Volume 5 Issue 1 June 2018 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 149 Challenges Faced by Novice EFL Teachers Momen Yaseen M.Amin University of Human Development - UHD, Sulaimaniyah, Iraq Eastern Mediterranean University - EMU, Famagusta, Cyprus Ali Rahimi Associate Professor, School of Humanities and Tourism Management, Bangkok University, Thailand Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate adaptation challenges of novice EFL teachers during induction period in Iraqi Kurdistan. Through a questionnaire prepared in a cross-sectional descriptive design, the data were collected from 20 novice EFL teachers teaching in four provinces of the Kurdistan region. The outcomes of the study presented that novice EFL teachers had both job-related and social challenges. The most frequent adaptation challenges were related to (1) relationship with students, (2) social status and identity, (3) supervisors (school principals and inspectors), and (4) classroom management. The data are analyzed with SPSS 16.0 , the findings are discussed and the appropriate recommendations are given. Keywords: Language teaching, EFL, Novice teachers, Problems and Challenges, Iraqi Kurdistan.