Dealing With The Demo Lesson

[International Expat]

Teaching abroad is great once you get the job. But the hoops you have to jump through to get the contract can be a super pain the tush. Of those hoops, the worst for everyone involved is the demo lesson.

I've never met anyone involved on either side of the hiring aisle who's able to explain what the benefit is of a demo lesson, but it's something schools have done for so long that it has become standard.

But even though it may be pointless exercise overall, it can influence whether or not you get a job offer. With that in mind, here are some tips on dealing with the demo lesson:

·      Find out if you can do it over Skype or another video service. It's a hassle for everyone to do it in person and given the current state of technology, there is no reason at all you should have to head down to a random office to do it.

·      Ask what the level of English is going to be for the practice students that the school has selected. If they've just grabbed a bunch of colleagues who don't speak any English, your demo lesson will be very different than if they are going to put you in front of near-fluent English speakers.

·      Set in advance how long the demo lesson will take. About 30 minutes should be good, but see if can be even shorter. Let's face it – the people taking the demo lesson are even less interested in it than you are.

·      Ask if there is a particular structure for the demo lesson that would appeal to them. Everyone has their own way of doing things, so it's best to get a sense of what will be expected of you.

·      Inquire about how many practice students will be involved in the demo lesson. Obviously you'll want to set up a different lesson plan depending on whether you'll be talking to three people or 50.

·      If you are doing the demo lesson from home, remove all distractions from around your camera. If your cat jumps on your head in the middle of the demo lesson, it will make you look less than professional.

·      Ask them if you can see examples of demo lessons they have liked in the past. This will help you figure out their overall expectations and what they want to see from you.

·      Make sure the teaching package they may offer you is worth it before you agree to the demo lesson. There is nothing more pointless than taking the time to prepare a demo lesson, only to realize that you are not willing to work for the school if they do offer you a job!

cc InternationalEducators.com