivated as this is my chosen career and I want to be the best teacher I can.

I was a tutor for 5 months during my summer break which was teaching math to elementary to middle school students. This was working alongside computer software and explaining how to do mathematical equations when they were stuck. I also taught in S. Korea for 7 months kindergarten to elementary in English Island private academy. This was teaching from a book and I had 15 minutes to plan lessons beforehand. Since there was never detailed teaching plans, I became very good at adjusting classroom activities on the fly and improvising when things went wrong. I taught without a co teacher and at first this was very difficult with my limited experience. However, this experience had me develop strong classroom management skills.

Strengths. I am extremely patient with children and flexible. I find it easy to build good rapport with kids because I create a safe zone in the classroom where bullying is not tolerated and students are frequently encouraged. I'm always trying to improve as a teacher and gain new skills. I stay composed at all times and never get angry as I believe it will make you lose trust with the children.

I would like to be more experienced. I would enjoy gaining experience planning classes thoroughly through the EPIK program and then revising what went right and what might need more improvement.

Building rapport with students. i did this by engaging with students in the classroom and sometimes outside to build a personal connection.(sometimes they would show me their pokemon cards etc). I learned how to become very firm with children but fair as well. This was with a class that showed no respect to any teacher and actually made one foreign teacher break down and cry. I was given the class to teach every week and at first I had to establish the rules and regularly punish students for misbehaving. Eventually the kids learned the boundaries and by the end they told me I was their favorite teacher.

After deciding to become a teacher and pursue it as a career I decided to get some in class experience by teaching overseas. I love travelling and find it very rewarding living in different countries and learning about different approaches to life. I read about Korea and decided it would be an interesting place to live and teach.

Can work with a range of age levels. Able to work under pressure easily (short planning, unannounced academy classes, e.g. phonics class) Very friendly and make children feel comfortable in the learning environment. Strong classroom management (strict but fair).

Learned at academy how to: Give clear instructions Command the attention of the class Manage classroom behavior Work under pressure Build rapport with kids and make them comfortable

I preferred to teach elementary at the academy as I had some preparation time (at the kindergarten I had none) and i liked engaging the children on a deeper level, such as having a class discussion.

I would prefer to work with teachers of similar age to me

I have experience teaching a wide range of levels and am very adaptable as I am an experienced traveler and have already lived in korea. I am very passionate about teaching because I actually want to teach for the rest of my life.

Make classrooms a bully-free environment and became not just an educator but a mentor to children, making sure they enjoy going to class and all feel respected.

I would definitely not talk in front of others which would result in an embarrassing situation. At my old school I asked a teacher to talk one on one in a room to settle a misunderstanding. Professionally and respectfully. At my academy I talked to one teacher as she would drop notes for me constantly instead of talking to me. She explained it was because she was embarrassed about her english and was glad I mentioned it.

Don't correct them on the spot unless they are looking for help. If given the chance I would repeat the sentence in a corrected format, or drop a hint or suggestion at an appropriate time.

With my first class i would establish classroom rules immediately . 1.raise hand before speaking or leaving room. 2. respect teacher and classmates. 3. listen and pay attention. 4. follow directions Misbehavior must have consequences for the students every time so students learn they cant get away with it. Particularly troublesome students will be talked to outside, not confronted in class. Send them to principal if still naughty.

Having respect and being flexible and open minded.

Korea...walking down street in a small town , talking to strangers, cafe. Talked to many korean friends and language exchange student and read psychology book and overcame comfortableness in 3 months.

Slang word classic If i said to you, karaoke would be classic tonight, what do you think that means? It means it would be great. Classic is a positive word used in new zealand to express interest in something. The word classic...might remind you of classical music. Why do you think this word is used? Classic rock. classic is a word meaning timeless. a highly strong word. This is where it comes from. So many people find it funny when this word is used as slang because it seems like an exaggeration. It is used casually e.g. getting a pie for lunch would be classic. Not formal. This is slang. It's spelt C L A S S I C. Pronunciation.

I began studying the language after settling in, after 4 months. I studied for a month and then got too busy at school with ""open school days"" which were stressful as we had to rehearse and plan a class every week with frequent after school prep work. E.g. i learned how to play two guitar songs. I loved the food and the people and especially jimjerbangs. I had many korean friends, one was about my fathers age. I loved the culture of respect as it made me feel a stronger bond to him as i poured his drinks. I always turned my head away of course.

Travelling to Japan by myself and navigating the transport system with very little knowledge taught me to rely on myself to make friends and get around in a completely foreign environment with no help from a native speaker.

Do activities that are a balance between low and high level students and have high level students sit next to low ones in groups to assist them.

How much freedom do I have with making lesson plans? Do i have to share the plan with a coteacher? How often are school camps?

It is a reliable government organisation. More planning time and more variety than just teaching from a book. I heard from my friends that they were going on camps and day trips which sounded exciting, they are the sort of activities i would love.

Larger classes need to be engaged so they have something to focus on. Rules are especially important. Group activities will be key and a point system might be necessary with team games. This will have students behave as not to let the team down. E.g. names of fruit, teams are given 5 seconds to answer. team spelling contests. Also, get to know kids as individuals. Enforce consequences for the entire class if rules are ignored. E.g. if everyone is talking, count down to 5 on your hand. Reaches 0, kids must stay back.

Speak clearly and slowly and use lots of hand gestures.

Get a teachers diploma in new zealand or a MA in TSOL and teach in universities in korea.

If an activity is not going well at the given time. At the time it will be adjusted and I will make sure to make a note of it later and correct it

Make it involving and challenging. Dont start a topic cold'but generate interest by showing students examples or relia and having students discuss what they know first. Engage the students by increases student talking time instead of talking yourself. Do challenging games which pit students against each other.

Students must be engaged and interested to learn. So, I must be, leading by example. I expect excellence from my students and i show this by being very organised (neat whiteboard handwriting) the classroom must be a safe, encouraging learning environment where all students are treated fairly and with respect . Especially with ESL students should do most of the talking and do many activities. Activities include flashcard games, word finds, how to read certain words written on the board etc.

to assist korean teachers with their classes or do classes together, develop materials for teaching.

Flashcard game where students in groups ask each other whats that and answer.

Give them a warning and remind them of the rules. Second time hands up. Third they are removed from the class. If they are playing a team game subtract points from their team.

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Class arranged groups of 6 First warmer: what's your favorite animal (in groups) Quiz students on flashcards from prev lesson Song Whats this powerpoint slide discussion then answers Flashcard game Worksheet Checked that they know the material through flashcards and choosing students from each group.

food can sometimes too spicy