Job Discussion Forums

[nomad soul]

Are you asking the right questions during your interviews? Here are some to bring up based on your particular hiring situation (in no particular order):

1. Who is the actual employer for this position?

2. Will my spouse and children be able to join me? If so, what assistance do you provide in helping me bring my family?

3. Will I be issued an employment visa in order to enter KSA from (the US, UK, Canada...)?
[Note: You may be told you'll be brought over initially on a business visit visa but will then be sent to Bahrain for the employment visa. Some companies follow through, while others will string you along.]

4. I'm presently in [X country]. Will I be able to have my visa processed here or do I have to return to (the US, UK, Canada...)?

5. Do any of my employment verification letters from previous employers need to be authenticated? If so, what's that process?

6. Does this position include employer-provided housing or will I be given an allowance? Is employer-provided housing shared?

7. How soon will I receive my first pay after I start working?

8. How many hours a week are teachers required to be on campus?

9. Will my visa costs be fully reimbursed?


* * * * * * * *

Others will have questions to add.

[sicklyman]

disappointed to see you didn't include

[nomad soul]

[gregory999]

10. Do you hold my passport?

11. Can I bring my dog, Bandit? If so, what is the process?

12. Can I bring my cat, Kiki?

13. Do I have my own office, or is it a shared one?

14. Who will be my line manager?

15. How many employees have left your institution during last year?

[scot47]

Am I sane ?

(Studies by scot47 indicate that 35% of EFL teachers in KSA have severe psychoses.

[gregory999]

[sheikh radlinrol]

[2buckets]

I think the first question you should ask is:

Are you going to answer truthfully?

Good luck!

[nomad soul]

16. When will you be making a hiring decision?

[Makkah]

17. Health insurance coverage.
18. Contract renewal process.
19. Probation period.
20. Emergency leave.

[Gulezar]

[hash]

Realistically, almost NONE of the questions suggested above should be asked at an interview - certainly not at the first interview. Here's why:

1- Asking too many questions is a signal to many would be employers that the applicant is going to be "trouble" down the line. It's a major turn-off and decreases greatly your chances of being offered the job. (This is such an obvious fact that I feel silly even mentioning it....yet I'm always surprised how it almost always comes as a "shock" to people when it's pointed out to them).

Even such basic facts as "salary" cannot be answered definitely at the interview level......the interviewer can't be expected to know this in detail.

2- Most people who conduct an interview on behalf of a company know very little of the "administrative" side of things such as "emergency leave" policy. They may have their own opinions based on their own experiences, but that doesn't mean that's "company policy" or that what happened to one person will apply to you.

3- At least in my experience in KSA, the INTERVIEWER tends to be someone in your dept. who is a supervisor or a director.....someone who can fill you in on things relevant to the dept......but that's all, except in general terms. Most of these individuals aren't even the ultimate hiring authority and asking them WHEN you can expect to hear from them will simply bring a shrug meaning "I don't know".

4- Even asking such seemingly "relevant" questions such as "How many students will I have in class" is useless. There is no set upper or lower number in any institution I've ever worked in. As in so many things, the only realistic answer would be: "it depends".

5- By the time one gets to the interview stage, chances are brochures and other information paraphernalia have been sent to the applicant. At this point, you might want to ask a question or two that has not been broached and that's important to you.

But having a "list" of 10 or more questions and marching into the interview room aggressively as you noisily pull out your "question sheet" from your pocket is, in a word, stupid.

6- Remember: the interview is really a forum wherein you display and present your best points in order to convince the employer to hire you. Your intent should be to convince the employer that hiring you would be a good move on their part.....that you can really contribute to the "mission" of the unit enthusiastically.

Asking a bunch on inane, ferret-like questions will get you nowhere.

[nomad soul]

[mashkif]

[nomad soul]