Job Discussion Forums

[robhenniker]

I wonder if all you KSA veterans out there wouldn't mind sharing a couple of interview questions that you think are common, or that you remember being asked in your skyperviews. I'm sure this has been talked about, and I promise I did do a search for it, but the words 'interview' and 'question' are too general, so I got all kinds of posts on different topics. Maybe I'm not very good at the search function.

Anyway, I thought it might be helpful to have a whole bunch of interview questions that are commonly asked in one place - along with the hard ones, the weird ones, etc. Cheers.

[nomad soul]

Frankly, if you're a native speaker with strong qualifications, your interview will likely be very unremarkable with typical interview questions because you're already in the employer's "hire" pile. In other words, the employer is just going through the formality of interviewing you to get to know you a bit better. That said, if you've never worked in this region, the interviewer(s) may ask questions related to your ability to live/work in a conservative culture---if you're a good fit versus someone who's wimpy, or worse, out to rock the boat (a high-maintenance drama queen/king who needs constant handholding).

[John Kalani]

MOD edit

[cultofpersonality]

My first interview was like 5 mins long, even less...they asked me about my qualifications and if I felt I could survive in Saudi. That's it really!

When I interviewed with Imam, all sorts of questions based on what I felt about certain teaching practices. One or two grammar questions may feature just to check you are on the ball. Some may even ask about your experiences in relation to students, classroom management and course content, especially EAP.

[rollingk]

I agree with NS about short interviews being hire interviews.

Unfortunately, sometimes even these short ones may be carried out by unqualified people. I've been asked stupid questions that were supposed to test for grammar, but the interviewer either didn't understand the grammar or hadn't taken into consideration something as simple as usage. Bewildering and embarrassing in the end. Should you answer in accordance with the interviewer's idea of what is right? Is it a trap? Usually, sadly, no.

Then there are those skype conference style interviews where you have two parties in some sort of consortium or other trying to impress one another. These can go on forever, and when you're not being asked "impressive" very complex questions, you may find yourself almost forgotten as the parties stroke each other obscenely. This interview wasn't really about you anyway, and often the partnership will fail without anyone being hired.

There are often questions based on disciplinary problems in the classroom and how you might deal with them. These are actually good questions, and what you'll mostly find is that the interviewer is looking for your knowledge of classroom strategies within the context of the limited options you have in KSA. It is usually impractical and very ineffective to involve "the administration" in your classroom, so you'll need to find ways to take care of this yourself, and the interviewer will want to hear these.

Then there are the questions about "being a team player". You may be asked to describe "how" you are a team player. Be prepared with examples.

And there are the list of superlative questions: the most challenging, the most/least rewarding, the best day, the worst day, your greatest strength/weakness, most effective methodology, etc.. These are about being sure you are involved in consistent self -evaluation.

[lcanupp1964]

I guess it's everyone's opinion is that there is no single, best answer to the question asked and thusly, no way to really prepare for an interview.

[Sheikit]

how would you answer the classroom administration questions? what do you normally do when people start acting out and being disruptive, given the fact that chucking them out isn't an option?

[lcanupp1964]

Do you know what may be a good way to fully embrace this topic regarding interviews? If anyone has a "burning" question that they feel might be asked to them on an upcoming interview, write it down as posts and maybe we can try and answer each question as they come up. Try to be as specific as you can.

I'll go first and try to "answer" the question the last poster asked regarding classroom management in terms of discipline problems. I might answer the question like this:

"Within the first few days of reporting to work, I would study what the specific policies and procedures are for maintaining classroom discipline and what to do if I happen to run into any situations here at (insert name here). To be honest, I rarely find myself having any problems in my classes. I am a firm, but fair, respectful supporter of my students. I believe if my students know that they are getting a hard working teacher that believes the subject being taught is important and I show them though my example as a teacher, they will follow my instructions and we can concentrate on learning. If I did have any questions, or concerns, I would certainly speak with my coordinator/head teacher/manager as soon as possible."

[sicklyman]

I think the tips above re discipline and classroom management questions are spot on.

personally, having watched those who have the respect of the students, it's all about relationship. Take time in class to get to know them, asking and answering personal questions within the boundaries established in Saudi custom (e.g. avoiding questions about wives). Taking an interest in their lives outside class always seems to help. And remember their names!

[cultofpersonality]

Things like separating trouble makers, learning their names quickly, making your presence known in the classroom by walking around, maintaining a clear and consistent policy, limiting opportunities for them to be distracted, organising the seating plan so that the talkative students are away from their friends and closer to you....these strategies seemed to work for me in the classroom. Like someone said before, establishing your expectations beforehand makes things a whole lot easier in the long run. Consistency is always the key!

[mzuri]

[scot47]

They just want to see you to make sure you are not a complete screwball !

[rollingk]

[Sheikit]

rollingk-- how would you answer such a question?

i'm going to take a wild stab and say that you would acquiesce to the wishes of your direct supervisor, but should you also inquire as to whether there would be any adverse consequences to the teacher for doing such thing?

[veiledsentiments]

Personally I would answer that situations like that should be settled by the administration, not the teacher. It is, after all, their institution and I am merely there to teach English.

VS