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Ad-Hoc Language Instructor

University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI

Posted Mar 23, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you taught adults who had very different levels in the same class. What did you do?

What they are checking: Ability to manage mixed levels, which is common in non-credit public courses.

What would you do

Our courses use a flipped classroom, so students do the material before the live session. How would you use a 90-minute Zoom conversation session with them?

What they are checking: Whether they understand that live time is for speaking practice, not lecturing, which is the whole point of this format.

These courses are non-credit and nobody is graded. How do you keep adults motivated over eight weeks?

What they are checking: Whether they can keep voluntary learners engaged without the pressure of grades.

Sessions run in the evenings, about 5:30 to 8:30 Central. How does that fit your schedule, and how quickly can you usually reply to student emails?

What they are checking: Reliability on timing and responsiveness, which the posting lists as core duties.

The course content is already built or comes from a textbook. How do you add your own touch while staying within the set curriculum?

What they are checking: Whether they can follow a shared design while still bringing energy and cultural context to sessions.

A learner keeps dominating the conversation and others go silent. How do you handle that in a live online session?

What they are checking: Classroom management skills that keep the session fair for every adult who paid to attend.

About the work

How do you get a quiet adult learner at the A1 level to actually speak in a Zoom breakout room?

What they are checking: Practical techniques for lowering anxiety and building speaking confidence with beginners online.

How do you give feedback on a short written assignment so it helps without overwhelming the learner?

What they are checking: Judgment about which errors to correct and how, since too much red ink discourages adult beginners.

How comfortable are you with Canvas and Zoom, including breakout rooms and screen sharing?

What they are checking: Whether they can run sessions smoothly in the specific tools this program uses without hand-holding.

How do you bring culture into a conversation class without turning it into a lecture?

What they are checking: Whether they can weave real cultural content into speaking practice in a way adult learners enjoy.

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process. Job Category: Academic Staff Employment Type: Regular Job Profile: Cont Edu Prog Instructor NE Job Summary: The Languages program at UW-Madison's Division of Continuing Studies maintains a pool of experienced online instructors of French, Italian, Portuguese, German, and Spanish to teach adult non-credit courses (levels A1-B2) on an ad-hoc basis. Our practical courses are designed for the public and serve adult learners seeking to learn a new language or improve their language skills. Online conversation sessions generally take place between 5:30 and 8:30pm CT to accommodate adult learners' schedules. Our program is fully online and uses a flipped classroom approach to help students maximize their time with the instructor. Please watch Dr. Julie Dahl's video or read the blog post describing the format of our courses. Course content is already created (Spanish) or a textbook is used (French, Italian, and Portuguese). Additional audiovisual materials delivered through Canvas. Job duties include: • Facilitating weekly online conversation sessions on Zoom • Responding to emails and discussion forum posts in a timely manner • Providing feedback on short written assignments (no grade recording) • Developing and sending out conversation session agendas a week in advance of each conversation session. Specific job responsiblities are assigned per course and are dependant on course length, size, and instructor experience. Subsequent teaching opportunities are contingent upon satisfactory teaching evaluations and performance. Key Job Responsibilities: • Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to identify learning barriers and difficulties, develops solutions and aligns resources with student needs to support learner advancement academically • Instructs continuing education classroom activities and guides learning to align with existing curriculum • Serves as a subject matter expert and communicates with program affiliates, students, and stakeholders providing information and answering questions based on curriculum materials and standards • Measures student performance and progress, utilizing assessment tools to align with established mission and philosophy • Researches and selects curriculum content, designs courses, and prepares assessment tools regarding specific programs to align with unit objectives and strategy Department: Continuing Studies, Noncredit Compensation: MINIMUM $350 per course. Pay is per course and determined by experience and qualifications, as well as course length and number of hours taught per evening. Required Qualifications: • MA in the language you teach or related field (i.e., Second Language Acquisition, Linguistics, etc.) • Resident in the US with permission to work in the US • Native speaker or near-native command of the language you are hired to teach • Demonstrated teaching experience • Available between 5:30-8:30pm CT one or two evenings a week (Monday through Thursday) • Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and the language of focus Preferred Qualifications: • 2 years of online teaching experience • Experience using online learning platforms such as Canvas, D2L or Blackboard • Highly organized and self-directed • Experience teaching adult learners Education: MA required in language taught or related field How to Apply: Interested applicants should submit a CV focused on teaching experience and a one-page cover letter outlining your qualifications. Applications will be reviewed regularly. Contact Information: Zachary Yafai HR Business Partner zyafai@wisc.edu Institutional Statement on Diversity: Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website . To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you. Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment. The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7). The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department .

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