Although providing a self-introduction video isn’t a necessary condition when applying for a teaching job in China, it might be a beneficial addition to your CV.
What can an employer learn about you from your CV?
Some standard information – date of birth, education, qualifications, skills, working experience, and maybe hobbies.
Of course, this data is the key that helps an employer decide on a suitable candidate.
But is this information enough to impress your potential employer?
In this article, you’ll find out the tips on creating a self-introduction video that will help you get the job of your dream, with examples of video at the end of the post, ready-to-go scripts and a step-by step tutorial on how to record the video from scratch.
Teaching implies constant cooperation with students, but you can’t show your communication skills in your resume.
It’s impossible to estimate your language level and assess your personality via CV.
That’s why recording an introduction video appears to be a sensible decision.
Moreover, in accordance with statistics, Chinese hiring managers tend to choose a candidate who submits a self-intro video over the one who doesn’t.
So, if you’re a confident and experienced teacher who wants to interest your future employer, you’ve come to the right place.
How to prepare for a self-introduction video
Since you want to look confident in the video, you should take into account some details. Here is the list.
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Dress as you would for a personal interview or for your lesson.
Although the way you dress doesn’t relate to your professional skills or personal qualities, it’s better to look smart.
Get a glimpse of your wardrobe and try to find not only nice clothes but comfortable as well.
Admit, you won’t feel confident if you wear something that you don’t really like or something that doesn’t fit you.
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Try to foresee and prevent anything that can disturb you when you record a video.
If you’re recording a self-introduction at home, ask your family members not to enter your room for half an hour. Or prepare your introduction when there’s nobody at home.
It will help you boost your confidence as you know for sure nobody will listen to your speech.
Also, don’t forget to turn off your phone and mute notifications in all social networks.
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Record several trial versions
It’s unlikely that you record a perfect video at the first attempt (unless you do it every day).
You’ll probably confuse the words or make long pauses between sentences.
That has nothing to do with confidence. That’s why recording two or three videos just to practice is a great idea.
Once you record a trial video, you can analyze your speech, your facial expressions, your body language.
If you aren’t sure how to behave in front of the camera, watch several examples of teacher introduction videos on the Internet.
It’s also a great idea to practice your speech in front of the mirror.
While watching a trial video, correct the things you don’t like in order not to repeat them in a real video.
What do you start with?
Perhaps, the first and the most important thing about recording a video is providing its quality. It might be challenging if you don’t use recording equipment on a daily or at least weekly basis.
But don’t worry! We will advise you on that.
First of all, set your camera so that a viewer can see your face and hands.
Secondly, adjust light settings. Try to film your presentation under natural light – that’s the best option for a decent-quality video.
In case you don’t have a chance to provide natural light, make sure you use powerful (and close to natural) artificial lights.
The best position of your camera is between you and the source of light.
This very position will provide a clear image of you, without shadows covering your face.
Finally, make sure there is no other source of noise except your voice. It’s important to do to provide high-quality sound of your video.
Once your video-recording equipment is ready, take the following steps to create a successful self-intro for interview.
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Write a script in advance
Your speech is your business card, so it’s crucial to take your time and prepare it thoroughly.
Don’t write your speech in a hurry. Choose a free hour and think about what you’re going to say.
Think of an interesting way to represent yourself.
Mention your education and working experience.
Decide why you are special and why you must be chosen for a position. Tell your potential employer why you’re interested in his/her school.
While preparing your speech, note that it shouldn’t be long. 2-3 minutes are enough. So, try to say everything you want during this time.
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Freshen up and tidy your room
Your appearance can create either positive or negative impression on your viewer – everything depends on you.
That is the reason why you should look neat and attractive.
Brush your hair, wash up, put on light make-up (if you’re a girl), and put on something smart from your wardrobe.
And don’t forget about the main accessory – smile.
It’s also important to appear in the video in a tidy room.
The perfect background for your video is a clean wall without any prints or posters on it.
Keep this in mind when choosing a place for recording your teacher introduction video.
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Introduce yourself
No doubt, self-introduction is the first piece of information your employer wants to hear from you.
As a rule, this part isn’t large since you need to give only the most important information.
Tell your name, your age, and your country of origin. If you’re American but are currently living in another country, it’s also worth mentioning.
This data will be enough for a viewer to form the first impression about you.
While talking about yourself, you can also mention what languages you speak. It would be great if you say a couple of words in all the languages you know.
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Talk about your education
Education is your background at any job interview.
Employers in any industry and any country want to know about your education. Mention all the degrees you have and specialties you studied.
Even if you don’t have a degree in English philology, knowing your educational background is important for your employer.
Don’t forget to mention courses or certificates you’ve got.
For example, TEFL certificate is often (but not always) required for teaching positions abroad. So, if you have one, it will definitely work for your advantage.
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Mention your previous experience
This is one of the things every employer wants to know, no matter what position you’re applying for.
If you have already worked as a teacher, tell how you started and why you chose teaching as your career. Say who are/were your students – kids or adults.
It’s also a good idea to say what you like about teaching.
Mentioning this, you’ll show your potential employer that you’re passionate about your work.
Even if you don’t have teaching experience, tell what you did before and why you want to teach English now.
Your genuine desire to become a teacher might play the main part in your employment.
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Personalize
Don’t simply say why you want to get a teaching job in China.
It’s actually quite understandable. Schools in China offer foreign teachers good conditions for earning money.
Of course, teachers work full-time and have other duties except carrying out the lessons. But they get good money and plenty of bonuses, e.g. free apartment.
Thus, go into details – explain why it is important for you to teach in a particular school. Perhaps you’ve chosen a couple of schools you like the most, so tell why you prefer them.
By saying this, you’ll make your potential employer feel special, so that he/she wants to hire you on some psychological level.
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Show your confidence
Giving facts isn’t enough to interest your viewer. Your mood and your inner power is also felt via the video.
If you don’t feel well-prepared, forget words, or don’t know what to say, your potential employer will notice it.
In order to avoid looking shy and timid, practice your speech in advance.
Believe in yourself! If you can teach English to a class of people, you definitely can record a confident speech for a couple of hiring managers.
Don’t forget about eye contact. Imagine that your camera is your real employer and you have a face-to-face conversation.
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Sound natural
What we mean, is that your speech shouldn’t be learned by heart.
The thing is that when you learn something by heart, one forgotten word can confuse you.
You shouldn’t learn. You should understand what you’re talking about.
Preparing a self-introduction speech isn’t as difficult as you might think.
Just have a plan of your speech in front of your eyes. Knowing the main points you need to cover is enough for a confident job applicant.
So, think what you want to say, have a plan, and imagine you’re talking to someone you know well.
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Show your level
Make sure you speak fluently but not too fast. Keep in mind that non-native speakers will watch the video and it might be difficult for them to understand you.
Of course, you should demonstrate high English skills, but don’t overdo.
In order to make your speech clearer for your viewer, you can add subtitles to your video.
Although it isn’t necessary, your employer will appreciate it.
If you don’t want to bother with implementing the whole text in the video, you can create bullet points to express the main ideas you’re talking about.
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Review your video
Watch what you’ve recorded and ask yourself several questions.
Can a viewer see you clearly on the video? Can he/she hear you well? Is the video of good quality?
Do you cover all necessary points in your presentation? Do you sound confident? And the main question – would you hire yourself if you were an employer?
Showing your video to a friend or a family member is a sensible decision. Another person might notice something you don’t and can advise on improvement.
Once you have the video that satisfies all requirements, move on to the next step.
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Send the video
Forward the video to your employer or share a video link. The latter option might be even a better decision if your video is of big size.
Yet, if you decide to send the full video, it’s OK to upload your video to YouTube and provide access to separate people by the “unlisted” option.
However, YouTube doesn’t work in China without VPN, so you might need to look for another alternative.
One more way to send your video is to share it via Dropbox or Google Drive.
The last but not the least variant is using Chinese alternative to YouTube – Youku.
If you use this service, you can be sure your employer can watch your self-intro video hassle-free.
Self-introduction speech samples
It might be challenging to prepare for a self-introduction video.
Although you might know how to do it, it’s a bit weird to talk about yourself a lot.
To simplify this task, you can watch some videos of other teachers available on YouTube as well as read the samples we’ve prepared for you.
Here’re the examples:
Script #1:
Hello.
My name’s Jane Black. I’m 28-year-old native English teacher.
I was born in the USA, Illinois. I’ve been living in this state since birth. I have a Bachelor’s in Social Science. However, I’ve reconsidered my professional goals recently.
Two years ago, I went to Africa as a volunteer. There, our group helped at local schools, and children who were so curious to learn English inspired me a lot.
Since that time, I’ve been working as a private English tutor. Last month, I got my TEFL certificate and I’m eager to develop as a teacher.
I’m interested in your educational institution because it gives an opportunity to teach English at elementary and middle school. And these are two things I like a lot – English and young learners.
I feel I’m suitable for this position because I’m a fan of gamification in teaching practice. And I’m sure this is the best way for kids to learn something new.
I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you.
Script #2:
Hello.
My name’s Mike Wilson. I come from Canada, and I’m a 25-year-old student who is going to get a degree in International Trade & Development next month.
Although I’m an A student, I don’t feel like working in the sphere. What interests me more is teaching languages.
I’m an English native, but as I was born and raised in Quebec, French is my second mother tongue. Enchanté de vous rencontrer.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any teaching experience yet. The only thing somehow connected with teaching was my initiative to help my younger cousins. I learned new words with my 4-year-old cousin brother for his kindergarten classes. And I also helped my 12-year-old cousin sister with her school homework.
To tell the truth, I liked the way we spent time with my brother – it was fun and educational at the same time. That’s why I’m applying for a position in your kindergarten.
I feel I’m suitable for the position of an English teacher as I like children, and my English level is definitely enough to teach kids.
I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you.
As you can see, these are different self-introduction samples. The former belongs to an experienced teacher and the later one – to a person who is at the beginning of his teaching career. Yet, both of them have a chance to get a job of their dream in China.
These are the examples of 1-minute video scripts. Feel free to choose the one that resembles your situation and change it so it becomes your story.
You can also expand your speech if you have more details to add. But remember that your video shouldn’t be too long.
How do you make a self-intro video? (Camera, format)
There are no specific requirements for the equipment you should use when recording the video.
Fortunately, we live in the world of developing technologies, and even not very expensive smartphone can record a decent video.
You can use your smartphone or camera for recording, it doesn’t really matter.
It’s even possible to use a built-in webcam of your laptop or PC for this purpose.
The only thing you want to keep in mind is that you should take care of video quality.
The choice of video format is also up to you.
The most popular formats such as MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or H.264, are available on the majority of modern gadgets.
But if you’re worried whether your video can be played in China, edit it to several formats.
With several videos at hand, you can send your employer another video in no time if anything goes wrong.
One more thing we’d like to mention is that it’s better to record a horizontal video.
The thing is that most video players are designed for horizontal videos.
Thus, a vertical one will seem strange.
Self-introduction video examples
Have a look at several self-introduction samples, get inspired, and create your own video.
