Magic Ears Interview Questions
& Process

You have to create a demo lesson for two phonemes, then a introduction video about yourself, have a group interview and then record a demo lesson using their platform. It is a long process but fairly basic to the industry.

The interview process was messy. I was disappointed by the lack of real training, only being referred to YouTube videos. Within 48 hours of applying, I had a teaching demo and interview. After passing the first demo, I was asked to do a longer one with a Chinese staff member. She stopped me early, said I did great, and scheduled a trial class. The next day, I had a trial class with one advanced student. I tried to challenge him beyond the lesson, which was not what they wanted; they expected strict adherence to their awkward, level-inappropriate lessons with high energy. After the trial, I heard nothing for a week. I emailed them and was told my energy wasn't high enough. They offered another unpaid trial class, which I accepted. In the second trial, I had three students, one of whom arrived late and another who was disruptive. I followed protocol by muting him and reporting the issue. The next day, I received an email stating I wasn't a good fit, despite my TEFL/TESOL and 4 years of experience. I realized they aren't looking for teachers, but for performers with clownish personalities. The weak curriculum, exemplified by unnatural conversation examples, is not real teaching.

The pay listed in the job ad was misleading; it said $22-$26/hr but the actual range is $18-$26, and new teachers usually start at $18. The $22 figure includes two bonuses, one of which requires teaching over 60 hours/week. The hiring process was quite lengthy. It started with an online application form. Next was a brief interview to verify credentials, which mainly involved stating the information already provided online. Following that, I had to either record a video of a lesson or conduct a mock lesson with an adult pretending to be a child. After the lesson review, there was another interview. Finally, there was a lesson with a child, though this student seemed to be a native English speaker, making the lesson unsuitable. Additionally, this final lesson was one-on-one instead of the typical four students.

The interview process involved an initial Q&A with the interviewer for a few minutes, followed by an 8-minute demo lesson where the interviewer acted as a student. The experience was positive, with a friendly and helpful interviewer who provided guidance on expectations for the demo lesson, specifically looking for energy, passion, and good teaching skills. Preparation videos also clarified these expectations. The interviewer informed me about the timeline for hearing back (2 business days) and was generally informative. It was a great and impressive experience overall.