Job Discussion Forums

[seditiouscloud]

hello sage TEFLers,
i need some advice.
what can i expect of a phone interview?
are there important questions i should ask/ NOT ask?

thanks

[expatben]

I had a phone interview for the job I am in now. Basically heres the rundown:

It lasted for about 50 mins but yours could be longer or shorter.
My interviewer asked me about myself-age, qualification nationality why Poland ect ect and I told her about my teaching experience in China.
She talked on about the school and the way they teach
She then gave me some grammer questions (which I COMPLEATLY messed up)
She talked about Poland and Gliwice
Then asked if I had any questions.

Then I had another one for a job I did in Spain that was a quicker one, she asked about my qualifications and teachin experience much the same as Poland but not as thorogh
My advice is not to worry about asking questions, if you have a concern this is the time to ask thats what an interview is for. I can't remember what I asked though.
Hope this helped
Expat

[QatarChic]

I have had several before, including one for here- Qatar. They asked me various things like:

-How would you teach phonology?
-Whats the difference between teaching YLs and adults?
-Why did you choose...(that particular country)?
- How did you cope in such and such a situation?

Good luck

[dmb]

I have had 2 telephone interviews. The first was in 1992 and I was asked the above mentioned questions.I got the job(my first foreign job) The second was just over a year ago and they asked me about my MA(psychology) which I did in 1992 and I hadn't a clue. The questioning really depends on the interviewer.
btw is your interview for a school here in Turkey, more specifically Istanbul.(I ask this as the OP has recently posted on The Turkey forum)

[denise]

I�ve had a number of phone interviews, and I believe they all asked much the same questions as in a face-to-face interview: questions about teaching experience, why you want to teach at their school, which ages/levels of students you prefer and why, etc.

Always have questions of your own to ask. An interview should be a two-way conversation. Yes, the school is assessing you to make sure you are suitable, but you should also be assessing the school. How much freedom do you have in the classroom (compared to how much you are comfortable with)? How long do teachers typically stay there (a high turnover rate=WARNING SIGN!!!!!), and what do they do outside of the classroom--hobbies, etc.? How much training is provided, and how much do you want or need? Who will help you with things like housing, getting insurance, and basically adjusting to your new life?

Before any interview, whether it�s in person or over the phone, I try to find a website for the school and do a bit of research, just to have some fairly informed questions and to show that I know more about the program than whatever was listed in a brief job announcement blurb.

d

[Justin Trullinger]

I hire teachers, and generally find that a lot of the questions people ask in a phone interview could just as easily be handled through written correspondence. But, in addition to giving a chance to ask these questions, most interviewers feel that the phone interview gives them the chance to get a better idea of who the person is. It feels a lot more like real life when you talk on the phone, so relax, and be friendly, polite, and attentive. Don't prepare too much beforehand, as nobody likes to listen to stock answers being read.

I also count on phone interviews to check accent. With teachers who either have little experience, or have only taught in their country of origin, this can be especially important. I am not an accent fascist, but a STRONG regional accent, or any other local peculiarity, can be a deal breaker if the teacher is unable to moderate it for classroom use.

Regards,
Justin

[31]

[seditiouscloud]

y'all's super, yo!
just kidding...my regional accent is not too bad, just noticable when i say anything with the double vowel whammy of 'ou'...i can't really keep it in check. it has never caused any confusion, just much laughter.

thanks for sharing your ideas/advice/experiences of phone interviews. i hadn't any idea what to expect and until then had shared 31's opinion that it was my last chance to get a sense of the school before taking the process any farther.

as for where, dmb, i'm expecting a call from the school in diyarbakir (thanks for the great feed back on that one!) and i'm also expecting a call from moscow. expecting a call...i feel pathetic. the turkey forum and russia forum are so slaggy of complaints about low quality jobs and lousy pay that never appears...and i'm sitting by my phone waiting for the call that might eventually lead to an invitation to join your lot. and can you believe, i'm looking forward to it. it sounds like fun.

oddly, it is in reading the threads for information about these places, reading through the gripes that make me think there might be something that makes all of you keep at it. something more than having nothing else going on.

[Henry_Cowell]

[Guy Courchesne]

I wrote an article last year covering this topic, at least for the Latin America. Some basic info for the interview.

http://www.eslemployment.com/esl-articles/latin-america-esl-job-interview.htm

We also keeo a quick online reference quide for emailed appications and/or interviews, again from a Latin America point-of-view.

http://www.innovative-english.com/what_to_expect.htm

Hope it helps...

[dmb]

[Guy Courchesne]

Yeah, I like that one too. Can be revealing. Would you add any other professions to it? Perhaps 'preacher', or 'televangelist'.

[Justin Trullinger]

When I mentioned regional accents, I didn't mean to overemphasize- and a non standard "ou" sound wouldn't be an issue. I guess in accent considerations, I was thinking only of clarity, comprehensibility, and an ability to adopt reasonably standard grammar for classroom use.

And I second dmb's thanks for the question. I like that one. (Welcome back, Guy. Where ya been?)

Justin

[Guy Courchesne]

Been on something of a sabbatical. Happy to be back.

I agree with you on accents. Trouble here in Mexico is that some employers are strongly biased towards a North American or British accent. This gives some Nigerian teachers I know great difficulty.

As much as I try to soften the 'aboot' sound, this Canadian is always spotted, eh?

[31]