Hibernia Interview Feedback

F09torres

I am set to do my Hibernia teaching interview for the 2nd time on 18th February.
anybody have any feedback from a recent interview or tips in regard to it - particularly in Irish???:)

MizzL

Hi,

I just got accepted into Hibernia after my third interview!

Did you find out after your last interview why you didn't get it? Mine was down to my Irish! They told me I only missed my second interview by a few marks. Best advice I can give you is don't worry about it at all. Just be sure to direct the interview in areas you want to talk about in Irish and english.

Do you have any observation experience in schools?

F09torres

Hi thanks for the info.
I got feedback from my first interview and as I expected I failed on my Irish.
Ive done more practice on that front this time and have being speaking Irish regularly to try and feel more comfortable with the language.
As far as the interview goes Ive just broken it down into likely topics, such as my hobbies, and hopefully some of what Im comfortable with will be asked.
Getting nervous now!!

MizzL

Ok well I failed my first and second based on my Irish.

The Irish questions I was asked in all interviews were the pretty standard ones: My hobbies, make sure you can go into detail on this as they will ask you questions based on your answers. I was asked about going on holidays, a few things about my family. I was asked "What would I do if I won the lotto" so maybe take a look at that if you haven't already. Other than the usual questions, there wasn't anything too out there.

Don't panic at all, you'll be fine. I thought about giving up when i didn't get it the second time round but thankfully I didn't! Third time lucky for me! Honestly though, I'm sure it'll go great for you, plus now you know what to expect since you have been there before.


Best of Luck!

F09torres

Thanks for the info - its great to get feedback from somebody else.
When exactly did you do your latest interview?

I am fortunate enough to have a lady from the Gaeltacht helping me free of charge at the moment - she has really improved my Irish - and she also has covered the Lotto question as she reckons if I do well enough in there its the most likely modh coinniolach question to be asked...

Maudy Mac

Hi,

I did my interview last week and was told I wasn't successful. I requested feedback and I got a one-line e-mail saying that it was due to failing the Irish section.

Does anyone know how much feedback they actually give? I asked for additional feedback on the other criteria but I am wondering whether they will actually give this!

In Mary I interview, they gave me a breakdown of how I scored in each of the areas they were grading, from fluency of irish to suitability to teach.

marmam

Hi All,

I'm new to this site and i'm just about to apply for Hibernia. Can anyone tell me how long the wait is at the moment before people are being called for interview? are there still places left for this October? Finally, what kind of questions are they asking these days, especially for the Irish.
Thanks a mill, am so nervous.

Maudy Mac

Hi Marmam,

You will probably be contacted by phone within a week of your application. They assigned me a date which was 4 weeks later.

The advice I would give is to practice conversational irish as much as possible.

Try not to ignore the English section, this section is also tough. You really have to sell yourself, as you are only in there for 20 minutes! The interview is so fast, that you need to mention everything that is relevant (experience, skills, talents etc) as the interviewers do not have time to probe you for this information, as they would in a normal interview.

For the English section I was asked the following -
Tell me about your education to date
Has any teacher influenced you in the past?
How would your work experience benefit you as a teacher?
Tell me about your degree...did you enjoy it?....How would your 3rd level qualification be relevant to a career as a teacher?
What type of further study would you undertake on graduating from Hibernia? (Didn't have a clue about this!! Mentioned the summer courses Hibernia ran and they asked me about the courses I mentioned...does anyone have advice on this question?)


Irish...
I repeated my Leaving Honours Irish last year, asked what I did to improve my irish
I have travelled a lot, they asked about the countries I visited and the impact of poverty there
what did I think the life of a teacher is like...difficult or hard
what will i do next weekend

I was interviewed for October so there are definitly still places.

Like you, I was nervous too but they are all very nice and welcoming. Be confident and genuine when you are the interview, I really believe this is important.

Go n'eiri an bothar leat!

marmam

Thanks Maudy Mac. i sent in my application last thursday so i'm hoping to hear back soon. i'm doing the conradh na Gaeilage course this saturday so hopefully that should help. I know a few other people who are thinking of applying also and there are going to the gaeltacht etc in preparation - i'm just not able to do that at present so i'm very nervous about my chances.

Maudy Mac

I know its nerve racking but just do the best preparation that you can in the time you have left.

Try and forget about the nerves on the day (becuase you will actually relax after a couple of minutes in the interview!) and focus your preparation on effectively communicating your suitablity and what you have to offer as a teacher.

There is only one way to prepare for the irish section, and that is to actually speak the language, so this can be achieved through grinds or conversational irish classes in your local school or community hall.

Very best of luck!! Please come back and post your questions cos this will help me in what is hopefully my final attempt!!!

Maudy Mac

oh, I forgot to say....would love to hear what you think of the Conradh Na G course as I am considering this course too!

Have you got any experience in a primary school? I didn't have much, only 3 weeks voluntary class room assistant.

marmam

Hi Maudy Mac,
I got an email from hibernia acknowledging my application and telling me that they would ring in 5-8 weeks to arrange an interview?????? did you get one of those? i thought that they were ringing within the fortnight and that the interview would be 5-8 weeks after that. am all deflated now.

Maudy Mac

Hi there,
Yeah, I also got one of those but they did call me within a week or week and a half to confirm my interview time.

marmam

Hi Maudy Mac
Still no word on interview. the C na G course was very useful, she did some general interview stuff - me fein ait conaithe etc and then a fair bit on teaching and experience etc and some grammer and vocab, then we all had mock interviews in the afternoon. its heavy going enough but enjoyable and well worth doing. not sure when the next one is though.

Maudy Mac

Hi Marmam,

Thanks for the feedback on the C Na G course, think I might do one of these also before the next interview. God, I'll be broke from it all!!

Got the feedback from my first interview and it didn't really tell me that much! Basically they felt that I wasn't confident in my irish section, and they also suggested that I do some classroom observation (even though I have 3 weeks experience).

Hopefully you'll hear back soon re. your interview.

marmam

Well, i finally got my interview date - May 10th and its sooner than i expected. I am getting really nervous now.
Do i need to wear a suit?

Maudy Mac

Hi Marmam,

Good to hear that you got your date!! It will be a relief to get it out of the way.

I would reccommend wearing a suit, but I dressed very conservatively, not much jewellery or make up, hair tidy, nails groomed, shoes shone etc.

Try to be warm and personable. I say this, as I think I came accross cold and probably didn't speak from the heart enough. I was nervous, so I just went into auto-pilot.

arasnagaeilge

Hi guys, Im having my interview in 3 weeks and am gettin a bit nervous now. Are the english questions mainly re. your degree, work experience etc. or do I need to know all the aspects and details of the subjects on the curriculum . Also , in the irish section, are there questions on educational issues asked as Gaeilge?All feedback is apppreciated.

greenstar123

hi guys...i have my hibernia interview on may12th...for the second time! so disappointed i didnt get in the first time!! any advice for me?? im so nervous!! :eek:

marmam

Hi,
i had my interview last night and this is what i got asked:-
How did your journey bring you here to us today applying for hibernia
why would i make a good teacher
quite ' teaching is about making ordinary people excellent'
if there was only 1 place left why should they give it to me
tell us about your observation/teaching experience

Irish
where you ever in the gaeltacth, what was the average day like there
are you interested in sport
do you read
can you tell us about a tv programme you like
is a teachers lfe difficult or easy
what will i do this weekend ( at this point i completely blanked, couldn't think of 1 word in irish)
no MC ( bad sign?)

English
what makes a good school
what would i do if a child used inappropriate language in teh classroom
is music important in school
role of IT in the future of teaching.

i was happy enough with the english but i just panicked when it came to the irish so i'm very worried now.
Best of luck tonight, the panel are very nice.

greenstar123

I hope those questions come up for me now...im worried about my irish aswell...i found the St. Pats irish interview to be easier than the hibernia! Fingers crossed for the both of us!!

Does anyone who has applied for the second time have any advice...do they ask you what you have done since your last interview or anything???

marmam

I'm sure you will be fine. it shows determination that you are going back! I'm sure I will be doing a second one too. Let me know how you get on.
Best of Luck

Coogee

Had my interview yesterday and very disappointed with my Irish performance! I felt the interview in Irish was very hard. I was asked 5 questions by the first in English, then 17 questions, yes 17 in Irish followed by another 6 in English. What I found most disappointing was that the man asking the Irish simply did not give me an opportunity to speak! Every time I went about answering his questions he interrupted me with another question and this continued throughout. This had the effect of really throwing me off course and I made a mess of the MC question as a result. I could have answered it prfectly 10 seconds later but sin sin! Just wondering did anyone else find a similar experience?

Q's included:
English
-Third level education
-Why primary teaching
-Education is complied of thousands of lessons and books but it is much more than this. Discuss.
-observation experience
-Best working as individual or in a team
-If a pupil became ill what would you do
-What would getting on the course mean for you in the short and long term
-Where see yourself in 5 years time

Irish
-Passtimes, few on this
-local place, few tricky ones on this
-observation, few on this
-do you have much oportunity to speak Irish
-MC - If you had 1 million euro what would you do for your local area with the money
-preparation for Irish interview

I feel 100% certain I will not get a place on this ocassion mainly due to the Irish. Ah well...

marmam

i found the same with my irish on Monday and because he kept interrupting it threw me off my stride and i forgot a lot of my irish. i had put so much work into the irish part and i don't think one tenth showed. i went blank when he asked me what will i do this weekend and i didn't even get an MC question, so i think i'll be sending in my second application soon. how did you feel the rest of it went?

Coogee

marmam wrote: »

i found the same with my irish on Monday and because he kept interrupting it threw me off my stride and i forgot a lot of my irish. i had put so much work into the irish part and i don't think one tenth showed. i went blank when he asked me what will i do this weekend and i didn't even get an MC question, so i think i'll be sending in my second application soon. how did you feel the rest of it went?

I was reasonably happy with the rest of it, I suppose with some of the questions there is no real right or wrong answer so you are unsure what exactly they are looking to hear so I just tried to be as honest as possible. I was certainly very disappointed with the Irish though as I had put in a big effort and like yourself this would not have been apparant at all as I was interrupted continually. I was barely able to get a sentence in! Do you know how long does it usually take for the notification to come? They said 2 or 3 weeks to me.

marmam

they said the same to me. i think they interview Mon-thurs and send the results out on a friday, but not every friday (?!)
the guy asking the irish questions did say to me ' you never know you could be one of the lucky ones to find out this Friday' but i'm not sure whether to read anything into it or not...
I am a nervous wreck
imagine how well we could have done if we had been given half a chance....
let me know how you get on, i will keep my fingers crossed for both of us

Coogee

marmam wrote: »

they said the same to me. i think they interview Mon-thurs and send the results out on a friday, but not every friday (?!)
the guy asking the irish questions did say to me ' you never know you could be one of the lucky ones to find out this Friday' but i'm not sure whether to read anything into it or not...
I am a nervous wreck
imagine how well we could have done if we had been given half a chance....
let me know how you get on, i will keep my fingers crossed for both of us

I am resigned to not getting in on this occasion so not really nervous as a result, more disappointed than anything as I really do feel it was a matter of being so close yet so far if you know what I mean! Are there any good online Irish courses available do you know? I did the Gael chultiur Hibernia Internet course and found it good along with a good few grinds. I was confident enough of my Irish and gutted then with the interview the way it turned out!

marmam

I'm eternally optimistic, better to have some hope and all that - at least for a few days and then i can dust myself off next week and stick in another application. I don't know what i could have done differently in the run up to the interview, given what i had done i should have flown through it.
What time was your interview at? mine was 5pm.

Coogee

marmam wrote: »

I'm eternally optimistic, better to have some hope and all that - at least for a few days and then i can dust myself off next week and stick in another application. I don't know what i could have done differently in the run up to the interview, given what i had done i should have flown through it.
What time was your interview at? mine was 5pm.

Do you know if you send in another application straight away I assume you will not be considered for the intake you were originally interviewed for i.e. Oct 2010? Also do people usually send it the same application letter or change their application (their statement part of the application I mean)

marmam

i don't know, i suppose you could theoretically get considered for the same intake, but i'd say by the time our next interviews come around october will probably be full. i'm going to send in pretty much the same application ( and yet more money!)

Coogee

MizzL wrote: »

Hi,

I just got accepted into Hibernia after my third interview!

Did you find out after your last interview why you didn't get it? Mine was down to my Irish! They told me I only missed my second interview by a few marks. Best advice I can give you is don't worry about it at all. Just be sure to direct the interview in areas you want to talk about in Irish and english.

Do you have any observation experience in schools?

Just enquiring did you wait long before sending in the second application and also did you pretty much send in the same application the second time around? Thanks a lot..

greenstar123

I had my 2nd hibernia interview yesterday, when I found out I didnt get it the 1st time I reapplied straight away filling in the application form the same as I did previously...also had my 2nd interview within a month of applying so keep applying!!

Felt my interview went a lot better than the 1st time, as others have said in my 1st irish interview I kept getting interrupted and asked the same questions in different tenses but yesterday was much better...

English questions...
Degree...how has it lead you to hibernia and the skills that you have gained?
Why primary school teaching??
What motivates me to be a primary school teacher??

Irish questions...
Preparation for the interview
Holidays
Pastimes
Where and when do i play camogie
What will i do next weekend
Do i hear a lot of irish being spoken in my local town

English questions...
Cant really remember the quote, something along the lines of primary education is the foundation for future education.
It skills
Role of the principal
Special Needs Children within the classroom
Work, college, life balance.

Good luck everyone, hope we all hear good news!!!

Coogee

greenstar123 wrote: »

I had my 2nd hibernia interview yesterday, when I found out I didnt get it the 1st time I reapplied straight away filling in the application form the same as I did previously...also had my 2nd interview within a month of applying so keep applying!!

Felt my interview went a lot better than the 1st time, as others have said in my 1st irish interview I kept getting interrupted and asked the same questions in different tenses but yesterday was much better...

English questions...
Degree...how has it lead you to hibernia and the skills that you have gained?
Why primary school teaching??
What motivates me to be a primary school teacher??



Irish questions...
Preparation for the interview
Holidays
Pastimes
Where and when do i play camogie
What will i do next weekend
Do i hear a lot of irish being spoken in my local town

English questions...
Cant really remember the quote, something along the lines of primary education is the foundation for future education.
It skills
Role of the principal
Special Needs Children within the classroom
Work, college, life balance.

Good luck everyone, hope we all hear good news!!!

Thanks a lot!
Do you know is it possible with Hibernia to be interviewed for the same intake twice? Or if you fail with your first interview does this automatically mean you will only be considered for the follwing intake???

Yes I was really put off by the interruptions on my Irish interview...

greenstar123

well i was interviewed for Oct 2010 for my first interview and Oct 2010 for my second, i reapplied the day after i heard that i didnt get in and had the interview very quickly so my advice would to be to reapply the minute you hear you dont get in...thats if you dont get it....hopefully you will!

Id have to say though I wasnt half as nervous for my 2nd interview and I felt more confident...two of the people on the panel I had previously but thankfully the woman that asked me the irish wasnt there!!

Coogee

Good stuff Greenstar!

And another question! Did you re-submit the identical application? I know the most of it will obviously be identical but did you change your statement at the end on any way or just simply re post the thing en bloc?

Thanks again...

greenstar123

oooh just got the news that I got accepted into hibernia college!! im so happy!!

Good luck to the rest of ye, hope u all get good news aswell!!!

marmam

I'm in too!!!! am so relieved.

randombar

Hi Lads,
The girlfriend is thinking of signing up for this and I was just doing a bit of research for her.

Do most people have some teaching experience before hand?

When do people think Oct 2010 will fill up by have they heard anything?

What is the "pass" rate for the interviews?

Do you submit a cover letter with the application and if so does anyone have any examples??

Thanks for any help you can give me, and congrats to those who got in.
//Gary

JoJoPGCE

:mad:

very dissappointed, unsuccessful for the 2nd time trying to get into this course, and i really thought this interview went well, my first interview was a total disaster so i wasnt expecting to be successful that time and wasnt dissappointed.. URGHHH!!!

i'm ringing up tomorrow to get feedback.. IM SO ANNOYED!!!!

JoJoPGCE

another question!! i see someone else has already asked this but if anyone has found out or knows what to do after an unsuccessful interview, ur words of wisodm and expereicne would be a great help!

is it ok to send the same application again? should i change it in any way? i just want to reapply as quickly as possible before i forget all my irish!!!

Maudy Mac

that's very disappointing considering that you felt it went well. What did they ask you? Re-applying next week. Sick at the thought of it!! I think I will probably change my application this time. I enrolled in an irish course after my last interview as I failed my irish, apart from that,Idon't know what else I can do.

JoJoPGCE

they asked me most things from my application form>> my interest in local history>> the statement was - teaching is 1/4 planning 3/4 theatre >>cant remember what else was asked in this part!! >>>Irish part >>Asked about my teaching experience>> must be difficult being a home tutor? is it one to one? kids with problems?>> about the homework club i volunteer at, how many kids, what ages etc >>a holiday>> how'd i prepare for leaving cert irish last year >>how'd i prepare for interview>> what will i do after the interview and at the weekend>> what are my pastimes>> then it went back to english and i was asked>>what challenges do teachers face with a special needs student in the classroom>> my IT skills>> what makes a good school>> How will i achieve a good work/study/life balance if i get on the course>> did i know anyone who is doing the course and am i aware of how intensive it can be>> I have the questions written down somewhere, ill put them up later, cant remember what else was asked!! I just have one thing to add to teaching experience since i last applied and changed part of personal statement to accommodate this, i'm going to get someone to look over it b4 i send it, i cant see what else i can change really. it'll just be the same thing except worded differently.. Requested feedback yest, i heard it can take up to 3wks for a reply!!I think it must have been the irish that tripped me up this time again, i just tried to keep it simple and i wasnt stuck for anything to say. I thought if you were able to hold a conversation and answer their questions that was all they wanted... but maybe I made mistakes and didnt realise.. oh well! third time lucky! Don't be nervous about re-applying, u know you can do it, i'm angry that i didnt get it and dammit i'm not paying another 75eu for nothin!! just have to immerse myself in irish until then.. uuurgh

JoJoPGCE

GaryCocs wrote: »

Hi Lads,
The girlfriend is thinking of signing up for this and I was just doing a bit of research for her.

Do most people have some teaching experience before hand?

When do people think Oct 2010 will fill up by have they heard anything?

What is the "pass" rate for the interviews?

Do you submit a cover letter with the application and if so does anyone have any examples??

Thanks for any help you can give me, and congrats to those who got in.
//Gary

Preview Hi gary, i had an interview nearly 3weeks ago and they were interviewing for Oct 2010, not sure if it would be filled up yet, i'd imagine it nearly is because I was very surprised to hear they still had places for Oct, i thought I was being interviewed for Feb 2011! I didnt submit a cover letter, I just downloaded the application from their website and filled it out and for things like teaching/work experience and additional info, and statement for why you want to get on the course, I used extra sheets because there isnt much space on the form itself, only 2/3 lines, although the first time I applied I didnt use any extra sheets at all and was called for interview! The interviews can be tricky enough, not that they ask awkward questions or anything, its just that Ive done 2 and been unsuccessful, but I know a few who have got in first time. The interviewers are really nice and they make a huge effort at the start to put you at ease. The first interview i did was a disaster, i couldnt speak i was so nervous and to be honest my irish wasnt up to scratch to start with. 2nd interview went great I thought but didnt get in, waiting to get feedback and im reapplying tomorrow.Hope that helps!!

randombar

JoJoPGCE wrote: »

Preview Hi gary, i had an interview nearly 3weeks ago and they were interviewing for Oct 2010, not sure if it would be filled up yet, i'd imagine it nearly is because I was very surprised to hear they still had places for Oct, i thought I was being interviewed for Feb 2011! I didnt submit a cover letter, I just downloaded the application from their website and filled it out and for things like teaching/work experience and additional info, and statement for why you want to get on the course, I used extra sheets because there isnt much space on the form itself, only 2/3 lines, although the first time I applied I didnt use any extra sheets at all and was called for interview! The interviews can be tricky enough, not that they ask awkward questions or anything, its just that Ive done 2 and been unsuccessful, but I know a few who have got in first time. The interviewers are really nice and they make a huge effort at the start to put you at ease. The first interview i did was a disaster, i couldnt speak i was so nervous and to be honest my irish wasnt up to scratch to start with. 2nd interview went great I thought but didnt get in, waiting to get feedback and im reapplying tomorrow.Hope that helps!!

Thanks for the help JoJo, by the looks of things you have plenty of experience to get you through so I'm sure you will with a bit of luck.

In general do people have two, three weeks experience or is it even more than that??

JoJoPGCE

Hi Gary. Thanks for the vote of confidence, but if i can't get on top of the irish it doesnt matter how much experience anyone has!
I'm not sure how much experience people would generally have, It's probably your best bet to try and get as much experience as possible. I'd say it's getting harder to get paid teaching experience as schools are not really hiring unquailified people for subbing anymore, a few people i know have taken holidays from their own jobs and organised 2 weeks of experience in a school. Most schools are happy to help and are glad of the extra pair of hands!

Maitiu Mac

Hi there, I had my first interview last Thursday 10/6 and was lucky to get an offer of a place the next day by email. The offer I got was for a place on the Feb 2011 course so Oct 2010 must be full at this stage.

The questions I remember being asked are as follows:-

ENGLISH
1. Tell us about your time in university, what you studied there etc.
2. Why do you want to do teaching now? (In this regard they referred to my application.)
3. Tell us about your teaching experience (mine was limited to attending the Gaeltacht as a cúntóir/ceannaire and some adult literacy teaching both of which happened many years ago so don't get worked up about having no teaching experience.)
4. Why have you not spent time observing in a primary school? (I told them that I couldn't just take time off work to do this and also that I didn't want my existing employers to get wind of my future career aspirations)
5. What computer skills do you have?
6. If you get a place on the course where do you see yourself in the short term and in the long term?
7. A school is a place for all. Comment.

GAEILGE
1. Hobbies
2. Tell us about your homeplace
3. Have you spend time in the Gaeltacht?
4. Family
5. Holidays last year and this year (past tense and future tense)
6. Are you interested in sport - World Cup, Hurling.
No modh choinnoileach question.

The interview lasted about 15 minutes in total and there were three interviewees - a man and two ladies. English first, then a few questions in Irish and then English again to conclude.

Best of luck to anyone out there who's thinking of applying. Don't get too worked up over the interview. I thought the interview was fairly relaxed and easygoing though it did help that my Irish would be fairly alright.

arasnagaeilge

Has anybody managed to get a reduction on the cost of Hibernia course and if so how?..don t think my piggy bank s gonna be happy..

IrishZeus

Just wondering if anyone that is currently working and has applied for the Hibernia course has come across the problem of time required for the teaching experience.

I have no issue with the evening and weekend work rate required but i have no way to get 14 weeks of for teaching experience and 3 weeks for the Gaeltacht. Working in private sector, I get 5 weeks hols all year!

Is there a way around this? Has anyone come up against this problem?

reganm6

MizzL wrote: »

Ok well I failed my first and second based on my Irish.

The Irish questions I was asked in all interviews were the pretty standard ones: My hobbies, make sure you can go into detail on this as they will ask you questions based on your answers. I was asked about going on holidays, a few things about my family. I was asked "What would I do if I won the lotto" so maybe take a look at that if you haven't already. Other than the usual questions, there wasn't anything too out there.

Don't panic at all, you'll be fine. I thought about giving up when i didn't get it the second time round but thankfully I didn't! Third time lucky for me! Honestly though, I'm sure it'll go great for you, plus now you know what to expect since you have been there before.


Best of Luck!

This is complete proof that Hibernia needs to stop. Its a complete Joke.

pele2010

Reading these posts is a great help! Cheers

Just got word back that i failed my second interview on my irish competency but having read these posts i'm determined to get it next time!

For anyone in my position i have checked out some solutions to sort out our Irish language downfalls:

- Oideachas website- Gaeltacht course Aug 21st to 28th

- Conradh na Gaelige- courses starting in sept twice weekly (starting sept 6th)

- Gael Chultur - course starting late sept for 12 weeks

If anyone has any other ideas please give me a shout.

Cheers and best of luck to you three timers!!!

ellie x

hi i have my interview for hibernia for the primary post grad in 2 weeks and was wondering if any1 could help me that has done interview for it before that could give me some tips and questions you got asked cause really havemt a clue and i'm startin to panic?
Thank You