Interview feedback

maynooth_rules · 24-06-2015 12:22pm #1

Had an interview a couple of weeks ago for a job I really wanted. Felt the interview went excellent so was crushed to find out I was unsuccessful. Asked for the interview scoresheet which I received. I scored 71 our of 80 for the numerous things in the interview. What let me down was scoring 10 out of 20 for qualifications. Is not having a Masters really going to bring me down to only getting 50% of the marks for that part? I am obviously a fully qualified teacher with two good 2.1's so I find it very frustrating to get this quite low mark.
My intention is to do a Masters in Education, but do it part time when I am well settled in a school.

patriciaf6 · 24-06-2015 12:27pm

Have you secured a position since? On a positive note you'll nail most interviews with those scores so you shouldn't be worried!

mtoutlemonde · 24-06-2015 12:40pm

maynooth_rules wrote: »

Had an interview a couple of weeks ago for a job I really wanted. Felt the interview went excellent so was crushed to find out I was unsuccessful. Asked for the interview scoresheet which I received. I scored 71 our of 80 for the numerous things in the interview. What let me down was scoring 10 out of 20 for qualifications. Is not having a Masters really going to bring me down to only getting 50% of the marks for that part? I am obviously a fully qualified teacher with two good 2.1's so I find it very frustrating to get this quite low mark.
My intention is to do a Masters in Education, but do it part time when I am well settled in a school.

Can't understand how you were shortlisted for interview if you don't have a teacher qualification. If you don't have the qualifications you can't be marked highly as the other candidates would. A masters is not really relevant to a teaching job (except a masters in education obviously) as it is not a varied field of study like a degree - that is what the Teaching Council say anyway.

maynooth_rules · 24-06-2015 12:43pm

I do have a teaching qualification, I have just don't have a masters in either of my subjects or a Masters in Education. I completed my PGDE in 2008. As you stated I always assumed a Masters would have little relevance to a teaching job, which is why I cant understand scoring 10/20 in that regard.

Have you secured a position since? On a positive note you'll nail most interviews with those scores so you shouldn't be worried!

I havent no, thats what is worrying me too. It was a rare feeling of walking out of an interview chuffed as it went perfectly.

mtoutlemonde · 24-06-2015 12:46pm

maynooth_rules wrote: »

I do have a teaching qualification, I have just don't have a masters in either of my subjects or a Masters in Education. I completed my PGDE in 2008. As you stated I always assumed a Masters would have little relevance to a teaching job, which is why I cant understand scoring 10/20 in that.

Well in that case I'd query the marks. There has obviously been a mistake, they're being very strict or there was someone in the job and it was a re-interview. Jez I'd be in the same boat as you ðŸ˜ž

Moody_mona · 24-06-2015 1:05pm

Would 1.1 vs 2.1 be higher marked as a qualification?

Would the candidate with the most qualifications be marked as 100% and all other candidates compared? Or would the interview panel beforehand have decided that x amount of marks will go for masters etc?

Hard luck in the interview.

Mardy Bum · 24-06-2015 1:24pm

Your qualifications are ranked against others applying rather than 10 being a universal mark. Somebody must have had a few MAs or a PhD.

vamos! · 24-06-2015 1:35pm

5 new people (incl me!) have been hired in my school in recent years. Everyone has had an MA (only one has an M Ed). I think it was the done thing for graduates since about 2008 when I did the dip. It is a bit of a joke though. Just hope that in the next interview you great scores are higher than those who have more qualifications.

maynooth_rules · 24-06-2015 2:06pm

It might sound petty but it would really hurt if I outperformed another candidate in the interview but lost out due to not having a masters. I have good experienc but there was only five marks for experience, twenty for qualifications.

Postgrad10 · 24-06-2015 3:32pm

I've thought about this before. Had similar scoring as you from an ETB interview. I too fell down on points due to not having an MEd or PHD. What I don't understand is this , if the essential criteria for a teaching position is a BA and then a teaching qualification such as PGDE/hdip/ PDE or a concurrent BEd. So how can we get marked down for not having an MEd when that is realistically the qualification for leadership/guidance/special ed positions. There's needs to be strict rules on essential and desirable criteria as in the UK.

Another point I'm wondering querying is relation to new graduates of the PME , are they going to receive more marks in interviews than graduates of the former PGDE/PDE/Hdip or even BEd courses?

Lost20151 · 24-06-2015 3:52pm

I got the same marks for qualifications in a recent interview but scored very highly in all other categories, it's left me baffled how you can only be marked as 10 out of 20 for qualifications when you have all the required education to be a teacher. It's left me thinking is undertaking a masters and dropping the bones of 10 grand the only way to get a teaching job in the future. Also very worried now about these PDE who will graduate next year with a masters being employed over me all because the only way to become a teacher now is to have a masters.

I did my PGCE in the UK and have 24 masters credits but it's still not enough...

Must have been the same ETB as for mine experience was only marked out of 5, surely this warrants much more than this??

Postgrad10 · 24-06-2015 4:13pm

I think it's time we put this to a union.

Mardy Bum · 24-06-2015 4:42pm

The PME will be viewed the same as the PDE and the HDip as it is replacing the PDE and is the exact same qualification.

mtoutlemonde · 24-06-2015 5:10pm

Lost20151 wrote: »

I got the same marks for qualifications in a recent interview but scored very highly in all other categories, it's left me baffled how you can only be marked as 10 out of 20 for qualifications when you have all the required education to be a teacher. It's left me thinking is undertaking a masters and dropping the bones of 10 grand the only way to get a teaching job in the future. Also very worried now about these PDE who will graduate next year with a masters being employed over me all because the only way to become a teacher now is to have a masters.

I did my PGCE in the UK and have 24 masters credits but it's still not enough...

Must have been the same ETB as for mine experience was only marked out of 5, surely this warrants much more than this??

This is the reason I don't trust ETBs - they change the criteria to suit themselves. I've had a few interviews with them and the marks are always different. I remember my first just after my dip, I was only registered for one non-curricular subject and got full marks for qualifications and then went down in the suitability to the role. I then did more study and didn't get the full marks for qualifications. I really can't understand why they do this because you are a teacher and have been registered for your subjects should be enough to get full marks. As I said the ETBs change the criteria/marking to suit themselves because more often than not, there is someone already in the position or there is someone who knows someone.

24-06-2015 6:04pm

As I have posted before, there are over 20 teachers with part time CID in my school. My ETB advertises generally for vacancies in all subjects each year and in order to be eligible for extra RPT hours on top of our CID we have to apply to this ad each year. We were notified this year that the new PME will count as a masters for shortlisting and interview purposes and advised that if we don't already have a masters we will need one to compete with new entrants with a PME.

gaiscioch · 24-06-2015 6:17pm

Mardy Bum wrote: »

The PME will be viewed the same as the PDE and the HDip as it is replacing the PDE and is the exact same qualification.

If so, will the PME not qualify as a 'masters' in future when the above interview scoring happens? If it does qualify as a 'masters', and it's the same as the PDE, then it seems inconsistent that people with the PDE are being penalised for not having a "masters" today, but next year or whenever they presumably will be viewed as having a "masters". I think we need clarification on this.

For what it's worth, my personal experience is that having a second or third useful subject carries more weight in an interview than having even a Level 10 postgrad and a single subject. It is right that having a postgrad is taken into account in interviews, just as other achievements and abilities are. This is particularly fair now when new teachers receive no financial benefit from having invested time and effort in attaining such qualifications.

maynooth_rules · 24-06-2015 6:22pm

It is right that having a postgrad is taken into account in interviews, just as other achievements and abilities are.

Should it be worth four times as much as experience in an interview setting though?
Experience will always improve you as a teacher, Masters and postgrads will not always

gaiscioch · 24-06-2015 6:26pm

maynooth_rules wrote: »

Should it be worth four times as much as experience in an interview setting though?
Experience will always improve you as a teacher, Masters and postgrads will not always

I'd query the details of that alright. A person with 20 years teaching experience is generally, if not invariably, more valuable in a classroom than somebody just finished a PhD so I'd find it hard to justify such a distribution of interview marks.

evolving_doors · 24-06-2015 6:32pm

Graham Icy AcrossL wrote: »

As I have posted before, there are over 20 teachers with part time CID in my school. My ETB advertises generally for vacancies in all subjects each year and in order to be eligible for extra RPT hours on top of our CID we have to apply to this ad each year. We were notified this year that the new PME will count as a masters for shortlisting and interview purposes and advised that if we don't already have a masters we will need one to compete with new entrants with a PME.

NFQ says no...

National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).jpg

gaiscioch · 24-06-2015 6:40pm

The PME will be viewed the same as the PDE and the HDip as it is replacing the PDE and is the exact same qualification.

Just checking this. From the NQAI website:

PDE: "Following detailed consultation between the Irish universities and the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland in the context of the ongoing process of implementing the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), the universities have agreed that the initial post-primary teaching qualification, hitherto known as the Higher Diploma in Education and latterly as the Graduate or Postgraduate Diploma in Education, is to be formally included in the NFQ at Level 8 with immediate effect."

From the UCD website:

PME: "The PME at the School of Education, University College Dublin is a two-year, full-time Level 9 programme..."

24-06-2015 6:53pm

Gebgbegb wrote: »

NFQ says no...

The PDE, PGDE and HDIP are Level 8. The PME is Level 9.

In the past the teaching qualification was "floating" and not placed on the NFQ. It was then put at Level 8. There was a huge row at the time as the name Postgraduate Diploma was misleading and many complained about false advertising. That's why the name was changed to Professional Diploma.

Mardy Bum · 24-06-2015 6:54pm

gaiscioch wrote: »

Just checking this. From the NQAI website:

PDE: "Following detailed consultation between the Irish universities and the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland in the context of the ongoing process of implementing the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), the universities have agreed that the initial post-primary teaching qualification, hitherto known as the Higher Diploma in Education and latterly as the Graduate or Postgraduate Diploma in Education, is to be formally included in the NFQ at Level 8 with immediate effect."

From the UCD website:

PME: "The PME at the School of Education, University College Dublin is a two-year, full-time Level 9 programme..."

It's the exact same qualification and that is from one of the people who designed one of the programmes. I do not think one will be viewed as superior as both are initial qualification. A masters is generally viewed as an extra qualification.

maynooth_rules · 24-06-2015 7:19pm

I have just sent an email to the ETB querying the fact that qualifications is worth four times what experience in on their mark sheet. I can imagine the reply I will receive.

Lost20151 · 30-06-2015 10:05am

Seems ETB's have different marks for different interviews. I just received interview feedback this time marked out of 25 last interview was out of 100 this time only two categories, qualifications marked out of 5 and general suitability out of 20...
Should the marking scheme not be the same in each ETB? Seems a bit to me that they're doing whatever they want.

ethical · 30-06-2015 2:34pm

Of course they are doing whatever they like in order to get the person who is the son of a son of an employees aunt's husband's little man started off in the right place.Be very aware of any positions advertised that state 'equal opportunities employer' because they are anything but!.We all know that educational recruitment is a whole load of muck in Ireland and because teachers have such a bad press with the media this will not change anytime soon as no journalist will take on and examine the fiasco that is trying to get a job in education in Ireland.

Heydeldel · 30-06-2015 10:57pm

Lost20151 wrote: »

Seems ETB's have different marks for different interviews. I just received interview feedback this time marked out of 25 last interview was out of 100 this time only two categories, qualifications marked out of 5 and general suitability out of 20...
Should the marking scheme not be the same in each ETB? Seems a bit to me that they're doing whatever they want.

Wonder if we went for the same job. I also got feedback from an unsuccessful interview and was scored out of 25, and with the same categories as you!

The feedback told me nothing on how to improve. So vague.

mirrorwall14 · 01-07-2015 2:22pm

We had A post interviews in our ETB and they gave verbal feedback to those who asked. It was worth asking

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