Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wallythewhale]

So I have my interview this weekend with the SMOE. Anyone with past experience(s) want to give a tip or two? It'll be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[egrog1717]

Mine was less than 5 minutes long...

3 of those minutes was going over my credentials and work experience... The other 2 consisted of 2 questions - "Why do you want to teach in Korea", and "How do you plan on teaching English to students in Korea?"

If you passed the recruiter's interview, chances are very very good that you will pass the SMOE interview

[Bloopity Bloop]

With regards to preparation, just make sure you can answer basic questions like, why Korea, why teach English, what makes you think you'd be good, etc.

Some of the questions I was asked:

- You'll be teaching around 40 kids per class, what is your class management strategy?

- Your major isn't English or Education, why do you want to become an English teacher?

- You don't have a TEFL Cert (or equivalent), how will you make up for your lack of training? Are you considering getting a TEFL Cert? (Just say you're thinking about taking an online course)

- Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

- Do you think you'd be able to get along with a co-teacher

Maybe I'll see you at the orientation! Good luck!

[winterfall]

Thanks for the posted info. I'm in a same boat but, unlike whale I do horrible on interviews and I'm not confident at all. I'm near panicking at the moment.

Could someone please provide more sample questions and know how long will it take to know you passed the interview? Is the interviewer Korean or a foreigner? How's the accent?

[wallythewhale]

[winterfall]

Thanks that's great to know. So getting a recruiter's green light makes the SMOE interview just a formality.

[wallythewhale]

[winterfall]

[Bloopity Bloop]

I think all anyone would need to do to prepare for an EPIK or SMOE interview is to do gain some general knowledge of Korea and the ability to answer simple questions like, why Korea and why teach. No need to be nervous unless you've NEVER interviewed for anything in your life. And for most people, it's also a phone interview, which takes 90% of the stress away.

[wallythewhale]

[jennzy]

they asked 2 questions to
1. my hobbies
2. tell us about yourself

they didn't asked me why i want the job or etc.
i got a list of possible questions from my recruiter but nothing from that list.

at first, i thought i didn't get the job, but 3 days later i heard back from my recruiter with the good news

[sigmundsmith]

When I had my interview for SMOE I was in the country and travelled 4 hours to come to Seoul on a Saturday.

Sat down with Lois (who was at the time incharge of the ETIS program) for about 10 mins. The same questions were asked to me as they are over the phone. Why do you want to teach in Korea? How will you teach English to a large group of Korean students? That was really it. The other time was me asking questions.

It's one of the easiest process for a job that I have been through. So don't worry about it at all.

[sigmund]

My recruiter, Footprints, interview was far longer and more difficult questions than the two interviews that I had.

I had one for supposedly GEPIK, in which I talked to someone from the actual school I was going to work at. She was incredibly difficult to understand. I had to keep asking her was she was saying. In the end I just repeated the question that I thought I heard or, in many cases, just made up my own questions and answered them. I have a feeling she couldn't understand me any better. Needless to say I passed on that job.

The SMOE interview was really pretty easy. The interviewer had very good English and I could express myself with complex words and thoughts. Just a little B.S-ing about yourself and how you might handle difficulties living/teaching in Korea. Seem friendly and like someone that you would like to work with. I've said it before, but they don't wast time on interviews. If you get an interview you already have the job unless something is just so glaring they can't over look it.