Job Interview from Hell
Posted: 01 Aug 2014, 00:03
I applied for a teaching position that requires that you be a Native English speaker, 5 years of teaching English, an undergraduate degree, and 120h TESOL cert. I meet all the requirements and have a MA degree.
I suspect that there were some office politics at work -- the hiring decision maker may have issues with the staff member that recommended me for the position.
I just want to get people's feedback on the questions which is for an institution that is training young guys for a trade in a government company -- the ESL training is a prescribed curriculum with limited ability for variation by each teacher.
After I gave a brief resume of my academic and professional experience, the interview essentially became an oral exam in pedagogy -- which I think is beyond the scope of someone who has been asked to have a 120h cert.
1. The first question became a discussion on whether the example he gave was an error or a mistake. (I have since discovered that there is a distinction between the two in ESL theory. Incidentally, the teacher who recommended me for the position did not know the answer to the question either.)
2. Case Study: You are the (example) Listening Director and you have "an anal teacher who marks a student's exam at a 2 and a lax teacher who marks a student as a 5 -- both teachers understand the rubrics, what do you do?"
3. One of the questions was "what are three indicators that you have had a successful writing class?" -- he said I came up with 2. Perhaps my TESOL taken 10 years ago was deficient but can anyone recommend good sources for ESL Pedagogy theory.
He also wanted to discuss my "pedagogical paradigm". I would like some advice on how to prepare for this type of interview.
Thanks in advance! :(
I suspect that there were some office politics at work -- the hiring decision maker may have issues with the staff member that recommended me for the position.
I just want to get people's feedback on the questions which is for an institution that is training young guys for a trade in a government company -- the ESL training is a prescribed curriculum with limited ability for variation by each teacher.
After I gave a brief resume of my academic and professional experience, the interview essentially became an oral exam in pedagogy -- which I think is beyond the scope of someone who has been asked to have a 120h cert.
1. The first question became a discussion on whether the example he gave was an error or a mistake. (I have since discovered that there is a distinction between the two in ESL theory. Incidentally, the teacher who recommended me for the position did not know the answer to the question either.)
2. Case Study: You are the (example) Listening Director and you have "an anal teacher who marks a student's exam at a 2 and a lax teacher who marks a student as a 5 -- both teachers understand the rubrics, what do you do?"
3. One of the questions was "what are three indicators that you have had a successful writing class?" -- he said I came up with 2. Perhaps my TESOL taken 10 years ago was deficient but can anyone recommend good sources for ESL Pedagogy theory.
He also wanted to discuss my "pedagogical paradigm". I would like some advice on how to prepare for this type of interview.
Thanks in advance! :(