A job interview point of view

 (Note: In the United States, adult education refers to the free English, literacy, and high school equivalency classes for adults, usually administered by community colleges and community-based organizations.)

I’ve had the opportunity to hire quite a few ESL instructors in adult education. The first few times it wasn’t much of an experience, though. I was the hiring manager but we had a committee of non-ESL instructors and I had to follow the school’s interview questions, which were painfully generic and predictable. They were “softball questions” as we say in the U.S.  Then a few years later at a different school, I was excited when I had the freedom to create my own interview questions–ones that had a lot more “meat” to them. (No, we don’t call those “meatball questions”…but that does sound good.)

My central question was straightforward: “What is your language training philosophy?”  For college teaching positions it’s common that they ask for a statement of teaching philosophy, so I thought I’d follow suit for adult ed. However, candidates invariably gave me some version of a stock answer, as if no one had put that much thought into it, perhaps because softball questions are the norm.  

“I think it’s important to work on all four areas: reading, listening, speaking, and writing.” Every time I heard a vanillified response like that it felt like the teacher thought that mentioning those four areas was supposed to be some insightful answer which required special training.  Honestly, I took that question off my list, primarily out of fear that a generic answer from a good candidate would stain my impression of them. 

All of that said, I have hired some very enthusiastic, creative, and talented teachers, and I had to reframe how I looked at hiring: if someone is dynamic, hardworking, and coachable, they have the potential to be very effective. They just might not have a language training philosophy yet.

But it's still an odd thing to me. Shouldn't language instructors be able to articulate their philosophy? I believe that once you have a clear vision with a focused plan, you’ll have a breakthrough. I know I did.  What’s the burst that could happen for you?

Task-n-tip:

Task: Take a few minutes to summarize your language teaching philosophy as if you were preparing for a job interview.  [Hint: please don’t write “I believe it’s important to work on the 4 areas… 😁”]

Tip:  Read your philosophy before every class.  If you’re an aspiring teacher, use this opportunity to envision the direction of your language training.