How to Prepare for Your International Teaching Interviews

There is a lot you can do in preparation for meeting with the recruiters. This preparation will help you to feel more professional and more secure when the time actually comes to interview for that all important international teaching position. Since recruiters are meeting with many teaching hopefuls, it is important that you put your best foot forward. This may sound cliché, but your appearance is important for your first impression with recruiters. Recruiters have travelled a long way to find good quality teachers, so you want to convey to them that you are just that. Regardless of gender, if you don’t own a suit you should go out and buy one or some kind of clothing that will communicate your professionalism. For women, it is particularly important that you dress modestly. Many countries that hire international teachers have more modest views of how women should dress, so this is even more important for an international interview than for a regular interview. Stay away from low cut shirts, short skirts, and anything too tight or revealing. Remember that it is better to be overdressed than underdressed and always make sure that your clothing is spotless. You should take a hard copy of your application package, minus the cover letter, with you to the interview. Even though your recruiter will likely have one with him, it is better to be prepared. They may also ask you for one of the documents in your application package if they have misplaced one, or if they just want to see if you’ve come prepared to the interview. You should also bring your original certificates and references with you in a folder. Many recruiters will want to see your original documents in person as these can be forged or tampered with on a computer. If you have a teaching portfolio, remember to bring this to the interview as well. It is also a great idea to go through a mock interview as practice. Brainstorm and then make a list of all the questions you have ever been asked in a job interview. Once you’ve made your list, prepare answers to them, so that you’ll be ready to answer these types of questions at the interview. Go over these questions and your prepared answers as practice for your interview so you will feel more confident and prepared and, therefore, less nervous. Once you have your mock interview completed, sit down with someone and practice answering your questions. Practicing an interview with someone else is a great way to find out how you interview. Ask the person for feedback regarding your body language, likeability, as well as your tone, volume, and pace of speech. They can also tell you if you have any nervous behaviour such as fidgeting that you will have to pay attention to. If there is anything in your experience or qualifications that could be seen as negative, come up with ways you can address this in the interview. You might be asked questions about what you’ve included in your resume, so be prepared with solid answers. The better prepared you are going into the interview, the less nervous you will be and the better you will do.