Job Discussion Forums

Nic70 · Joined: 13 May 2005 Posts: 1

I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice with regards to interviews with HCT. I have an interview coming up and would like to know what kind of questions they may ask. Also, how many interviews do they normally have? Just the one?

Thank you.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Did you try a search? There have a number of discussions about the HCT interview. It is a make or break interview process - I haven't heard of anyone getting more than one except under very unusual circumstances.

VS

grand fromage · Joined: 16 Jun 2003 Posts: 131

Best of luck with the interview. If I had to do mine all over again I would wear my fire proof vest Wink

They can get quite aggressive in their line of questioning so expect the unexpected. Mine was certainly not a friendly one and I felt exhausted after over an hour of it. They always ask a grammar question and a lot of "what ifs". In my case I was asked a
hypothetical question on how to teach a grammar point in a context I would never encounter at HCT. It was also a context I had never been a part of so their insistence on answering it borderlined with paranoia Wink

Let's say they didn't let me dodge the question and they didn't like my comment about its irrationality. Note to self: keep your comments to yourself if you ever want to work for HCT Wink

BTW, I was interviewed in Dubai by the head of instruction of Dubai Men's and Women's. Let's just say the only satisfaction I got from it was that I was much better dressed than the guy interviewing me Wink

rickit · Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 38

Hi there,

Do you mean that if you fail to get in once that you will never be offered another interview again?

That seems pretty odd, considering that management comes and goes, doesn't it?

Bindair Dundat · Joined: 04 Feb 2003 Posts: 1123

In my humble opinion, based entirely on my experience:

1) They didn't cut me any slack. They wanted precise answers to questions about improbable, hypothetical situations.

2) They were hostile. Perhaps they didn't want to be there. My impression was that they knew before the interview that they didn't want me, but they were going through with it for the sake of form. Perhaps a supervisor or HR person had put my name on their list, and so they felt compelled to conduct the interview.

In talking to people who have been hired by HCT, I can discern no overall rhyme or reason to the choices that are made in hiring. There are good teachers, there are bad teachers, there are smart people, there are dumb people, etc. My conclusion is that HCT's standards are very flexible, and whether you get passed into the pool depends partly on personal feelings (your rapport with the interviewers) and partly on what their manpower requirements are at any given time.

I think that whimsicality in hiring is one of the reasons that HCT teachers tend to feel chosen (or lucky) and thereafter tend to keep their mouths shut. The process doesn't make them feel confident that they would ever be chosen again.

JMO.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Ricket,

BD's experience sounds a bit like yours rickit. Getting caught up in an odd, almost unanswerable question... that you just know that they have 'decided' what the answer should be... Their interview process can be... um... mysterious and I haven't heard of any getting a second chance. That doesn't mean that it hasn't happened... just that I haven't actually corresponded with anyone who managed that trick.

VS

rickit · Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 38

Well, thank you both for posting on this...

I guess that means I'll have to leave it to the old man to get us into HCT if that's the way we decide to go!

Someone else mentioned a new American University in the UAE, Dubai, I think. Does anyone know anyone about that? Might be worth a look?

Cheers,

Rickit

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

There's the American University in Sharjah that has a very good reputation and it is very competitive to get a job there. I don't believe that they have teacher training, but check out their website.

There is also the American University in Dubai that had some teething problems a few years back and then they fell off the radar screen. I haven't seen any ads for teachers, nor has either a current or an ex-EFL teacher shown up here on the board. I'm sure that they also have a website.

One problem is that they require an MA. (time to nag hubbie...)

VS