Interview with HESS/KOJEN

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
1

Hi,

I am actually a girl from Taiwan, but I am trying to help my friend from America get a job in Taipei.
He’s going to have a skype interview with HESS and Kojen today and tomorrow night, any tips or things should be aware of?And what questions are usually asked?
He has no teaching experience but really needs the job, any advice will be appreciate, thanks a lot!

BTW we read a lot negative reviews about HESS, but since my friend only has an associate degree and TESOL Certificate, chain schools like HESS and Kojen seem to be the best choices he can have. Or does anyone have other recommendation?

2

There is this thread: forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopi … 35&t=76404

3

Thank you, I have read this thread. It is helpful but the information is kind old too (The latest respond was back to 2011).
I am hoping maybe someone can give some update or new information!

4

“Old”, but not outdated. All 4 “Hess interview” threads (not including +10 about general interviews):

  1. Any info on the Hess phone interview? 2003
  2. Phone/Skype interview with Hess… any help? 2009-11
  3. Hess interview? 2013
  4. Hess interview, Asian teacher 2013

If you had read them all (or Googled), you’d see the answers haven’t significantly changed (if at all) since 2003.

Neither has Hess’s model. Hess is a Titanic: enormous, cumbersome, conceited, oblivious, & incapable of turning or changing on a dime. Largest TW buxiban for decades - to them, radical change would be a huge risk.

And you concluded this historical info was outdated? You’ve mistaken Hess for companies like Google or Apple… when it’s more like landing an entry job at McDonald’s or 7-11.

Anyone worried about a Hess interview lacks: basic research & prep skills, contingency plans, adaptability, resiliency, & confidence. If you don’t develop these 5, you’ll worry… which will affect your interview. Vicious circle.

It also generally makes for subpar teachers. They need constant “feedback” & “support”, asking help for every little thing (just like here), and aren’t very good at preparing, problem solving, or innovating. Too much trouble & time to babysit. I’d never hire or partner with them. Vicious circle.

In fact, I’m sure there’s a correlation: the archives show most posters who ask too many newbie questions, don’t advance far in teacher pay or job type. Of the 2 old threads, 1 OP was “unjustly blacklisted” from TW 2 yrs later (but is now allegedly doing ok in another field). The other OP was last asking about opening a night market stall. If you rely too much on external feedback, you’ll be behind the curve & “outdated”.

The opposite is true for foreign buxiban owners. The archives show they asked very few questions (if any) about how to get jobs, teach, or open a buxiban. They found answers by themselves.

There’s a wealth of historical data here. If you don’t learn from it, you may be doomed to repeat it… & become another cautionary tale in the archives. Vicious cycle.

I’d never let a “friend” do my research. That’s literally my job. If I didn’t do my own work, I’d never get better at it.

5

While your comments are certainly not unfounded, I think they are overly critical. Who is an excellent teacher when they first begin? Picking up and moving to a foreign country to start a job you’ve never done before is daunting, and it’s normal to be worried about it. There’s no such thing as a stupid question, after all.

6

…Who is an excellent teacher when they first begin? Picking up and moving to a foreign country to start a job you’ve never done before is daunting, and it’s normal to be worried about it. There’s no such thing as a stupid question, after all.[/quote]

I was referring to subpar vs par. Excellency at Hess is structurally impossible, like McDonald’s serving KGB, Bravo, etc.

In the above Phone/Skype interview with Hess… any help? page 5, Hess claims 4 intakes of 250 vacancies/yr. This mirrors GuyinTW’s claim of ~500 Hessians, with +50% desertion/yr.

250 = 3,000 in 12yrs; TEIT has 3,600+ threads. Should every Hess applicant have their own thread???
At least 5 started “Hess interview” threads; the other +99% of applicants felt they didn’t need to. Which is “normal”?
What if a Translation forum had 45% of threads about President TSGI? Or Restaurants with 45% McDonald’s threads?

Public internet is ~20yo. In the previous 150,000yrs, people either dealt with their migration & “job” worries, or just stayed put. Sweating at home about Skype interviews for [strike]McDonald’s[/strike] Hess jobs? Asking & expecting online strangers to address their worries for free? Not historically normal.

If a McHess interview is worrisome, then the classroom, work, mgmt, & much of TW will overwhelm. The archives show they’ll likely be milked of money, time, & peace of mind, “overly criticized”, & axed at least once – and not by me.

“Serial feedback askers” do little research (despite claims), start new threads, ignore old ones, rarely post outside their own threads, & provide little feedback to others. They use Forumosa for free feedback – from vets.

TEIT is the most valuable TEFL library in TW. 1000+ individuals have left records of their job trajectories. Ignore at your own risk. Asking an old question provides 0-5 answers; “stupid”, imo, when the library contains 50-100+.

Asking takes minutes, but limits ‘knowledge’ to given answers; research exposes other answers & future problems.
Asking = passively expect others to teach you; research = teach yourself. Which is better for keeping a teaching job in TW?
No free lunch. Read, lurk, & learn… or don’t, & pay later.

Too lazy to spend +24hrs to research a new job in a foreign country for +1 yr? Sounds “stupid” to me.
Either toughen up & learn how to be resourceful, or don’t come at all.

No “stupid questions”? Then you must think no TW employer has ever asked one.