A job is in the wind......
Hello there again!
Twice in one week, is that what a blogger does? I'm really trying to get my head around how often I have to do this........
You've applied and you've got an interview. That does not mean that you have the job or that you may want this job after the interview! A few tips:
Investigate the school
Search them!
As Ab Lincoln says, you can't trust the internet, hence why I've started this blog for people who want to talk to real people about their experiences.
Ask friends of friends whom you've heard may of worked there or somewhere near there. Go onto school review sites (advice given before) and read about them. One sent out a blog this week about how good the school was but the housing allowance was so poor that staff were forced to leave because of it. It's things like this that you need to know about the school before you uproot your life and go there.
Prepare for the interview
Not just for them but for you as well. We all know the drill about preparing for interviews, I wont preach to the converted, however:
Write down a list of questions about everything that is to with teaching and living there. If they can't answer then ask for someone whom they can email/skype with that you can ask before giving an answer.
You need to know about resources, teaching loads, extra duties, curriculum development (is there one?) Not only that, what about the living/home life? Is there a community around? Is the language exclusive or diverse? (Nice way of saying does anyone speak English?) What can you get there that you simply can't do without....as a female I ask many girly questions!
Job Offers
Once offered, take a breathe and talk to someone who is there first. If you are given a tight deadline then use it wisely! This can be because they need to get you there and need to work on visas right away, it is not always sinister if you get a quick offer.
One review site has the mantra: "Beware of quick offers, there's a reason for it, they mean that no one else wants the job or it's a crap offer." However, it could be because someone has done a runner and the students need a teacher.......not all International Schools are evil and have hidden agendas! It's a problem with review sites, it's usually the unhappy people who post poor reviews, not enough positive one are on them. If in doubt ask the interviewers, you can tell from their answers if they are genuine or not.
Cheers,
HB
