What is Online ESL?
Online ESL is when lessons are conducted through virtual classrooms instead of using traditional
modes of education. This means that a lesson is done conveniently with the use of an Internet
connection and a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Online ESL schools use website platforms for their
service. This is where the students and tutors access learning materials, system support, and the like.
What is my browser?
A browser is software that is used to access the internet. A browser lets you visit websites and do activities within them like
login, view multimedia, link from one site to another, visit one page from another, print, send and receive email, among many
other activities. The most common browser software titles on the market are: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google's Chrome,
Mozilla Firefox, Apple's Safari, and Opera. Browser availability depends on the operating system your computer is using (for
example: Microsoft Windows, Linux, Ubuntu, Mac OS, among others).
What is a URL?
Is a URL the same as a domain name? Surprisingly to many, the answer is no. But the terms
are used so interchangeably, it’s understandable why people confuse one for the other. But
there is a difference.
A domain name is part of a URL, which stands for Uniform Resource Locator. You can see
the visual difference in the following example:
Let’s Explain It A Little More
In order for computer networks and servers to “talk to one another,” computers rely on a
language made up of numbers and letters called an IP address. Every device that connects
to the Internet has a unique IP address and looks something like this:
22.231.113.64 or 3ffe:1900:4545:3:200:f8ff:fe21:67cf
In order to navigate easily around the web, typing in a long IP address isn’t ideal, or
realistic, to an online user. This is the reason why domain names were created – to hide IP
addresses with something more memorable. You could consider the domain name as a
“nickname” to the IP address.
A URL incorporates the domain name, along with other detailed information, to create a
complete address (or “web address”) to direct a browser to a specific page online called a
web page. In essence, it’s a set of directions and every web page has a unique one.
Stands for "Uniform Resource Locator." A URL is the address of a
specific webpage or file on the Internet. For example, the URL of the TechTerms
website
is
"http://techterms.com."
The
address
of
this
page
is
"http://techterms.com/definition/url" and includes the following elements:
1. http:// – the URL prefix, which specifies the protocol used to access the
location
2. techterms.com – the server name or IP address of the server
3. /definition/url – the path to the directory or file
Stands for "Uniform Resource Locator." A URL is the address of a
specific webpage or file on the Internet. For example, the URL of the TechTerms
website
is
"http://techterms.com."
The
address
of
this
page
is
"http://techterms.com/definition/url" and includes the following elements:
1. http:// – the URL prefix, which specifies the protocol used to access the
location
2. techterms.com – the server name or IP address of the server
3. /definition/url – the path to the directory or file
1. Tell me about yourself.
Your answer should include your basic skills. Relate your answer to the position you are applying for.
Briefly describe your education, areas of knowledge and work experience, tell about your greatest
achievements, indicate your strongest skills, explain briefly how your potential employer could benefit
from your skills. Do not repeat the facts from your CV. Never read or recite your CV.
2. Tell me about yourself professionally.
After I completed my student teaching at ___________and graduated from ____________ I became
a high school teacher at ____________. While there I ____________. Then you should talk about
other teaching jobs, especially those that are closer related to the job you are applying for. You
should mention your accomplishments/achievements. In addition, mention extra curricular activities.
Do not read your resume or CV.
3. Describe yourself.
I am an enthusiastic teacher who looks for opportunities to tie academic goals and standards to
practical and memorable situations.
1. How would you describe yourself?
I consider myself hardworking / reliable / dependable / helpful / outgoing / organised / honest/
cooperative.
I’m good at dealing with people / handling stress.
I pay attention to details.
I learn quickly and take pride in my work.
I love challenges and getting the job done.
. Why would you like to work for us?

I would like to put into practice what I learned at university.

I would like to make use of the experience I have gained in the past ten years.

I believe that your company will allow me to grow both professionally and as a
person.
8. When can you commence employment with us?

I can start immediately.

Candidate: As soon as you would like me to begin.
9. Do you have any questions?
Are there any benefits your company offers its employees?
Why did you decide to become a teacher?
4. What do you know about our institution?
Before attending an interview, try to get as much information about your prospective employer as
possible: study the website of the institution and if possible talk to some people who worked in that
institution. Employers feel impressed if you know much about them.
5. Tell me your teaching success story.
You need to sit down, take a pen and write down your teaching success story so that you would not
need to stammer at a job interview.
6. How do you teach?
Try to relate this question to your own teaching philosophy. You can answer in this way (this is an
example only – please think of your own, better answer): “I always tell my students: 'If you want to
learn to speak you must speak'. I believe that content-based communicative way of teaching is the
most productive way of teaching. Students must use the newly learned words (which are actually
passive words) in practical situations until they become active, 'their own words'. One of the most
efficient ways of dealing with large size classes is by subdividing, for example, 25 students into
smaller groups, i.e. 5 subgroups of 5 students. Each subgroup is given a topic for discussion. Now
and then, I walk up to each subgroup, brainstorm them and ask questions. Students work on their
topics and later one student from each subgroup gives a presentation (5 students). This is studentcentered approach of teaching and it always works well. Students are exposed to natural
communication. I usually make up lists of active vocabulary and different patterns for each subgroup
in advance, depending on their levels. In this way, a well organized twelve week intensive ESL course
could teach an average student approximately 2500 active words.”
7. What kind of technology have you used in the classroom?
You should mention your knowledge and experience in teaching courses related to CALL (Computer
Assisted Language Learning).
8. What do you like about the job of an ESL teacher?
Tell about new challenge or the opportunity to bring fresh experience to the school and to share your
experience with others for example, ‘I have a great passion for learning and learners, and I think that
the best way to learn is by teaching. I belong to the category of those persons who are not satisfied
until they have shared all that they have gained with their students. I believe that teaching is a
continual bilateral process of learning and sharing, especially in an ESL classroom where I use a
combination of communicative, content-based and kinesthetic method of teaching.’ You can also
reflect on the following: ‘An ESL teacher’s job is based on imagination and creativity. It is also related
to a great variety of stimulating activities and unlike many other jobs, has no real monetary value. The
profit is in my learners. In my opinion ESL teaching is a very satisfying job.’
I want to use your skills to empower students by teaching them how to succeed in an English-speaking
environment.
9. What are your strengths?
Select two or three strengths that are directly related to the requirements of the position you are
applying for. Stay focused on the position you are applying for instead of trying to mention all types of
strengths that you have.
Candidate: I work well under pressure. When there is a deadline (a time by which the work
must be finished), I can focus on the task at hand (current project) and structure my work
schedule well. I remember one week when I had to get 6 new customer reports out by Friday
at 5. I finished all the reports ahead of time without having to work overtime.
Candidate: I am an excellent communicator. People trust me and come to me for advice.
One afternoon, my colleague was involved with a troublesome (difficult) customer who felt he
was not being served well. I made the customer a cup of coffee and invited both my colleague
and the client to my desk where we solved the problem together.
10. What are your weaknesses?
Give a ‘positive’ weakness. The question does not require from you to tell a weakness that is related
to the position you are applying for therefore you can give a weakness which is not directly related to
the position. To achieve more objectivity, speak about your weakness from another person’s
perspective, e.g. your colleague, spouse or friend. You can answer: ‘When I become very much
focused on an important task I am very scrupulous about details. It takes some efforts and time from
me to accomplish the task: I work overtime and sometimes miss appointments for dinners with my
friends; my wife/husband argues that this is my worst weakness. Although I enjoy doing my job,
others tell me that I am a perfectionist.’ Also, emphasize the steps and actions that you have taken to
overcome your weakness: ’I have a diary in which I record my appointments; in addition, I ask my
wife/husband to remind me about my weakness, whenever I am involved in my work’. Also, if you are
a workaholic person, i.e. often spend long hours working till late at night - you can mention that being
a workaholic person is your ‘weakness’ too, and your family members are not happy about it.
11. What is your weakness as a teacher?
I plan so many creative activities for my students and class time is limited. It is difficult to include all of
the activities that I would like my students to learn from. After a while I have understood that it is very
important to prioritize my lesson activities in order to enhance student learning.
12. Where do you want to be five years from now?
The answer greatly depends on your age, experience and qualifications. It would be logical to tell that
what you would want to be in five years' time would depend on your job performance and employer
satisfaction. If you are a young teacher with a TESOL Certificate, you could mention your ability to
learn and seek for improvement, although you should not be too ambitious with the job that you have
not been offered yet. Also, you should not demonstrate too much that you want the job because you
want to learn from them (if you want to learn, you have to go to school and pay tuition fee).
13. What would you do if your superior tells you to do something that you know is
not right in the way of doing?
There are a few possible answers to this question. Here is one: ‘I always accept the fact that people,
from time to time, make mistakes, and I am not an exception in this case. I would bring to light the
issue, explain my way of reasoning, and if my superior still insists I would follow his /her order.
Afterwards, I would reflect on this matter and try to understand why my superior had chosen that
approach. It often happens that there are two or more ways of doing the same job or solving the
same problem - and both ways are very efficient. Perhaps this would be an opportunity for me to
learn to apply new methods and techniques or gain some new skills that I never knew of before.’
14. If I call your present employer, how will he describe you?
You should probably answer that your boss would describe you as a fully qualified and enthusiastic
ESL teacher who can work both independently and as a part of a team.
15. What do you think of the last school you worked for?
You should stress the positive aspects of your experience. Tell about the positive work experience
that you gained and mention good qualities of that school. Tell what positive skills and experience you
gained.
16. What would you say about your time management?
You can straightforwardly say that you manage your time well and never procrastinate. You always
set goals and prioritize your tasks and spend a proper amount of time to accomplish each task.
17. Is there any workplace environment that is ineffective for you as a professional
ESL teacher?
One of possible answers: ‘A lack of independence, creativity and no teamwork support. I do well
when I can draw my own map, make my own schedule and prepare my own teaching materials to
help my students achieve their learning objectives. I also like to work in a team, especially on
assessment and material design issues. I believe that a lack of independence, creativity and no
teamwork may result in ineffectiveness for any professional ESL teacher.’ You can also add the
following if you like: ‘In my opinion, an ineffective workplace environment is usually based on
micromanagement.’
18. What qualities do you think will be required for this job?
Job requirements are usually in the job advertisement. Study the job advertisement and ask yourself
what additional qualities may be needed for that particular position. Additional skills may include
ability to work independently as well as a part of a team, cross-cultural communication skills,
leadership ability, supervisory skills, analytical skills, problem solving skills, creativity and student
behavior management skills.
19. Why do you want this job?
Stress the positive aspects which have attracted you to apply for this job. Do not mention the negative
aspects of your current job or the job that you are applying for. Mention such possible reasons as
improvement opportunity, creativity and team work opportunities.
20. What can you contribute?
Study their website, their needs, and the job requirements in the ad, and tell about your
accomplishments, responsibilities and achievements in your previous jobs; relate them to the job you
are applying for.
Why do you want to work for our company?
During my research, I discovered that your company really values training and ongoing learning for
your employees, and as someone who loves to learn new things and be challenged, this is important to
me.
I wanted to become a teacher to be able to make a positive difference on the future of children. For me, it
is great/fulfilling challenge: stimulating the next generation to become lifelong learners.
Hello, how are you today ?
“I am very well today sir, thank you”.
“I am very well today sir, just that the traffic here is bit of a hassle. But I made sure, I start a bit early to beat it.”
Tell me about yourself?
“I am Winnie Lyne D. Teofilo, just call me Winnie. I’m a recent college graduate from the Kings College of the
Philippines. I graduated with a degree in the Information Technology, which I believe has equipped me with the
specific skill set necessary for this position. During my stay in college, I took an internship in Linkage Web
Development and Design that has helped me to further develop my passion and my knowledge because
designing is my passion. I love outdoor sports, specifically athletics and was a member of college athletic
team.”
What are your strengths?
“Ma’am, my greatest strength is having a positive attitude especially during the most hardest of times. During
our college project study, there have been cases, when our idea was not falling in place and the results
were negative. So a project manager of the team I had to believe in myself and think positively in order to keep
my team motivated to persist on our idea, and finally we got the desired result and present them with a great
success.”
What are your weaknesses?
“I am a perfectionist and sometimes, concentrate too much on one single task to get it to perfection, using up
time from other tasks”.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself in this position as something that can improve my skills in the field that can contribute to the
success of the company. I would like to see myself as a professional web and graphic designer.
Tell me about a problem you’ve encountered and how you dealt with it.
I did have some challenging situation during our final defense delivery wherein as a project manager it’s hard to
control some members who doesn’t work and contribute in the project. But then I was positive, that this will
work with a great success.
Why should we hire you?
I had my internship exposure. So being a fresher, it will be easy for me to adapt to the new environment and
will have the opportunity to show and share my skills and knowledge in regards to this position.
Who is the most inspiring person in your life?
My greatest inspiration is my family. They always thought me not to worry about my weakness and take the
most advantage of my strengths. This has developed a lot of confidence in me during my school.
Are you willing to change your role and profile when required for project?
Yes, ma’am, as a fresher, I hope and wish to learn as much things as possible. I believe this will help me learn
and grow in this industry.
Why do you want to work for us?
This would be a better way to start off my career at a place where I feel contented.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
One of my greatest strengths is my ability to learn fast on the job and teach myself different skillsets.
And while I don’t have much experience in customer service, I think my ability to learn will help me
overcome that obstacle quickly.
What’s your idea of a call center?
To me, a customer service call center is the frontline of all customer interactions. It’s the job of call
center agents to listen and understand customer concerns while also providing helpful information. At
the end of the day, customer service call centers need to create satisfied customers with every call.
Why do you want to work in a call center?
I’m excited to work in a fast-paced environment that will challenge me to use all of my skills to solve
problems and improve the customer experience. I love flexing my communication skills and interacting
with customers.
What is your idea of quality customer service?
My idea of quality customer service is being able to provide customers with friendly, professional
service that not only solves their problems or answers their questions, but also leaves them feeling
satisfied with the service they received.
How would you handle a call from an angry customer?
I think the first step is to stay calm and express to the customer that you understand them. I think it’s
also important to remember that it isn’t personal, and the best way to de-escalate the situation is to
work towards a solution.
4 Common Call Center Representative Interview Questions & Answers
1. What qualities do you think are important in order to provide good customer assistance?
I believe that the ability to communicate clearly and establish rapport with customers is key to
assuring customer satisfaction. As a call center representative, I emphasize friendliness, honesty and
accuracy when dealing with customers. Another important characteristic is the ability to practice
active listening and empathy for the customer’s problems. Customers need to feel that their problems
are as important to the representative as they are to themselves. Many times, customers may be
highly upset or irate; therefore, a good representative will possess the ability to remain patient and
calm under all circumstances. In my interactions with customers, I keep in mind that I need to do my
best to address their concerns as effectively as possible, no matter what. Finally, comprehensive
knowledge of the product in question and of relevant company policy is necessary in order to offer
effective solutions.
2. How do you deal with a customer who demands solutions you cannot provide?
I strive to always go the extra mile to achieve satisfactory solutions to customer concerns. However,
sometimes a customer will insist on obtaining services that are either against company policy or
impossible to provide. For example, I once had an angry customer who wanted to return a computer
in exchange for one of a different brand. My company did not sell any computers of that other brand,
so that was not a service I could offer him. I listened to his concerns and his reasons for wanting the
other computer. Then I told him about other computers offered by my company that were similar to
the one he wanted and explained how their attributes were suitable for the customer’s purposes. As a
result, the customer was able to calm down and ultimately chose to receive a replacement computer
from our catalog.
3. Have you ever encountered a serious conflict with a supervisor?
I cannot say I have ever had a serious conflict, as I have a good work ethic and my job performance
is excellent. There have been some instances where I have encountered disagreements as to the
best way of handling a specific customer issue. In these circumstances, I have been able to discuss
the problem with my supervisor and arrive at a solution that was both satisfactory to the customer and
met with my supervisor’s approval.
1. How would you handle a call from an angry
customer?
"I’d let them express their anger, hear them out, and take note of any key points. I’d make sure to repeat the
problems back and find a solution that deals with their problem within company policy. With the confirmation
that the problem is solved and the customer is happy, I’d wish them a good day and end the call."
It can be hard at times, but it is crucial that you hear the customer out and try to find a real solution for the
customer.
2. Why did you leave your last position?
For this question, try an answer like this: "The job wasn’t challenging enough for me", "The workload was too
sporadic", or "I spent too much of my time waiting in ’idle mode’."
Never speak negatively about your former company! No interviewer will hire you if you start bad mouthing
your previous boss because they will assume that you will feel the same way about them.
3. Have you ever been in a conflict with your boss?
"Personality differences are just a part of life, and understanding that has helped me to avoid conflicts with my
managers. Communication is the key to solving all problems."
Having a conflict with a boss is not the end of the world if you never had some sort of conflict with your boss it
would be strange. Just keep things positive and try to show how you solved them and that they weren’t a
problem.
4. Are you prepared the handle the high-pressure
environment?
"I am a very organised person, and I do my job punctually and professionally. Emergencies don’t faze me, as I
always leave time for unscheduled, surprise tasks."
Call centers can be extremely stressful workplaces. If you can’t handle the heat you should be honest about it
because you won’t be able to work properly.
5. Can you handle more than one phone line?
"Absolutely! I’ve been trained to do so, and my excellent multi-tasking skills make it possible for me to manage
multiple phone lines efficiently."
Everyone says that they can multi-task. If you can’t handle more than one phone line at once you should tell
them because it is unlikely that you would be an effective worker.
6. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
"My greatest strength is my ability to remain calm under pressure. I have been told that I care too much about
the people whose problems I try to solve."
The trick with strengths and weaknesses is to turn your weaknesses into strengths by showing that you are
actively improving them.
7. How many calls per hour can you make/receive?
This question primarily applies to telemarketers, but it is also applicable to employees who receive calls. Figure
out what the average time per call is, and use that time to figure out how many calls you can make per hour.
Customer complaint/problem calls tend to run a bit longer than telemarketing calls, so you will make fewer calls
per hour if you are providing support or technical assistance.
8. How do you handle a customer who begins to yell
at you?
"The customer is no doubt having trouble with their product, and having to wait on hold for technical
assistance can be frustrating. I understand this, and thus I can avoid getting angry because I can sympathise
with their frustration. Irate customers are part of life, and a simple apology will usually go a long way toward
calming them down."
The ability to empathise with irate customers is something that every employer looks for. Emotional
intelligence is an excellent quality for employees to have.
9. What are your goals?
"I plan to work hard and distinguish myself from the others in the call center. I expect to be one of the top
performers within the next 6 months and possibly team leader by the end of my first year."
Quantifying your goals and showing that you have a lot of ambition always earns you points with interviewers.
If you don’t have ambition, then you look like a much less desirable candidate.
10. What do you enjoy about working in a call
center?
"I love talking to people, so it’s always enjoyable for me to interact with people over the phone. Plus, being able
to help people solve their problems is a very rewarding job."
Again staying positive and showing that you enjoy the work is always necessary. It might not be 100% true as
there really are not that many people who love working in call centers, but it’s important to give the illusion that
you enjoy the work.
4. I see from your resume that your previous customer service experience includes working at a
computer store, but no call center experience. Can you tell me what your idea of a call center is and
how you would utilize your prior experience in providing call center service?
I see a call center as a place where I would provide customer service over the phone instead of faceto-face. I understand that it is typically a high-paced environment where I will need to adapt to
speaking with many different types of people and address their concerns. My time providing face-toface customer service has taught me the value of tailoring interaction to each individual for maximum
customer satisfaction. I have also learned to listen actively, express empathy and offer constructive
and prompt solutions. In my opinion, since over-the-phone customers do not have the advantage of
observing my facial expressions and body language, I will need to ensure that my tone conveys the
message I intend. As customers are also unable to see what I am doing, I will also be sure to keep
them updated throughout our conversation, for example, letting them know that I am checking the
electronic record of their purchase.