Will Heikkinen - Interview Tips For Teachers

Having already gained experience in teaching through his work with the Frost School of Lawrence and Canterbury English, Will Heikkinen understands that one of the major challenges facing teachers is getting past the interview process so that they can actually start working and developing their skills. The following pointer should prove especially useful if you aim to impress during your interview.

Dress Properly
While suit and tie is not always going to be required as a teacher, you need to understand the difference between dressing for the profession and dressing casually. Make sure that you have appropriate clothes for the interview, as this will help you to make a good first impression. Consider what other teachers wear and try to match your clothing to that sort of style.

Be Prepared
You will want to understand as much about the school that you have applied to as possible as it is likely that you are going to be asked a few questions about why you want to work for that school in particularly. Going in unprepared not only shows that you don’t really care about the role, but more also reflect poorly on how you would approach the job if it was given to you.

Understand Your Approach
Will Heikkinen knows that teaching requires more than being able to deliver lessons. You need to be prepared to answer questions about how you structure your lessons, the techniques that you use to keep students engaged and how you might handle meetings with parents. It is important that you have considered all of this before the interview.
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Will Heikkinen - Mistakes That New Language Learners Make

As somebody who is now proficient in three languages, in addition to having been an English language teacher at various points in his life, Will Heikkinen understands the many difficulties that people face when they start learning new languages. This can lead to a number of common mistakes being made, with all of the below being blunders that new learners should aim to avoid.

Being Inconsistent

One of the keys to learning any new language is constant practice, so if you find that you go long amounts of time without speaking the language that you are trying to learn you will probably end up stunting your development. Try to schedule time to practice the language every day and make sure that you attend regular lessons.

Not Having A Goal

Many people make the mistake of having the vague idea that they want to learn other languages, without really putting much thought into why they want to do so. By defining a goal for yourself, such as being able to communicate with a friend who speaks another language, you will be able to focus your efforts and give yourself the motivation required to keep learning more.

Dwelling On Mistakes

Will Heikkinen points out that all new language learners will make mistakes, especially when they are trying to get to grips with pronunciation and different sentence structures. This is all part of the process, but many allow themselves to be discouraged when they make mistakes. Instead, you should focus on learning what you did wrong, so that you can make improvements to your skills.
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