Job Discussion Forums

[In the heat of the moment]

I think in my last round of interviews I asked a few work-related questions about teacher development and support, average class sizes, technology generally available in classrooms, student ages, and maybe one or two about the benefits (accommodation, holidays, pay frequency) if they weren't offered beforehand.

One recruiter said class sizes were around 60 and I asked if I was given a free loud hailer, I think that flew over the Chinese recruiter's head. Another interview, this time for a job in Taiwan, had the poor (American) guy almost begging me to join him as he was completely snowed under with curriculum development and classes. It was a video interview on Skype and he was soaked with sweat, leaning on the desk as if it was the only thing stopping him from dropping to the ground. I don't think we got as far as bennies.

An interview I had for a summer camp offered classes in the bedrooms of a university campus, "But we'll put chairs and a whiteboard in there so that's okay!", an interview for a job in Turkey had the interviewer - a teacher there - go through a long list of why I shouldn't work there (criticism I've heard several times regarding Turkish academies), an interviewer for a role in Siberia offered free balalaika and Russian lessons, and promised the vodka was almost as cheap as water, but nothing about the -50ºC in winter apart from my apartment would be so warm I'd be wearing beach wear.

I don't ask about restaurants, shopping or anything about the town or city - that's what Google's for.

[Sethis]

As someone who is doing their first Skype interview tomorrow, I pulled some good questions from this thread that I hope will be answered during the interview process itself, but if not then I can make sure I ask them at the end.

As someone who has never applied for a teaching job, nor worked in a foreign country, having experienced people reminding me to ask about Visas and Health insurance etc is useful.

[spiral78]

[nomad soul]

Adding: If a company sends you a preliminary contract with no mention of interviewing you, don't just blindly accept the offer. Request an interview so that you get a sense of what you'd be signing up for.

[dragonpiwo]

Mod edit

[nomad soul]

Be sure you understand what additional paperwork/documentation you're required to submit.

Also, if the interviewer's answer to your deal-breaker question (e.g., bringing dependents, visa fee reimbursement, etc.) wasn't clear, follow up with an email to get the response in writing. (Subsequently, check your preliminary contract to make sure what the company claims to cover is stated in writing.) But if you have to keep asking the same deal-breaker question because you're not getting a coherent answer, reconsider signing on with that company.

[hash]

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I continue to believe that the job interview “process” is simply not as straight-forward and “transparent” as it is sometimes made out to be. “Asking” the right “questions” is in fact, ultimately a minor consideration in the hiring process. As I mentioned previously, often the best strategy is to ask as few questions as possible. Most often, you simply have to gauge what you should do seconds before you start “talking”. Understandably, most job seekers fail miserably at this kind of immediate analysis of the situation.

How many times have we heard on this board that what was “said” at the interview had no bearing on what actually took place once in-Kingdom.

Again, you have to do your own immediate assessment as to who the interviewer is and follow an interview plan based on your best available information.

As is often the case, ultimate hiring decisions are often made outside the “dept” or are handled entirely by the HRD section of the hiring body who will often go through the motions of “reviewing” what happened at the actual interview, but will just as often totally disregard results of an interview.

Finally, I will say what you’ll seldom be told: Looks and appearances count…..a lot. I’d say a good 50% of a hiring decision is based on this factor alone. You ignore this factor at your peril. It is a crucial consideration and you should do whatever you can to make a good first impression. Losing those 10 extra pounds before your interview can do wonders for your chances.

Note that my comments are made to inform general job interview techniques, I should say, and are not exclusive to the TESL field.

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[nomad soul]

[nomad soul]

(Bump)