VEC Interview

Empsey

Hi Boarders

I have a VEC interview this week and I have never done a VEC interview before and I am wondering if you have any typical questions and are these interviews different from voluntary secondary school interviews? Would any of you have a link to a website or anything with any typical interview questions as I have looked and can only find questions for primary school.

Thank you in advance

seavill

No offence meant but you obviously havnt looked very hard. Go to google and you will find thousands of sites that all basically have the same stuff.

If you did a search on boards or edposts you would find hundreds of threads there's at least two a month

In relation to the vec question. The only real difference is that they may ask you how much you know about the structure of the vec it's centres what they do in each etc. I'm only guessing don't know would they actually be this harsh but a possibility is a question on the amalgamation of vecs

As I said search here on boards there are loads of threads with the same answers

yoda2001

Do you know where the job is located within the VEC? If you know this you can familiarise yourself with the school and any issues it faces. A VEC can cater for a wide range of needs from adult ed, provision for the prison service and of course secondary schools. Within one VEC area the needs of the individual schools may vary greatly. Some schools are located in disadvantaged areas. Some schools cater for students with high aspirations academically.

Seanchai

Empsey wrote: »

Hi Boarders

I have a VEC interview this week and I have never done a VEC interview before and I am wondering if you have any typical questions and are these interviews different from voluntary secondary school interviews? Would any of you have a link to a website or anything with any typical interview questions as I have looked and can only find questions for primary school.

Thank you in advance

What are the names of the local politicians on the VEC board? Many if not most of the VECs are FG/Labour controlled nowadays. You could always get a word put in the right ear. For instance, cross check the names of the board members of the VEC in question with the names on the local county council. For example, compare this list and this list. Or this list with this list, and so on with all the VECs. Now start asking questions. It's utterly disgusting what goes on with politicians on VEC boards and the sooner they are obliterated from recruitment decisions the better.

If you want to avoid that route, as I did when a connection was offered to me, here are some potential topics:


1) Some VECs have a bit of an OCD about technology, so get up to speed on eportals, interactive whiteboards and their advantages/disadvantages.

2) The standard how do you handle disruptive students (be sure to give examples of how you managed)

3) Know your subjects: I got a grilling on how to teach my subject and an in-depth interrogation about the course.

4) What sort of CPD courses you have done, and what ones you'd be willing to do in future.

5) Google the school and its achievements, particularly under the current principal.

6) Google the structure of the VEC and its achievements, particularly under the current CEO or Chairperson (who is probably on the interview board).

7) It might be a good idea to find out the names of the surrounding principals and something positive they've done, as one of them is often on the interview panel as well. Just a general picture of what's going on in local schools in the wider VEC as there are distinctions in the schools within each VEC area. That way when they are introduced to you on the day, you can slip in a bit of plámás about their, er, wonderful initiatives.

There were other standard topics, but they escape me now.

bdoo

Seanchai wrote: »

Empsey wrote: »

Hi Boarders

I have a VEC interview this week and I have never done a VEC interview before and I am wondering if you have any typical questions and are these interviews different from voluntary secondary school interviews? Would any of you have a link to a website or anything with any typical interview questions as I have looked and can only find questions for primary school.

Thank you in advance

What are the names of the local politicians on the VEC board? Many if not most of the VECs are FG/Labour controlled nowadays. You could always get a word put in the right ear. For instance, cross check the names of the board members of the VEC in question with the names on the local county council. For example, compare this list and this list. Or this list with this list, and so on with all the VECs. Now start asking questions. It's utterly disgusting what goes on with politicians on VEC boards and the sooner they are obliterated from recruitment decisions the better.

If you want to avoid that route, as I did when a connection was offered to me, here are some potential topics:


1) Some VECs have a bit of an OCD about technology, so get up to speed on eportals, interactive whiteboards and their advantages/disadvantages.

2) The standard how do you handle disruptive students (be sure to give examples of how you managed)

3) Know your subjects: I got a grilling on how to teach my subject and an in-depth interrogation about the course.

4) What sort of CPD courses you have done, and what ones you'd be willing to do in future.

5) Google the school and its achievements, particularly under the current principal.

6) Google the structure of the VEC and its achievements, particularly under the current CEO or Chairperson (who is probably on the interview board).

7) It might be a good idea to find out the names of the surrounding principals and something positive they've done, as one of them is often on the interview panel as well. Just a general picture of what's going on in local schools in the wider VEC as there are distinctions in the schools within each VEC area. That way when they are introduced to you on the day, you can slip in a bit of plámás about their, er, wonderful initiatives.

There were other standard topics, but they escape me now.

8) read the advertisement. Canvassing will disqualify is generally in there somewhere. Personally id rather get a job on my merits rather than attempt to have some "pull".


The rest is good advice I think.

jimbo28

"Canvassing will disqualify" Are you taking the P!ss . Theres not a job to be had in teaching this year without a bit of pull.Id say if your comfortable going down that rd, buy all means do it, however there is merit it getting a job off your own ability.The last 3 V.E.C jobs that I went for in my local V.E.C went to family members of either the principal or the person that had retired!!