Korean Job Discussion Forums

[DosEquisXX]

I am curious as to how in-depth hagwon interviews are. My EPIK interview a little over a year ago was a bunch of simple questions asking me why I want to teach in Korea or if I eat Korean food. It was kind of a joke.

Since the competition has tightened very recently, I figure that questioning has become more detailed and it's probably unique to each hagwon. I am not sure if they will ask me what to do in certain teaching situations or how I would deal with certain problems in the classroom. Perhaps the interview process hasn't changed at all.

Also, do they offer opportunities to ask them questions? If so, would asking too many questions put owners off and possibly be a negative to hiring you? I have a ton of questions if given the chance to ask, but most of them only require a yes/no or very short answer.

What if they do not want to provide you contact information for foreign teachers who work for them? I know some employers might get offended at some implication that you don't trust them or that you think they are lying. They might not provide the information for fear of privacy invasion (though given the lack of privacy laws in Korea, that is unlikely). How big of a red flag is this? Is this a deal breaker for you in a job interview?

[ThingsComeAround]

[creeper1]

When I had my interview for a hagwon job a couple of years back the only question they asked was "How much alcohol do you take in a week?"

You see they had an alcoholic "teacher" that caused them a lot of problems in that semester.

These days they may ask what you can do to make a lesson entertaining.

[Ramen]

"How soon can you come and start teaching?"

[War Eagle]

[air76]

[iselynjenniep]

i had 3 hagwon interviews... 2 didn't ask me ANY questions, just told me about the position. the other one did ask me if i liked trying new foods and if i liked to travel, but not too much else.

[zappadelta]

'Are you married?'

'Are you fine thank you and you?'

[furtakk]

[AsiaESLbound]

Can you teach our children how to speak English? Are you using the drugs? Can you speak Korean? Can you eat Korean food?

[Troglodyte]

I've had all sorts of question from academic to personal, form important stuff to the bizarre.

Really though, they aren't likely going to ask you much about your methodology. I've occasionally (rarely) had something like "What can you tell me about your methodology?" Just give them an academic sounding description. They won't understand what you're talking about, but they don't seem to care either. Try to sound like a fun loving energetic kind of guy who likes studying stuff like psychopedagogy, playing sports, and trying new food.

The most common questions that I've had were "When are you available to start?" "Do you have all of your documents ready?" "Do you like teaching kids?" to which you can easily guess the correct answers. And then are the common pointless questions like "Have you been to Korea before? How did you like it?" "Are you married?" "Do you like Korean food?" etc. From time to time they'll slip you a really weird question like "Do you like Korean girls?" (always asked by a guy).

It's a formality really. But it's also your opportunity to ask them some questions. Ask away, but like someone else said, leave the pay/accommodation/holidays stuff till the end.

Regarding asking other teachers what they think, do it but don't count on them telling you the truth. If you get a reference from a teacher, make sure that it's a former teacher. Current teachers may be under pressure to help the school find a new teacher - or risk not getting their salary or plane ticket home. A former teacher, gone for at least a few months, will give you a much better picture of the place.

[DosEquisXX]

EDIT: According to the recruiter, "something urgent" happened at the hagwon. Not sure if that's a bullshit cover for the hagwon forgetting me or if it is legit.

Also, how common is it for a hagwon to be late in calling you or to not call at all?

Is it a sign that they are disorganized and should be avoided? Or is there often a good reason for it?

[djz]

"Do you like kids?"

"Do you like kim chi?"

"How many bottles of soju can you drink?"

[ddeubel]

I agree with the above regarding "almost anything". Based on my own experience and from what I've heard from other teachers. I don't know what it is but in Asia, many employers interviewing do offer up some different and at times, off putting questions - many already mentioned.

I'd also suggest that teachers prepare questions to ask the prospective employer. Depends how far into the process you are - which questions. Be specific too. On my job blog, I just blogged about this. See the 17 questions that are most important for TEFL teachers to ask.

When in doubt, answer vaguely but artfully (as if you were confident about the answer).

DD
http://eflclassroom.com

[DosEquisXX]

Well, just had my first hagwon interview.

They were 30 minutes late to the interview as they claimed that a previous interview "was too long". Could be a BS excuse for being late. My interview wasn't too long. So, they could just be using that as an excuse.

She barely asked me any questions at all (no bullshit questions about kimchi or anything like that). She asked if I was TEFL certified and my teaching experience in America/Korea, which was already on my resume. She didn't even ask about any specifics regarding my previous job. Since I don't have the American teaching experience, I had to fire out some BS reasoning about the economy in America and not finding a job there. I mean, it's true but she wasn't too keen on that. She also didn't seem too high on me not having any experience teaching in a hagwon (I only have PS experience). Again, it was on my resume.

Then, they had me ask some questions. they were pretty straight-forward about most of them. However, they were kind of sketchy on housing saying that there wasn't anything planned yet, but it would definitely be single housing and contain "the basics". Gives me the impression that they just give you the deposit and have you get a place yourself since they were dodgy about asking how far away my apartment was (again, nothing planned). They also don't pay into the pension program. They have 50/50 healthcare, but my hunch is that they use a private plan to save money. So, I'm not too sure about the place.

But why would they have me ask questions about the job if they had no interest in me? Were they humoring me?

Hard to say. They said they had other people to interview. I'm not too confident.