So, you’ve met the Director of Studies online or face-to-face, have successfully wooed them with your skills and knowledge as a TEFL teacher and now they want to see you action. It’s not uncommon that Directors want to see you teaching before offering you a position within their school. They may request you send a video if they are in another country or ask you to come into the school to deliver the lesson in person. Some schools are even willing to pay for your flights to deliver these demo lessons! Either way, delivering a demo class can be a daunting task, but do not fear as below we will divulge some top tips to guide you to a successful demo lesson.
Planning a Demo Lesson
Most schools will provide you with the level and age range of the class and a grammar or vocabulary point to teach, so you won’t be completely in the dark. However, when planning a demo class, it’s important to think about some key factors:
- A clear lesson aim: You know the level and age of the class, as well as the subject area to teach, therefore, you can make sure your overall lesson aim is clear and appropriate. If you need some guidance in this, you can use GSE teacher toolkit online which is a useful tool to categorise vocabulary by age and level.
- Plan a stand-alone lesson: If you are going to the school to deliver your lesson, you won’t have any idea of the students’ previous knowledge and language skills. Therefore, plan a lesson that can stand alone and doesn’t relate to knowing previously learnt knowledge.
- Keep it simple: The worst thing you could do is to plan a class which is too challenging for the learner. You don’t want any stumbling blocks in the lesson related to the level of English being used. The lesson is to show off your teaching skills and your presence in the classroom, not necessarily about what you are teaching.
- Planning the Lesson: Make sure your lesson plan is very clearly laid out and easy to read and follow. Using a template or structure that you learnt to use in your TEFL course will help you achieve this. Make sure you include the key information shown below:
- The class time and the level of the class.
- A clear lesson aim, as well as any subsidiary aims.
- Show you have thought about some potential problems and ways to overcome them in relation to the target language and classroom management.
- Make sure the lesson plan has very clear stages with stage aims, showing a detailed procedure, interaction patterns, and timings.
- Over plan! Always have additional activities at hand. As you don’t know the class, it may be possible they get through some activities quicker than anticipated. So, it’s always good to have a few extra fillers up your sleeve.
- Print out several copies of your lesson plan, one for yourself and extra ones for whoever may be observing you on the day.
- Materials: As it’s likely you have never been to the school, where you are delivering your demo lesson, don’t count on them having the materials you may need. Instead, plan for the obvious, such as having access to a blackboard and whiteboard. Don’t assume there will be fancy technology for you to show off your teaching techniques. If there are other materials you might like to use, such as classroom props, games or handouts, make sure you bring them along yourself.
- Technology: If you are aware the school has technology and you would like to exploit it, have a back-up plan just in case it doesn’t work on the day. It can be risky to use technology during a demo lesson as it can be unpredictable and go wrong when you least expect it. Having a back-up plan indicates you have thought of every possible scenario. In addition, why not go to the classroom early to test that it’s working before the lesson starts.
- Handouts: To impress during your demo lesson, it’s a good idea to use handouts where possible. This could be reading material, a word search or something else. Whatever it is – it shows that you’ve put in extra effort and that you’re willing to go the extra mile. Don’t forget if you are using handouts to print extra for the observers as well as the students. It’s better to have too many rather than not enough.

Showing off your classroom management and teaching skills
So, now you’ve got a very well-planned class, all your materials are ready and you’re raring to go and deliver it. But first let’s think about how we are going to show off your classroom management and teaching techniques during the class. Have a look at our list of recommendations below:
- Set boundaries: As you only have one class with these students, it would be unrealistic to present all you class rules as you would do with your own class. However, you can present yourself in a firm but positive way. Show students you won’t talk if they are talking and pick up on use of their first language (rather than using English) as and when it happens. You can also set your boundaries by complimenting students who do what is expected from you and using them as an example.
- Use name tags: It would also be unrealistic to learn all the students’ names in such a short space of time. Therefore, why not get them to use name tags at the beginning of the class, so that you don’t have to refer to them as ‘you there’. If they are children, you might want to prepare these before class from the register to save time.
- Getting students attention: Getting students attention is one part of classroom management and is particularly important in young learner classes. If you’re teaching adults, they shouldn’t cause you a problem – hopefully! Most teachers have their tried and tested ways of getting attention.
- Clear instruction giving: This can be one of the most challenging techniques to get right when teaching English as a Foreign Language and getting it wrong can lead to the class becoming disorganised. Make sure you break your instructions down into sizeable chunks so the learners can follow them easily. Don’t forget to check they have understood what they are doing by asking instruction checking questions (ICQs).
- Monitoring: Don’t sit back and relax whilst your students are doing the activities, make sure you show your observer you’re an active monitor. Go around the class casually listening or looking over the students’ shoulders at their work. Don’t be too intrusive as to intimidate them but show you are interested in how they are getting on. During this time write any use of good language used or errors made that you could feedback at the end of the activity.
- Error correcting: Although you already have so many things to think about during your demo class, error correction is one of the top teaching techniques observers watch out for in TEFL classes. You need to show you are quick and efficient when it comes to error correcting but don’t go mad and over correct and single out a certain individual. Instead include some class feedback sessions at the end of activities and focus on a few errors that you have noticed during monitoring. Showing a willingness to correct errors will definitely give you more brownie points! In addition, students want to hear how well they are doing, so as well as the errors you have picked up, give them some positive feedback on good language use you have heard.
And finally, it’s your time to shine
Above all, this is your moment to show yourself as an enthusiastic and confident teacher. Stay calm, be natural, smile and show your passion for teaching. Hopefully, this will help your students engage more with you and show you can build a rapport in a short time, even if just a little.
–
If you found this article useful, you may also like: 13 things TEFL employers are looking for in your CV and cover letter.
Comments (35)