Gogokid Demo Interview: How to Pass with an A+

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If you are reading this, I am assuming you are in the process of becoming a fantastic Gogokid teacher.

Gogokid is an online ESL company based in China that gives native English teachers the opportunity to teach young learners from the comfort of their homes.

Preparation for this ESL role is vital because not only do you want to pass the Gogokid interview demo with flying colors, but you also want to secure the best possible base pay rate for the job. 

We got you!

These guidelines were explicitly given by Gogokid marketing and recruitment themselves, so let’s dive deep into what they had to say.

You may also be interested in: The Best English Teaching Companies in 2022.

Prepare Your Classroom

There is nothing that says ‘hello’ like your dress and body language when you enter an interview room. The same goes for your online ESL classroom, as this becomes the “interview room.”

Gogokid will judge the environment where you conduct your online class, so make sure it’s neat and prepared, just like you!

What Gogokid Have to Say About Your Classroom:

• Wear neat and appropriate clothing, with no lettering or distracting patterns 
• Decorated background
• Make sure the camera is front-facing and eye-level
• Make sure that you are visible and at an appropriate distance from the camera.
• Appropriate lighting, so they can see you and your teacher background clearly.

Check out teacher Brett’s video for more guidance:

This is what Gogokid wants to see more than anything. Check out some of our online teacher supplies here, such as lighting, headset, and laptop stand.

The Most Important Component:

If there’s anything you take away here today, it’s this.

Prepare for the Gogokid Demo Interview

• Review the slides many times
• Don’t skip any slides
• Use props (at least two) and TPR
• Make sure you complete it in good timing
• Learn how to navigate the classroom before your interview
• Click “start” only when you are ready to begin recording! This recording will be submitted to Gogokid for review.

You will need to practice! Make sure you check the “teacher instructions” written in the top corner of the slides.

You will want to spend a few hours practicing. Make sure to accomplish each lesson slide objective.

Gogokid has weekly workshops which help you prepare teachers for their classes. Be sure to check those out.

You can find the workshops here. The workshops are updated weekly.

9 Essential Strategies to Pass Gogokid Demo Interview

If you don’t have implement these strategies, you won’t likely pass the interview. Therefore it is important to practice, practice and practice some more!

See our reasons for failing the Gogokid Demo Interview.

1. TPR

TPR, also known as “total physical response,” is the body language and facial gestures we use to show what we mean. 

TPR helps children remember what they learn in context without rote learning a bunch of new words. You can even encourage the students to do the movements with you, as doing the action and saying the word will help them remember it better.

Many children are elementary or beginner level, so they need lots of TPR to understand concepts and instructions.

We can use educational and instructional TPR to engage with the students and help them understand what we mean.

• Instructional TPR is when we show what we mean when we say instructions. For example, if you want the student to say something, you could point to your mouth ‘say’ and then cup your ear to show that you are listening. 

Other instructional TPR to watch out for: click, circle, and repeat.

• Educational TPR is the body language and gestures we use to explain concepts and topics as we go through the lesson material. For example, we might explain ‘basketball’ by pretending to shoot a hoop.

Continue to use TPR throughout the interview, and don’t stop or forget to use it when explaining something. Watch the video below to learn more:

2. Props

Props make the students feel more comfortable and safe. It can provide a fun atmosphere for young students.

We can use props to model what we mean. For example, we can show them an apple and say the word ‘apple.’ Gogokid highly recommends using a puppet in your demo. For more information, please see our article about the reasons why people fail the Gogokid interview.

Some basic props mentioned by Gogokid: whiteboard and markers, star or reward item, puppet or stuffed animal, flashcards. Gogokid likes to see teachers use a minimum of 2 props in every class. Check out more teacher props here.

Make sure to use a few props in your demo interview. Check out this video for more:

3. Simple Language

What is simple language?

Simple language is using level-appropriate language with minimal unfamiliar words. It is not goo-goo-gaga. 

What I mean is, no baby talk or using broken, incorrect language. That diminishes student confidence and reduces their learning.

You can use TPR to help you limit the need for extra language.

4. Student Output

Students should be speaking at least 50% of the time. Gogokid thinks this is #1 priority. 

Why?

High student output increases their learning and language acquisition.

You can set expectations earlier on in the session that students should speak in full sentences. 

For lower level learners, the teacher should ask lots of questions and encourage the students to repeat.

For upper level learners, the teacher should ask concept-checking questions to ensure that the student understands the material and increase their talk time.

Give them plenty of time to answer; they have to translate everything in their head, not to mention the internet delay time that slows down the transmission.

5. Speak slowly and clearly

Speak naturally, at a slightly slower speak but don’t sound robotic. Repeat yourself when necessary. 

Break down longer sentences into chunks so the student can repeat after you.

For example, you may want the student to say “This is a cat.”

The student might have the vocabulary word ‘cat’ but have yet to put it into a sentence. 

You can chunk by saying “This is” and getting the student to repeat. 

“A cat”. Get the student to repeat. 

Then say the full sentence “This is a cat.” 

See if they can say the sentence now. Repeat if necessary.

6. Modelling

“I do, We do, You do.”

Essentially, the teacher shows the students how to do something first. Next, the student does it with the teacher. Finally, the student does it by themselves.

When a student is confused, we need to be able to demonstrate by modelling. You can use TPR and props to help you model.

7. Positive Corrections

Don’t say the student was wrong. Gogokid wants you to make corrections in a positive way, without saying ‘no.’

Praise the students for trying and then tell them the answer. Repeat the mistake correctly. Praise them again when they do it correctly.

Here is what Gogokid suggests:

• Listen to what the student has to say, without interrupting them
• Focus on only one correction at a time
• Have the student repeat the correct answer a few times
• Have the student use the correction in a complete sentence

Don’t forget to implement this in your Gogokid interview demo. Watch the video below to learn more:

8. Pacing 

Finish the lesson within the allotted timeg. Teachers typically spend one minute per slide. Adjust this based on the number of slides in the lesson.

You may need to use a timing system, such as a timer, clock or stopwatch to help with the time.

One thing I like to do is check for the halfway point and divide the number of slides by two to see what slide I should be at after 15 minutes, so I don’t get lost or confused with the time.

9. Synthetic Phonics

Synthetic phonics is about breaking up words into their sounds. Students learn and pronounce the precise sound for each letter. 

For example, take the letter m. The letter M sounds like mmmm, not muh. 

Don’t add extra sounds to letters and words, which is a common mistake made by teachers. Watch this super helpful video to learn how to sound out words correctly:

If you’ve got this far, you’ve covered the essential strategies you need to succeed at the Gogokid interview. Well done, you now the secret sauce to a perfect online class!

Put what you’ve learned into pracitce for the demo interview. Best of luck! 

After you’ve signed up through one of the links above, you can join the Facebook group: Gogokid Newbies and email any questions you have to our contact form or teach@gogokid.com.

Useful Links

• Gogokid Job Review
• Online ESL Jobs
• Laptops for Teachers
• Reward Systems for Teachers
• Online ESL Games for Young Learners
• Get Paid with Best Exchange Rates