Advantages and Disadvantages of Peer Observations in the Classroom

Having someone come into your classroom and observe you is nerve-wracking. You feel like you're being put to the test. More often than not, during peer observations your colleagues observing you don't really know what they're looking for. Nor does management help prepare them to observe classes. It can often lead to negatively and teachers thinking they're being compared to others. It's not all bad and below you can find some advantages, disadvantages and further reading about peer observations.

Advantages

• Both parties can get new ideas.
• It provides instant feedback.
• It causes the teacher being observed to re-think their lesson. 

Disadvantages

• The observer is often biased and may give high marks to avoid confrontation.
• Is often only done once so there's no way to compare how the teacher has improved.
• It's often unreliable and unorganised. They're only observing one class and the time of day, class, being nervous, and more can affect the observation. In addition, it's usually not video taped, observers aren't trained, and the feedback form isn't valid.

Recommended Reading

• Amazon's recommendations
• Leeds Metropolitan University: links, preparing for observation, and a summary
• University of Minnesota's Guidelines
• University of Sydney's Guidelines
• Using English

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Examples of Comprehensive Teaching Interviews

Over the years I've had some great interviews, some horrible interviews, and some downright weird ones.

Weird Interviews
I'll never forget the interview I got at 2am from China while I was living in Peru. Being woken up in the middle of the night makes your heart race. You think something's wrong, maybe someone died. But no, I had an impromptu interview from someone who didn't realise that the whole world isn't on Chinese time.:/ It basically went like this:

• Interviewer: You apply to China job?
• Me: Yes. (still groggy with sleep).
• Interviewer: You native English speaker?
• Me: Yes. (now annoyed that I'm being interviewed at 2am)
• Interviewer: Ok, you start next week.
• Me: No! No, I'm not going to start next week.
• Interviewer: Oh. . .
• Me: I cannot start next week. Goodbye.

Horrible Interviews
I've also had interviews where the interviewer was a tad bit condescending. They asked (in a voice that you use when you talk to children) me things like how I learned English. I'm a native speaker for the record. Born and raised in the US. Although technically my mom is an immigrant, she came to the US when she was 16 months old and since her mom was born in the US and they wanted my aunt and grandfather to learn English quickly and assimilate, they only spoke English to her. It was their way of practicing. She doesn't speak her father's native language. English is the only language she speaks.

Fantastic Interviews
I always prepare for interviews, but some of the best interviews I've had they've asked off-the-wall questions. Not inappropriate, but just questions that you wouldn't expect. I think one of the reasons they do that is to see how creative you are, how well you think on your feet, and how well you deal with the unexpected. Of course I won't post examples of the questions I've had because they're supposed to be unexpected. ;)

Fantastic interviews are often composed of a couple parts. There are two universities in Korea that I've heard about that have comprehensive interviews: Ewha Women's University in Seoul and Yeungnam University in Daegu.

• Ewha: In addition to a panel interview, you'll have to grade an essay, and give a demo class that you've planned in advance.
• Yeungnam: You'll be given 30 minutes to type the answers to 4 questions about teaching, then 10 to plan a 30 minute demo lesson, and then finally you'll be interviewed by a panel.

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My Favourite TEFL Tips Posts

Over the years I've written a lot of articles about teaching but I have my favourites which I update the most often. Here are my favorite posts in no particular order.

• Is a degree necessary to teach English abroad?: This question comes up so often on TEFL forums. While it would be ideal that everyone had a degree, university is so expensive nowadays that not everyone does. This article tells you which countries you can legally teach in without a degree and also lists some specific employers that will hire you. It also tells you how you can get your degree online from legit universities as well as explains ways to fast-track your college career via testing out of classes, using work experience, and more.
• Choosing a TEFL course: There are tons of TEFL courses out there it's hard for a newbie to know which ones are worth the money. This article will compare and contrast the advantages of doing an online TEFL course vs. an on-site TEFL course. It also tells you about the top 3 TEFL courses, what good TEFL courses should have, as well as provides resources (such as the Peace Corps) for you to find out about TEFLing for free if you can't afford a course at the moment. 
• How to write a TEFL CV: Having gotten hundreds of CVs over the years I'm always surprised at how many people can't write a good CV. Your CV is how you sell yourself to an employer and you should put a decent amount of time and effort into writing it. CVs for teaching jobs overseas are a lot different from those back home, for example, you'd probably include a photo as well as your birthday and other personal information. This article will tell you what you should include and gives you tips on how to write a good CV (such as looking at teaching job adverts to find out about key phrases).
• How to write a TEFL cover letter: Just like CVs, it's amazing how many people don't put a lot of effort into their cover letters. This article will tell you what you should and shouldn't include in a cover letter as well as provide a cover letter template. Most people know that they should be personalised, but few actually do it. Some people are even guilty of emailing a cover letter addressed to the wrong person. 
• What's the best country to teach English in?: This article will tell you which countries are the best for saving money, for living well, a mix of both, teaching in Europe, and teaching in international schools. You'll find out about the most popular countries for TEFLing and why people go there.
• Europe without an EU passport: Some people wrongly believe that they can't legally live, work, or teach in Europe without an EU passport, but there are programmes that will allow you to do so. For example, France and Spain's Ministries of Education have special  teaching assistant programmes for native speakers that provide them with a visa, stipend, and on occasion: housing. This article also discusses citizenship, residency, has country specific info for Europe, and a whole lot more. At 3,000 words this is one of the longest articles I've written.
• TEFL job sites: Not so much an article as a list of places to look for teaching jobs, this post breaks job sites down into categories such as chain schools and recruiters, higher education job sites, international school job sites, general TEFL job sites, and a whole lot more.
• TEFL interview and demo lesson: Interviews can be stressful and demo lessons can be especially nerve-wracking. This article gives you interview tips, suggested answers, tips for asking the interviewer questions, as well as links to other teaching job interview sites. The demo lesson section will tell you how to prepare, what to expect, and more. This article will provide you with tips so that you can ace your next teaching interview and demo lesson.
• Sites for lesson planning: tons of links that will help you plan your lessons and make them fun and exciting. From beginners to advanced as well as specialised classes, you'll find tons of links here.  
• Furthering your education: TEFL certificates, diplomas, master degrees, and PhDs: This article explains about some of the most popular TEFL certificates and diplomas. You'll also find a comprehensive list of master degree programmes related to teaching, TEFL, and linguistics around the world that can be done entirely online or only require a minimum amount of time on campus.
• Working holiday visas and short-term jobs: While most jobs last for a year, this article will discuss WHV (working holiday visas) and short-term jobs. You'll find out what type of jobs offer short term contracts, how to get a WHV, specific employers that offer shorter contracts, and which countries often have short-term teaching contracts.
• FAQ for Latin America: This article has FAQ for many countries in Latin America. Find out about visas, salaries, how to get work, border hopping, and who the best employers are. I've complied info from teachers who have lived in this counties and put them into one easy-to-read article. At 5,000 words this is one of the longest articles I've put together.
• International schools: Some of the better jobs are at international schools. Find out what the requirements to teach at international schools are, recruiting fairs, how to get a good job, how to become a licensed teacher, and more. You'll also learn where to look for jobs, about international school recruiters, as well as where to look to find out if an international school is good or bad.
• Saving for retirement and where to retire: Many TEFL teachers spend so much time abroad that it's only logical that they retire overseas. This article will list some of the most popular countries around the world, tell you what their requirements are, and explain where you can get more information about their retirement visas.

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Quick Tip: Record a Demo Lesson

One reason to record a demo lesson is so that you can watch yourself teach. You can see what you do well and what you need to improve. Another reason is to make your job search easier. In addition to emailing your CV, now you're supposed to scan your degree, TEFL certificate, and a number of other documents from your teaching portfolio to send as well. Some employers are taking it a step further and asking for a demo lesson. When job hunting the last thing you want to do is try to record the perfect demo lesson.

So plan ahead. . .

Try recording some of your lessons now and build up a library of demo lessons that you can choose from. Make demo lessons that last between 5 and 15 minutes, have different class sizes, and involve teaching a variety of skills. You could teach make one for each of the four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking), one of you giving a lecture, another of a class debate, or one of students working in groups.

By preparing now when the time comes to look for a job you won't have to worry about your demo lesson. Just pick and choose from your demo lesson library.

Got an idea for a quick tip?
Email me with your quick tip, name, and website (if you have one) and I'll post it ASAP.

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Cool Link: English Addicts

This cool link was suggested by Brad Patterson.

English Addicts is a daily English lesson that improves listening comprehension and builds vocabulary. Written by 5 seasoned ELT teachers, each new lesson has 10 activities based on a hand-picked excerpt from Voice of America. In 2007, David Graddol prepared a report for the British Council demonstrating that 775% of people using English neither use an American nor British accent.

English Addicts seeks to prepare students for this reality as its 13 international accents attune their ear to both the English they may require, or the English they might encounter. Introduce your students to the free weekly lesson on Fridays. If they choose to invest further, there are over 1500 lessons are at their disposal, as well as tracking program that will allow you to monitor their progress. This will show them how quickly they can advance while following the news that interests them. For class purposes, teachers should also check out the itunes podcast accompanied by free discussions tasks with each new lesson on EnglishAddicts.com

Got an idea for a cool link?
Email me with your cool link, name, and website (if you have one) and I'll post it ASAP.

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Quick Tip: Attend Conferences

You've been told that networking is key and one of the easiest ways to network is to attend conferences and workshops.  Not only will you learn about the latest topics and new teaching methods, but you'll also get the chance to hand out your business cards, meet new people or even have a job interview.

After the conference don't forget to follow up with the people you meet.  You might want to send them a quick email or use Linkedin.com to keep in contact with them.  Remember, you never know who will tell you about your next job.  It could be your friend's cousin's boss, so network like crazy!

Got an idea for a quick tip?
Email me with your quick tip, name, and website (if you have one) and I'll post it ASAP.

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ESL EFL Roadshow: Job Interview Tips

TEFL Tips is hosting the first ESL EFL Roadshow this month: a group of bloggers from around the world. Lots of experience, tips, and ideas to help ESL and EFL teachers out. This month's topic is job interview tips.

From TEFL Newbie
Most people approach TEFL interviews the same way they would an interview back in their home country. Two problems with that. First, many of us are hoping to escape that uncomfortable and degrading process in a new world overseas. Second, more often than not your interviewer is not from that Western world and has distinctly different ideas about who they want to hire and why. Here's how to win that job!  Find out by reading Ted's blog TEFL Newbie.

Ted Tucker is a retired TEFL educator and TEFL Teacher Trainer. With an overseas career that started as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana in 1989 - he has been abroad ever since working in countries throughout Asia and the Middle East. You can find him at TEFL Newbie.

From Istanbul's Stranger
Remember, you're interviewing them too. Four tips about weird job interviews that might be telling you something is seriously awry. Find out more by reading Istanbul's Stranger's blog.


Istanbul's Stranger is originally from Reno, Nevada and most recently from Portland, Oregon. Stranger came to Turkey almost 10 years ago. She had all kinds of education before that, which she's still paying for. Stranger's been working in the former Byzantium since she arrived, teaching adults at language schools and universities. She also did some freelance writing while on work-hiatus for baby-raising, and currently babysits grown-up children in the English prep department of a large university.

From Teacher in Mexico
Congratulations! You just finished your EFL teacher training, those grueling four weeks of sweating over coming up with interesting ideas for classes, of pouring over page after page of theory, of juggling type three conditionals. Well you're all done. So what’s next? The job interview. Find out more by reading Guy's blog Teacher in Mexico.

Guy Courchesne, TEFL course instructor, Teachers Latin America. Guy is a journalist and and EFL teacher that has lived in Mexico for 11 years. Guy has been teaching business EFL and TEFL courses for the last 9 years in Mexico City, Acapulco, and Guadalajara. Guy is a member of Mextesol and also gives English teaching workshops to language institutes around Mexico. You can find him at Teacher in Mexico.

From TEFL Tips
Interviews can be daunting but if you're prepared and know what to expect you'll have no problem acing your interview. Don't forget to ask questions as well! Find out what questions you'll be asked and what questions you should ask the interviewer by reading TEFL Tips.


Sharon de Hinojosa is your host here at TEFL Tips. I've been teaching English since early 2003.  I got started posting on Dave’s ESL Cafe shortly after and found myself regularly helping out other people and giving advice to newbies.  Over time, things progressed and I thought it would be a good idea to compile answers to FAQ that newbies often have about TEFLing and that’s how my wonderful TEFL Tips got started.

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Visa Issues and Benefits to Consider When Moving Abroad

Updated 13 February 2012

While some countries give tourist visas upon arrival others may require you to get on beforehand. Some countries require round-trip tickets or proof-of-funds before they let you on the plane or into the country. Here are some things you should know before you go.

Getting a Teaching Job upon Arrival
Wear professional clothes (no shorts, jeans, tank tops, or sandals) and go to schools with your CV in hand. After interviewing you may have to do a short demo lesson, but don't worry, relax and smile.

Teaching on a Tourist Visa
In some countries it's not uncommon for people to work on tourist visas, however, in other countries you're risking being put in prison, being fined, or deported. If you are teaching on a tourist visa you may have to border hop every once in a while. In some countries you could just overstay your visa and pay the fine as you leave. This is often cheaper than border hopping.


Getting a Work Visa to Teach
Check with your employer about what you need to bring. Often you will need to get your original university degree and transcripts. Read your contract carefully. Typical contracts usually include the minimum number of guaranteed hours, amount and frequency of pay, length of service, hours the teachers must be available to teach, whether teachers can teach classes outside of the school, and how the contract can be broken.

Some places have "no compete" policies. This varies from school to school and can mean anything from not being able to teach at another school while you work for them, not being able to teach privates, or even not being able to teach in the same city for X months after you finish their contract.

Typical Teaching Benefits
Housing and flights are common benefits. Housing is often a big expense so if that's taken care of you'll have one less thing to worry about. Some places will provide housing or assistance in finding housing. If housing is provided be sure to ask for details such as is it furnished, shared, and if utilities are covered. If you have your own housing, find out about costs, such as utilities.

Other places such as the Middle East and Asia, as well as international schools may provide other benefits such as pension, a contract completion bonus, allowances for your children's education, shipping allowances, and more.

Also published in . . .
This article has also been featured in the ELT Times.

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Teaching English to Young Learners

Updated 24 February 2012

• You can find lots of material for lesson plans online.
• Check out the ebook: Teaching English to young learners
• If you teach primary students you might try looking at primary teacher training.
• Want to be an au pair / nanny? Look at working holiday visas and short-term jobs.

Change Activities Often

• Young children simply can’t pay attention for a longer period of time and will start fidgeting.

Move Around

• TPR (Total Physical Response) is great for children."Simon Says", "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes", and "Do What I Say Not What I Do" are some examples.
• Children love to be active and move around.
• Try giving rambunctious children leadership roles. Have them hand out papers, collect game pieces, etc. It will keep them busy, quiet and make them feel important.

Games and Holidays

• Forget boring fill in the blank activities. Put those questions on a game board instead.
• Card games work well as well.
• Try MES English for game ideas and templates.
• Holidays are a great way to teach children English and culture so try to integrate them into your lessons.

Group Children Differently

• Children learn just as much from their peers as they do their teacher.
• They can learn to work together in addition to language skills.
• When you pair students up they can sit side-by-side, face-to-face, back-to-back, or even on opposite sides of the room.
• Small groups work well around a table or sitting on the floor.

 
Rewards

• Rather than punishing students for bad behaviour, try rewarding them for good behaviour.
• Praise, stickers, stamps, and little gifts are wonderful ways to reward students that behave well.
• Watch what happens when you compliment one student on sitting properly in his chair, all the others will quickly sit up straight because they want to be praised as well.

 
Discipline is Key

• Try Star Lotto. At the beginning of class draw six stars on the board. When you want them to be quiet start counting down from ten and if you reach zero erase a star. At the end of class have a student draw a number. Numbers need to be from one to six. If a student gets a number that is equal to or less than the stars on the board, then the class gets a sticker on their Star Lotto chart. Once they get a certain number of stickers the class gets a prize.
• Use signals for silence. Have a signal, such as putting your hands on your head, then clapping three times and then sitting up straight. Students will be able to see you and know that you want them to be quiet even if they can’t hear you. TEFL dot net has some ideas for calming down a pre-school class.
• Make sure students understand the rules.You might need them to be translated into their native language.
• Demonstrate how to do something with a couple of students in front of the class. That way if they don’t understand English they can see what they have to do.
• Realise that boys and girls act very differently. Try reading how boys and girls learn differently for more info.

Learn More
If you're looking for online courses, check out How to Teach Young Learners offered by International House and Oxford TEFL.

This article has been published in the ELT Times.

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TEFL Interviews and Demo Lessons

Updated 23 January 2015

Want the Job? Ask for It.
A while back I came across a newspaper article that said one of the best interview tips was to actually ask for the job. They said that people who asked, "Are you able to offer me this job?" were more likely to get the job than those who don't. US News has 10 ways to ask for the job at the interview. Some other people have asked how they measure up against the competition. If the interviewers say that they're lacking certain skills, they give examples of how they have those skills.

Things to Remember While Interviewing

From janeteresa.com

• Look over your CV
• Know about TEFLing
• Think back to your TEFL course
• Do research
• Practice
• Ask questions: check out Things to Ask Before Accepting a Job.
• Dress appropriately and make sure your shoes are shined as well.
• Open body language
• Be honest and be yourself
• Don't be negative
• Smile
• No bad habits: don't chew gum, bite your nails, or crack your knuckles.
• Teaching portfolio
• Expect the unexpected: interviewers are asking non-typical questions

More Tips

• Business Balls' comprehensive article
• TES also has some good interview advice
• This article has some ways to make a bad interview better

Questions You Should Ask
An interview is a two way street. You also get to ask questions to see if you'd like to work for them. Do your research and be prepared. Go to the interview with a few questions written down that you'd like to ask. Ask about a typical work schedule (both daily and weekly). You'll also want to find out about meetings, professional development, extracurricular duties, overall work environment, and communication style. It's also good to know how long the typical teacher stays with that school. You could also ask what teachers say is the best thing about working for them. Here are some more questions you may want to ask.

• 20 questions candidates may want to ask
• 10 tough questions you may or may not want to ask
• Ask the right questions at your interview
• Art of Manliness 10 Questions to Ask

Typical Interview Questions

• 50 common interview questions
• Describe your teaching experience.
• What levels have you taught?
• What course books are you familiar with?
• What are your long term plans?
• Why did you leave your last job?
• What are your three best qualities?
• What are your three worst qualities?
• What was your best teaching moment?
• What is the most difficult problem you've had to overcome?
• How do you discipline students?
• How are you a team player?
• What's your favourite age group / level to teach?
• Do you use the students' native language in class?
• How do you keep up to date with teaching methodology?
• What professional journals are you familiar with?
• How would you go about teaching (passive voice, the difference between X and Y)?
• How would you deal with a supervisor if you knew they were wrong?
• How can you contribute to the school?
• Why should we hire you?
• What can you bring to this organization that no one else can?
• Describe a situation in which you had to (disregard your lesson plan, deal with an unruly student, confront a supervisor, etc)
• Why do you want to live in X country?
• What do you want to work for this school?
• How are you going to deal with culture shock?
• What do you do in your free time?
• How are you going to adapt to a new culture / language?

Delicate Questions and Suggested Answers (Also published in ELT World)

• What religion are you?/ Are you X religion? This could be a legit question if you're applying to a religious school. If you don't practise the same religion, say that while you are not X religion and you will respect their practises during class time. If the school isn't religious simply say that you believe in keeping your personal beliefs personal and out of the classroom.
• Do you have a boyfriend / girlfriend? This could also be legit if the school is religious or if you are being placed by a recruiter, since they try to place partners in the same school or city. Realise that you might have to live apart while working for the school. Some places are very strict. If the school isn't religious or you're not dealing with a recruiter then say that you believe in keeping your personal life separate from your work life.
• How much are you earning now? Bad question. Even worse if you answer it. Money isn't the only thing you need to take into account. Let's say that your current school is only paying you $500 but you get free housing, lunch, medical insurance, and pension which is worth about $600. They also paid for your flight and will give you an end of contract bonus which is worth about $2000. However, this school just gives you $900 usd. This means your current job is probably better. When asked this it's probably best to say your employer doesn't let you discuss your salary.
• How much is your expected salary? They're really asking you what you think you're worth. Say that you would expect to be paid what their going rate is. If you have lots of experience say that you would expect to be paid in the upper salary range.
• Why did you leave X job after only 3 / 6 months? If you pulled a runner or were fired, take that job off your CV. If you quit, and remain on decent terms with your employer, you might want to leave it on your CV.
• Why do you want to leave your current job? Say that you're looking for new opportunities. Period. Don't speak badly about your employers.

The Demo Lesson
If you're told about the demo lesson beforehand make sure you have a good lesson plan and bring it with you to the interview. Below are some tips to make sure you have a good demo lesson. I use a light yellow colour. It helps makes my worksheets stand out.

Use Power Point: If they say it's optional, do it. Always prepare a PPT. It just looks better.

Use a clicker: You can download apps for your phone that will work with PPTs. Or you can buy a PPT clicker. It looks more professional, plus they usually come with a laser so you can easily point things out on the slides. Treat the interviewers like students: This seems to be controversial. Some people walk the interviewers through their lesson plan. Other people pick one part and teach it to the interviewers as if they were students. The best advice I have for you is to talk to other people and ask what's expected.

If you're asked to do a demo lesson on the spot, see if they'll give you ten minutes or so to prep. It's nerve racking, but remember to relax and speak slowly enough for students to understand, move around the room, look at each student, and check for understanding, etc. Remember to smile!

If you live far from the school you might be asked to do a video demo lesson.If you're going to videotape your current class, get permission from your supervisor. Let students know that you will be videotaping during class. You'll find that they'll be on their best behaviour. Watch the video before you send it.

This article has also been featured in the ELT Times.

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