r/teachinginkorea • u/EastGold6436 • 6d ago
Hagwon Interview Prep
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YggTTQX7Mn5kVzmRiuGeTJ1iXr77ivMg/view?usp=sharingI've been teaching English in Korea for 5 years and have had the opportunity to work on the hiring side of an academy. I made a free PDF of the most common questions they would want me to ask potential new teachers coming in to work for them. So this is for anyone who is getting ready to move to Korea and starting the hiring process and wants to prep for some potential interview questions. I've also included some questions to ask back to make sure you're not getting any unfair deals or something you were not aware of. If you found this usefull let me know!
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u/Ornery-Revolution-47 6d ago
The questions to ask the interviewer are awesome. But for number 5 for questions we could be asked⌠no idea how to answer that. I feel like itâs an awkward question. Like am I supposed to say you will find all of my children being little angels? Am I supposed to explain how well decorated it is and why thatâs important for their development? I genuinely cannot think of a good and truthful answer. And I know everyone asks why do you want to work for our company⌠but for teaching jobs I feel like itâs the location, hours, salary, age group, vacation time, etc for 90% of the schools and teachers. I know you kind of just have to ask questions they want you to ask but here is just my two cents. Thank you for sharing these questions because it definitely does help prepare and think of questions I wouldnât have thought of
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u/Mooshikins 5d ago
For me the answer to 5 (I walk into your classroom, what di I see) depends on which class you walked into and when. Did you walk into my phonics class of 1st graders or my 9th graders? Is it the beginning, middle or end of the lesson? For example, in the beginning of a phonics class we would be at our desks already, sitting, with our phonics readers or talking about the season and the weather, whereas with the 9th graders weâd be talking about their day or weekend waiting for those who have another class elsewhere before to arrive. Conversely, in the middle of a phonics class we would probably be up and running around playing a phonics game, but with my older class we would be settled into whatever reading comprehension, grammar, or writing task we were currently busy with in the textbook. Maybe the interviewer is digging at classroom management but I see it practically and I think it says something about classroom management anyway.
The why do you want to work for us question: I find age group, scope to create materials with a supporting fixed curriculum, and pedagogic approach the most important when considering a school, the salary and location. We I teach currently we rely fairly heavily on the mother tongue as a medium through which English is taught in the initial phases, and it doesnât sit well with me. I have always taught immersion (direct method) before this and I any to move back to teaching in that way. Also, if I had an offer from a Cambridge school vs a school following an American system and the Cambridge school offered slightly less I would still go for Cambridge, because thatâs the approach I like teaching and I would prefer colleagues who use the same approach.Just my random thoughts on the subject, maybe itâs helpful for considering your own perspective on the questions. I do agree that it should also be fine for a candidate to say they like the location, or the salary suits their financial goals, because if these needs are not answered or honestly discussed it isnât sustainable and thatâs why people leave. So your point on being a bit realistic is spot on.
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u/Ornery-Revolution-47 5d ago
Thatâs what I thought they might be wanting for the classroom question but I feel like I would ask them for more clarification. But I think your answer is good and probably what they want to hear. And for the second question, last time I was applying to schools and doing interviews it was mostly at hagwons and I felt like they were all saying the same things for how they approach learning on their posting. I would imagine real schools would show a lot more differences through curriculum and goals though. Thanks for your reply!
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u/EastGold6436 5d ago
So all of the questions donât have strict replies that weâre looking for. Just more of a general idea. How I described it when making this content to help teachers was, âanything that shows you are engaging with the students, or showcasing your high energy, or just having students talk more than you by having them read out loud.â So to put it simply anything that shows:
1) student engagement
2) high energy (maybe an activity)
3) good classroom managementThose are all winners. Not to say that other answers would get you disqualified, but just some ideas. If you know anyone preparing for hagwon interviews let me know and I can also send sample answers!
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u/Ornery-Revolution-47 5d ago
Thanks for your reply! Iâm actually pretty curious if schools care a lot about high energy or being outgoing. Many of the talented teachers I know and also myself are more calm and canât be outgoing or high energy for most of the day. And this is from teachers in my home country and in Korea. I donât think kids need teachers that are super outgoing but I feel like a lot of schools prefer that
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u/EastGold6436 5d ago
The schools Iâve been to prefer it and hereâs why: they believe that kids remember things easier if itâs exaggerated. So if youâre explaining a new vocab word, theyâll remember a teacher who gets up and uses hand gestures or big motions to explain a word. Whereas a teacher who just defines a word is easily forgettable. And then same with kindy schools, they just want high energy teachers so kids are moving throughout the day (Simon says etc) and youâre using big energy to do phonics for example so the kids can stay focused (young kids have a harder time sitting still for a longer time). Now I wasnât high energy in my own classroom all the time. But I did my best haha
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u/Mooshikins 6d ago
Great resource đ thanks đŻ What questions would you ask about previous roles? If a candidate had left a previous role early or was wanting to leave their current role before the end of the contract what would you want to know?