Job Discussion Forums

[Glenski]

This question has been presented often enough that I think it's time a general reply is posted. Let's stop and think about the question. Whether you apply from your home country, or from within the foreign country where you'd like to work, interviews are interviews.

You will get the standard round of questions no matter where you go. That is, expect people to look at your resume and cover letter, and present you with relevant questions.

Example: How did you like working for XYZ school?
What do you think you can offer us?
Why was there a gap of 2 years between these jobs?
I see you like fishing...working out...classical music.....etc.

If you have teaching experience, expect them to ask you about it.

Example:
How do you think your experience teaching adults will work teaching kids?
What textbooks did you use in your previous job?
What did you mean by "created your own materials"?
Did you ever do team teaching?

Just because you apply to a foreign land, you should also expect questions relevant to that. It's not hard to figure out some of them; just think what you might ask someone moving to your own country.

Example:
Why did you choose Japan? Argentina? Poland?
How are you going to feel working in our small town? big city?
Do you know how to speak Japanese...Spanish...Polish?
Have you ever been to Japan....Argentina...Poland?
Are you going to miss your friends and family?

Just be careful (especially you men) not to get tripped up over questions like "Do you like Japanese/Argentine/Polish women?" And, certainly don't volunteer brazen remarks on this subject if you want to look professional.

I suggest sitting down and writing out a list of these questions and others that you (yes, YOU) might think are relevant to the 3 categories of examples I have presented here. Even if you are off the mark 100%, if you prepare your answers, you will feel more confident in that interview. You may even learn something about yourself!

[Stephen]

A good post, but it missed out a couple of important things.

First, have some questions to ask the school. If this is done in your native country then some questions about the place you'd be living in would be good. It's better to read up first, so you can ask intelligent questions. This will show that you're interested and also gives you another source of information (but remember the interviewer may give you an overly favourable impression to get you to go; hence, problems may be glossed over (and there are always good and bad things in any country, so the more balanced the view the better!) Ask about their academic programme, find out if they know what they are doing!

Second, look very carefully at the questions the school asks you. Find out as much as you can about them. Do the questions sound reasonable? The kind of things Glenski lists do, but not every language school is like this. Does it sound like they know what they are doing?

Third, read the contract carefully, this is unlikely to apply unless you get offered a job, as generally it is only sent to you post interview. Does it sound reasonable? Is it clear? If not, then get clarification before signing! Although, it should be remembered that in some countries contracts are not highly valued at least it should give you some idea about what kind of place is offering you a job.

Remember that an interview should be a two way process, the employer is trying to find out if you are what they are looking for; you should be trying to do the same with them.

[MELEE]

I'm not going to give away the questions I ask as an interviewer

But I do want to give two tips.

1) the questions you ask are important, I find I learn a lot more about the person based on what questions they ask me. They will ask about the things that are important to them.

2)I'm a native English speaker and I know that most people who do hiring for international jobs in the world are not. And my name is slightly "Latinish" BUT I don't think it is enough so for you to assume that I'm Mexican---WHICH HAS HAPPENED, more than once. It made me think that the person I was interviewing might possibly be on drugs.