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E9 M - Job interview role-play

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E9 M - Job interview role-play

Einleitung

Mini-Beschreibung: You practise one complete fictional internship interview in English: introduction → questions → answers → follow-up questions → closing. You listen, read, respond, ask, improve and use the language again.

Level: Klasse 9, M-Niveau, Baden-Württemberg, Englisch als erste Fremdsprache. The language is B1-oriented: clear but increasingly independent, with natural follow-up questions, reasons, examples and short spontaneous reactions.

Media warm-up: Look at the photo for 30 seconds. What may the two people be doing? What body language looks open, calm or attentive? Give two ideas in English.

First viewing: Watch the BBC Learning English clip once without stopping. Catch the main idea, not every word.

Who is preparing for an interview?
What is one useful phrase you hear?
What advice could help a Year 9 student before an internship interview?

Deutsch-Hilfe – erst nach dem ersten Versuch öffnen: Konzentriere Dich auf Situation, Schlüsselwörter und Beispiele. Du musst nicht jedes Wort verstehen.

I-can-Ziele

By the end, you can say:

I can introduce myself clearly in an internship interview.
I can answer common questions with a reason or an example.
I can react to a follow-up question without reading a full script.
I can ask at least one suitable question at the end.
I can write a short, coherent follow-up email.
I can mediate key information between German and English without translating every word.

English-first learning cycle

English first → understand → respond → ask → hint → improve → use again

Understand: Listen or read for the main message.
Respond: Give a short answer in English.
Ask: Add a question or follow-up question.
Hint: Use help only when you need it.
Improve: Add a reason, example or clearer phrase.
Use again: Reuse the improved language in a new situation.

Vorwissen aktivieren

Answer quickly in English. One or two sentences are enough.

What is an internship?
What can an interviewer ask about?
Name two strengths that can be useful at work.
What could you ask an interviewer?
What makes an answer easy to understand?

Deutsch-Hilfe: Praktikum = internship, Stärke = strength, zuverlässig = reliable, Aufgabe = task, Erfahrung = experience, nachfragen = ask a follow-up question.

Listening and Viewing

This British Council interview has several speakers and natural interview language.

Viewing 1 – gist:

Identify the candidate and the interviewers.
Listen for one question about experience.
Listen for one follow-up question.

Viewing 2 – detail:

Note two useful answer phrases.
Note one moment when the candidate gives evidence.
Decide which part you could reuse in a school internship interview.

Viewing 3 – speak along: Pause after one short answer. Repeat it with the same rhythm, then change the content so it becomes your own answer.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Beim ersten Hören nur Sinn erfassen. Beim zweiten Hören Details notieren. Beim dritten Hören Sprache aktiv nachsprechen und verändern.

Fictional internship profile

All names, places, dates and application details in this course are fictional.

Item	Fictional information
Company	BlueOak Community Studio
Internship	One-week school internship in a small media and office team
Candidate	Alex Weber
Main tasks	Prepare materials, help organise a small event, draft simple messages, support visitors
Useful qualities	Reliable, organised, friendly, willing to learn
Interviewers	Ms Taylor and Mr Khan

Think: Which three qualities would you mention if you were Alex? Give one reason for each.

Reading: complete role-play

Read once for flow. Read again for useful language.

Speaker	Interview
Ms Taylor	Good morning, Alex. Thanks for coming. I'm Mia Taylor, the office coordinator.
Mr Khan	And I'm Sam Khan. I work with our project team. Nice to meet you.
Alex	Good morning. Nice to meet you both. Thank you for inviting me.
Ms Taylor	Could you introduce yourself and tell us why you're interested in this internship?
Alex	Sure. I'm in Year 9 and I enjoy practical projects. I like organising things, working with other people and learning new digital skills. I applied because your internship includes office tasks and event work.
Mr Khan	You said you like practical projects. Can you give us an example?
Alex	Last term, I helped organise a school information evening. I prepared signs, checked a simple task list and helped visitors find the right rooms.
Mr Khan	What did you learn from that?
Alex	I learned that good planning is important, but you also need to stay flexible when something changes.
Ms Taylor	What is one strength you could bring to our team?
Alex	I think I'm reliable. If I say I will finish a task, I try to do it on time. I also ask when I am not sure.
Ms Taylor	How would that help during a busy day?
Alex	It would help because the team could see what I have finished and where I still need support.
Mr Khan	Imagine you receive two tasks at the same time. What would you do?
Alex	First, I would check which task is more urgent. If I was unsure, I would ask which task should come first.
Mr Khan	And what would you do if the instructions were unclear?
Alex	I would repeat what I understood and ask a short question. That is better than guessing.
Ms Taylor	What digital tools have you used?
Alex	I have used presentation software, shared documents and simple spreadsheets at school. I am still learning, but I can usually find my way around new tools.
Ms Taylor	Which skill would you like to improve during the internship?
Alex	I would like to write more professional emails and become faster at organising information.
Mr Khan	Do you have any questions for us?
Alex	Yes. What would a typical day look like, and who would help me if I had a new task?
Ms Taylor	You would usually start with a short team check-in. One person would explain your main task, and you could always ask questions.
Alex	That sounds helpful. Thank you.
Mr Khan	Thank you for your time, Alex. We will contact you after the interviews.
Alex	Thank you very much. It was nice meeting you. Have a good day.

Reading check:

Find the introduction.
Find one answer with a concrete example.
Find two follow-up questions.
Find one strategy for dealing with unclear instructions.
Find the candidate's own question.
Find the closing.

Kontextwortschatz

Word or phrase	Simple English meaning	Use it
internship	a short period of learning in a workplace	I am applying for an internship.
reliable	someone people can depend on	I am reliable when I have a deadline.
organised	able to plan tasks clearly	I try to stay organised.
responsibility	a task you are expected to manage	I can take responsibility for a small task.
deadline	the time when work must be finished	I check the deadline first.
strength	something you do well	One of my strengths is teamwork.
experience	knowledge from doing something	I have experience from school projects.
flexible	able to change your plan when needed	I try to stay flexible.
follow-up question	a question that asks for more detail	Can you give us an example?
clarify	make something clearer	I ask questions to clarify a task.

Deutsch-Hilfe – Stichwörter: internship = Praktikum, reliable = zuverlässig, responsibility = Verantwortung, deadline = Frist, strength = Stärke, experience = Erfahrung, flexible = anpassungsfähig, clarify = klären.

Useful interview language

Introduction

Good morning. Thank you for inviting me.
I'm in Year 9 and I'm interested in ...
I applied because ...

Giving reasons and examples

One reason is that ...
A good example is ...
Last term, I ...
I learned that ...

Reacting to follow-up questions

Yes, of course.
Let me think for a moment.
In that situation, I would ...
If I was not sure, I would ask ...

Asking your own question

What would a typical day look like?
What kind of tasks would I do?
Who would support me with new tasks?

Closing

Thank you for your time.
It was nice meeting you.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Aussprache und Fluency

Goal: understandable, calm speech – not accent-free speech.

Mark the stressed part: ORganised, reLIable, exPErience, reSPONsibility, aVAILable.
Speak in thought groups: “Last term / I helped organise / a school information evening.”
Use a short pause instead of filling every second with sound.
Link ideas with because, so, but, first, then and after that.
Practise one answer twice: first clearly, then a little more naturally.

Optional recording: You may record one answer for yourself or for a teacher-agreed private classroom task. Recording is voluntary. Keep it private unless you have clear permission. Do not upload recordings or personal data to public platforms or external AI services without an agreed school procedure.

Speaking: role-play round 1

Work in groups of three: Candidate A, Interviewer B, Interviewer C.

Candidate goal: Answer in 2–4 sentences. Include a reason or example.

Interviewer goal: Ask one main question and one follow-up question.

Use these question cards:

Main question	Follow-up
Why are you interested in this internship?	What part interests you most?
What is one of your strengths?	Can you give an example?
Tell us about a time you worked in a team.	What did you learn?
What would you do if instructions were unclear?	What would you say to the supervisor?
Which skill would you like to improve?	Why is that skill useful?

Hilfestufen

Level 1 – keywords only: strength, example, teamwork, deadline, ask, improve.

Level 2 – sentence starters:

I applied because ...
One of my strengths is ...
A good example is ...
I learned that ...
If I was not sure, I would ...
One question I have is ...

Level 3 – answer frame:

Answer the question directly.
Add one reason.
Add one example or result.
Stop after 2–4 sentences.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Wenn Du festhängst, beginne mit einer direkten Antwort, ergänze einen Grund und dann ein Beispiel. Du brauchst keine perfekte oder lange Antwort.

Functional grammar

Use grammar to make your interview meaning clearer.

Function	Form	Example
Finished example	Simple Past	Last term, I helped organise an event.
Experience up to now	Present Perfect	I have used shared documents at school.
Polite question	Could	Could you tell me more about the tasks?
Possible action	would	I would ask which task is more urgent.
Reason	because	I applied because I enjoy practical projects.

Quick repair: Do not choose a tense because it “sounds advanced”. Choose it because it fits the meaning.

Feedback: improve one answer

Use two stars and one next step.

Star 1: The answer was easy to understand because ...
Star 2: A useful phrase was ...
Next step: Add a reason, example, clearer verb or follow-up question.

Example of useful correction:

Less clear	Clearer version	Why
I am good team.	I work well in a team.	Correct structure and clearer meaning
I have helped yesterday.	I helped yesterday.	Finished time needs Simple Past
I want this internship because interesting.	I want this internship because the tasks sound interesting.	Complete clause after because

Error analysis: Mark the problem, explain it simply, then use the corrected pattern in a new sentence of your own.

Speaking: role-play round 2

Change roles and change one detail of the situation.

New internship area: library, sports centre, repair workshop, community office or event team.
New challenge: unclear task, short deadline, new digital tool or nervous visitor.
Candidate gives one spontaneous answer.
Interviewer asks one follow-up question not written on the card.
Candidate closes the interview politely.

Target: more independent than round 1, but still clear and manageable.

Writing: short follow-up email

Write 80–100 words after the fictional interview.

Include:

a suitable greeting,
one thank-you sentence,
one specific reference to the interview,
one short question or statement of interest,
a suitable closing.

Starter:

Dear Ms Taylor and Mr Khan,

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I especially found the part about ... interesting because ...

Best wishes, Alex Weber

Important: Keep your own first draft. If you use digital or AI feedback in an agreed learning setting, compare every suggestion with your own text and decide what you really want to change.

Mediation

Situation: A German-speaking classmate has this fictional note about the internship. Explain the key information orally in English. Do not translate every word.

Notiz: Praktikumsbeginn Montag um 8:30 Uhr. Treffpunkt ist der Haupteingang. Am ersten Tag gibt es eine kurze Sicherheitseinweisung. Die Mittagspause dauert 30 Minuten. Bei Unklarheiten soll die betreuende Person gefragt werden. Private Social-Media-Daten werden nicht benötigt.

Your mediation should include:

start time,
meeting point,
safety briefing,
break,
what to do when unsure,
the privacy point.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Sprachmittlung bedeutet sinngemäß weitergeben, nicht Wort für Wort übersetzen.

Data, media and AI safety

Use fictional names and application details in practice tasks.
Do not add private phone numbers, addresses, account names or private social-media information.
Recordings are voluntary and should stay private unless a clear school agreement says otherwise.
Do not upload personal recordings or application data to external AI tools without permission and an agreed procedure.
Check AI facts, sources, corrections and feedback before you use them.
Keep your own text so you can see what you changed and why.
Aim for clear communication. An accent is not a mistake by itself.

Transfer

Optional B1/B2 challenge: Listen to a longer interview-practice video. Choose only two questions that fit a Year 9 internship. Ignore questions that belong to adult full-time jobs.

Then create a new fictional candidate profile with three strengths, one experience and one learning goal. Do the interview again without copying the model.

Can-do-Check

I can ...	Not yet	Almost	Yes
introduce myself in 2–4 clear sentences	□	□	□
give a reason and an example	□	□	□
answer one follow-up question spontaneously	□	□	□
ask one suitable question myself	□	□	□
close the interview politely	□	□	□
write a coherent short follow-up email	□	□	□
mediate key information without translating everything	□	□	□

Next course: E9 M - Application email and CV

Medien und Quellen

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What is a strong way to answer an interview question at B1 level? (Give a direct answer and add a reason or example.) (!Use as many difficult words as possible.) (!Answer with only yes or no.) (!Change the topic when you are unsure.)

Which sentence gives a finished past example? (Last term, I helped organise a school event.) (!I have organise a school event yesterday.) (!I am help a school event last term.) (!I would organised a school event.)

What is a useful follow-up question after “I work well in a team”? (Can you give us an example?) (!What is your home address?) (!Do you use private social media?) (!Can we end the interview now?)

What should you do if interview instructions are unclear? (Repeat what you understood and ask a short question.) (!Guess and hope it is correct.) (!Stay silent for the rest of the interview.) (!Change to an unrelated topic.)

Which sentence politely asks for information? (Could you tell me more about the tasks?) (!Tell me tasks now.) (!You must explain tasks.) (!Why no tasks?)

Which quality means people can depend on you? (Reliable) (!Urgent) (!Private) (!Nervous)

Why is a concrete example useful in an interview answer? (It shows how a strength or skill was used.) (!It makes every answer longer.) (!It removes the need to answer the question.) (!It guarantees a perfect interview.)

What is the best goal for pronunciation in this course? (Clear and understandable speech.) (!Copying one accent perfectly.) (!Speaking as fast as possible.) (!Avoiding every pause.)

What is suitable at the end of an internship interview? (Ask one relevant question and close politely.) (!Ask for private employee accounts.) (!Leave without saying anything.) (!Start a new unrelated story.)

What should you do with AI feedback on your own text? (Check it, compare it with your draft and decide what to change.) (!Accept every suggestion automatically.) (!Delete your original draft immediately.) (!Upload private data so the feedback becomes more personal.)

Memory

internship	short workplace learning period
reliable	someone people can depend on
deadline	time when work must be finished
strength	something you do well
clarify	make something clearer
follow-up	question for more detail

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Introduction	Good morning. Thank you for inviting me.
Reason	I applied because I enjoy practical projects.
Example	Last term, I helped organise a school event.
Follow-up	Can you give us an example?
Closing	Thank you for your time. It was nice meeting you.

Kreuzworträtsel

internship	What is a short period of workplace learning called?
strength	What word means something you do well?
deadline	What word means the time when work must be finished?
teamwork	What skill means working well with other people?
question	What do you ask when you need more information?
closing	What part politely ends an interview?

LearningApps

Lückentext

At the start of an interview, greet the interviewers and thank them for the

.

A clear answer should respond directly to the

.

You can make an answer stronger by adding a reason or an

.

If you describe a finished school event, the Simple

is useful.

For experience up to now, you can use the Present

.

A question that asks for more detail is a

question.

If instructions are unclear, ask the interviewer to

them.

At the end, the candidate should ask one suitable

.

Clear speech is more important than copying a particular

.

After digital or AI feedback, keep your own draft and decide what to

.

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Interview opening: Write and practise a 20-second introduction for a fictional Year 9 internship interview.
Strength card: Choose one strength and add one school example that shows it.
Question builder: Create three suitable interview questions and one follow-up question for each.
Fluency practice: Read one model answer aloud twice, then speak it again with your own details and without reading every word.

Standard

Three-person role-play: Perform the interview with two interviewers and one candidate, then rotate roles.
Private audio reflection: If you want, record one answer privately, listen once and note one strength and one improvement point; do not upload it publicly.
Follow-up email: Write an 80–100 word email after the fictional interview and revise it after peer feedback.
Mediation task: Explain the fictional German internship note orally in English without translating it word for word.

Schwer

Spontaneous follow-up: Interviewers create two unprepared follow-up questions; the candidate answers without a full script.
Interview design: Invent a new fictional internship, write a short role profile and build a complete interview sequence for it.
Media comparison: Compare two embedded interview videos and explain which language strategies are useful for a Year 9 internship and which are too advanced or too adult-specific.
Feedback workshop: Analyse three language errors from a fictional interview, explain why they reduce clarity and reuse each corrected pattern in a new answer.

Lernkontrolle

Transfer interview: You receive a new fictional internship profile. Prepare for three minutes, then answer four questions and one follow-up question without a full script.
Evidence task: Turn the statement “I am organised” into a convincing answer with a reason, a concrete example and a result.
Repair strategy: Explain what you would do if you did not understand an interview question, then demonstrate the strategy in English.
Register choice: Compare a very informal and a professional interview sentence. Explain which one fits the situation better and rewrite the weaker sentence.
Mediation transfer: Pass on the key points from a short German internship notice in clear English, selecting only information relevant to the candidate.
Writing transfer: Write a short follow-up email for a different internship and revise it using one self-chosen feedback criterion.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, show that you can:

open and close an interview politely,
answer with clear B1-oriented sentences,
support at least two answers with reasons or examples,
react to at least one follow-up question,
ask at least one suitable question yourself,
use past experience and present experience with understandable tense choices,
speak clearly enough to be understood without aiming for accent-free speech,
write a coherent short follow-up email,
mediate key information between German and English,
use fictional or protected data and handle recordings responsibly,
reflect on feedback and explain at least one improvement you made.

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