The All Important Interview!

Thanks Reg, for your wonderful comments on my novel It All Started in Mandalay. You said you loved the character development and even called me a "sociologist" which I took as a high complement indeed since you are a sociologist!

Please keep your comments coming after you read the book. I am just leading a book club  through the book and I love their perspective. They give me such insight into things I never even thought of. I only wish I did this BEFORE I published! Who knew I had such insight????

If you wish, I think we have time to also autograph the book in time for the holidays if you buy it sooner rather than later!!

Steps you must take Before the Interview!

Read school profile

Look especially for mission and vision statements. Make sure you agree with what the school stands for. If you are, ensure that you sprinkle in some examples of your philosophy of education into your answers to satisfy the interviewer that you will be on board and  a team player. The more specific you can be the better. The interviewers want to hear specific examples from your teaching practice. 

Look at curriculum

If you are teaching in Asia, a lot of the "better"schools have adopted an international curriculum to ensure that their students are on a level playing field with schools across the world. For example, they will adapt the IB or Cambridge program. Some the American AP.

 If you are not familiar with the curriculum's they advertise, make sure you get more than a passing knowledge of it before you begin the interview. For example, read the web sites of the Cambridge program if that is what the school is offering. Tell them how you might adapt your own program to the Cambridge model if that is what they are advertising. If you read one of these programs like the IB or whatever and you do not agree with it philosophically, withdraw your application. You will only make yourself very unhappy to go to a school that offers a curriculum you cannot handle intellectually.

Look at the pictures in the newsletters

What extra curricular programs do they run? What is the make up of the school population? Who is doing the coaching? Have you had any experience in running any of these field trips or programs they offer? Can you offer anything to the program? Make sure you tell them in the interview.

Look at Blogs

Foreign teachers at the school tend to write blogs about their experiences. Search the web to find such blogs. They will give you great insight. You can even contact the writer to ask lots of questions. The more homework you do the better you will perform in these behaviour descriptive interviews you will do 

Skype

Read the tips I gave you in another blog post. Relax, be honest and listen carefully to what they are asking. Honesty is the key because you will be hired base on what you say and if you say things you don't believe everyone will be unhappy once you start working at the school! 

If you do not get the job, don't worry. There are loads of others every day. Check out the web sites I gave you in earlier blogs or even go and volunteer if you can afford it. Check out the volunteer opportunities I highlighted in earlier blogs.