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Andromeda
Joined: 09 Feb 2012
Location: Woodstock, GA
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 Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 5:25 am Post subject: What should I ask in my interview? |
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| Some of you certainly have experience with employment in Korea and the interview process. What questions did you ask? What do you wish you had asked? |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 7:26 am Post subject: |
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| I would ask how long teachers usually stay at the school, as this can bea pretty good barometer of whether or not it's well run. If people are consistently re-signing, it's probably a fairly legit place. If no one stays longer than a year, there's probably something a bit rotten, whether that be management, apartments, pay, vacation, etc. |
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soomin
Joined: 18 Jun 2009
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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| I heard you should ask how long the current manager/head teacher has been there... It's also a good determiner of how rocky the road is going to be for you... I went to a place where the manager left the day I started and it was nothing but downhill from there... Also ask about their curriculum... One with a curriculum and plans are ones that usually pretty grounded... Also, ask about their school calendar. If they have one lined up for the month, you're going to find yourself in a much more stable environment. Good luck! ^.^ |
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YTMND
Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Location: You're the man now dog!!
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| Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:25 am Post subject: |
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| What questions did you ask? |
First, none to the recruiter. You should ask the school. Talking to the recruiter is like talking to a lying car salesman without test driving the car.
Ask the school about:
1. Schedule - get a current one at least to see what you can expect
2. Pictures of the school and apartment (office if there is a separate area)
3. Resources. What books will you be using?
4. Any strange clauses in the contract.
5. Korean teachers. Will you be working together with them or simply going over what they explained to the students?
6. Current native English speaking teachers. Are there any? Is there a previous teacher you can talk to? If you talk to a teacher that is happy and will be there when you teach, then they will be the best indicator. If they are leaving, they might be lying to you as well in order to get their severance and flight home.
7. Transportation. Where is the school and your apartment compared to markets and bus/train/subway stations. Not a big deal, but it's nice to know when you want to travel and plan ventures out.
8. (I am trying to get to 10, bare with me). Restaurants and supermarkets. Where can you get food?
9. Vacation time. When do teachers usually have time off? This is very important for hagwons. Public schools have their own schedule.
10. Age of students. This will probably be already mentioned, but make sure you know who you are teaching. Kindergarten to 2nd grade are the young ones. 3rd graders are sometimes young ones too, but many grow out of their centric stage and interact with others more productively. 4th and 5th graders are able to sit in their chair usually and listen considerably better than 3rd graders and younger. I suggest teaching from 3rd grade. Since 6th is part of the Korean elementary school system you might have some more interesting classes or greedy/spoiled students. The middle schoolers pose a different problem. Most teachers I know hate them. I like it if I regularly see them. If they only come once a week, then they can be a real nuisance. High schoolers are great to teach in small numbers. Teach them in groups of 10 or more and you will have a hard time getting any involvement.
I am with college students now, and they are a mix of high school students with those who are more like adults but don't know what to do. Adults usually take classes because they want to improve their English for work, as a hobby, or because it is a way to come together with their friends. I don't mind teaching adults individually, but in groups it's pointless. You might as well go to the bar.
Take your pick. A lot of this rides on your development as a teacher and where you want to improve. |
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