Here in Chile ,
the process of finding a job is a little different than at home. In Texas ,
looking for a teaching job includes checking out TMEA.com, hearsay from
friends, and ultimately filling out a school district application that takes 4
hours. Job openings are advertised,
albeit sometimes for no reason, but with enough internet digging you can at
least know what is going on.
Who you know is important everywhere. Who I knew is the reason I had keys to my
band hall at Alamo before I had actually
interviewed with anyone or even met the principal. In Chile , who you know is
everything. They call it “pituto”, and
it is more valuable than any degree or experience it seems.
Almost immediately upon arrival I missed teaching. (I say almost to be completely honest). It isn’t that I haven’t enjoyed free time to
explore a new place and be a student again, but it was REALLY weird not having
kids to call my own when September rolled around. I knew that even if it wasn’t going to be
possible to teach band here, I needed to get back in a classroom.
I was so nervous for my first interview, realizing I’d never
actually had a proper job interview since interviewing with Applebee’s in
college. Actually, even that one went
something like this:
“So you have no restaurant experience?”
“No… but I’m pretty good with people”
“Yeah… ok… you start Monday.”
At my first interview, the interviewer, instead of asking me
questions, read my resume aloud to me, pointing out that I was obviously a
qualified applicant. Then I left,
realizing that yet again, that wasn’t an interview, but more of me saying “yes”
when they said… “So you really had 130 kids in ONE class”, and “you’ve dealt
with kids with learning disabilities before?” and “You organized concerts? Wow!”.
Somehow that school thought my experience teaching 7th and 8th
grade band meant I would be an AWESOME 2nd grade teacher. I was excited.
THEN… because Michael went on a job interview, and happened
to talk a little small talk with his psychological interviewer (getting there)
who happened to know that another school was looking for a Native English
speaker with teaching experience, I got another interview… this time at an
actual Chilean school.
This interview took place in both English and Spanish, and I
even had to actually answer a few questions this time. The really interesting part was the next
thing…
Before Chilean companies will hire you, they send you to
another “psychological interview” firm to confirm that you aren’t nuts, I
guess. I had no idea what to expect,
other than the fact that the email said it would take 3 hours… and it did.
First, I received a three-page questionnaire in Spanish, and
was taken to a small cubicle to complete it.
After the first page, I emerged from my cave to ask the girl if I had to
answer everything in Spanish. She said
yes, and then I said no way. My
reasoning: I speak Spanish like a child,
and I didn't want that written down forever in a file somewhere. It is one thing to answer questions and just
worry about communicating, but it is quite another for your bad grammar and
child-like vocabulary to be permanently accessible. They agreed to allow me to answer questions
like “What about your last job makes you qualified for the job you are applying
for?”
After that, I got to answer 80 plus questions that were
“fill in the shape”, as in, squiggly triangle plus circle equals squiggly
circle, so square plus triangle equals… what?
THEN, and only then we got to the interview part, where I
proceeded to answer job related questions in Spanish, occasionally sneaking in
an English word when my vocabulary failed, and honestly feeling decent for the
first time in awhile about my Spanish progress.
Then it was time for the ink blots. (Yeah, those are actually real.) I don’t know what those things can possibly
tell about your psyche (I’m not trained obviously) other than if you constantly
see death, blood, or marijuana leaves.
This went something like this( but mostly in Spanish):
Ink Blot 1:
Lady: “What do you see?”
Me: “Ummm.. a bat”
Lady: “How is it a bat?”
Me: “Well… it has wings, and a head, and well, maybe it is a
no-legged bat”
Lady: “Ok, what else do you see?”
Me: “Something else?”
Lady: “Yes, what else could it be?”
Me: seriously reaching… “A president looking in the mirror”
Ink Blot 2:
Lady: “ What about this one?”
Me: “Lungs, like inside the body, like the things that let
you breathe (just incase my Spanish word for lung was wrong”
Lady: “What else?”
Me: “Seriously?
Uhhh.. Elephants, at the circus”
Lady: “You don’t see people?”
Me: thinking that this is totally a trick question…
answering apprehensively “Nooooo…”
Ink Blot 3:
Same old crap..
Me: “A guy wearing a bowtie” (I didn't know the word for
bowtie, so then I did some charades)
Lady: “Or?”
Me… “I guess it could be Germany ??”
Ink Blot 4
Me: In English now,
because I’m tired. “A trophy.”
Lady: ????
Me: “hmm maybe a
goblet
Lady: ???
Me: needing to change my answer to something I could either
say or describe in Spanish.. “Like in Church… when you take communion” (Winning
answer!!)
There were like 5 more… all I know is that ignored the red
blots, and tended to see internal organs, animals, and outlines of countries
(perhaps I secretly love geography, or want to visit a country where I can see
bats AND breathe at the same time… who knows).
It was the most bizarre experience, and I think I will never feel
nervous for an interview again, because I was able to prove I wasn't crazy,
while speaking a language that I don’t actually speak… or maybe I proved that I
am just crazy enough to make a good teacher… either way.
I start in March! I
am going to be in charge of a new “English Resource” room, coming up with
nontraditional activities to help students learn their English. The
possibilities are so endless, and I’m pumped!!
They also found it stupid to hire me and not make me a part of the music
department as well, which means I am hopefully going to help that expand as
well (mainly from a performance stand point… music class teaches a lot of music
history here from what I understand). I
look forward to putting on a spectacle of English songs!! I will be the only Native English speaker at
the school, which means all of my correspondence with teachers and parents will
be in Spanish even though I will ONLY speak English to the kids. I can’t wait to be a teacher again! I can’t wait to learn more about education in
a new place! I can’t wait to become a
better teacher in general! I am so
excited about a new challenge !! More
than anything, I’m so excited to realize that I really did choose the right
career path because I am so excited.
After feeling slightly burned out at times, I still don’t feel
completely me when I’m not teaching. I
can’t wait to pick the brains of my elementary school and English teaching friends
and colleagues and maybe even connect our students through Skype!
Basically, Am I crazy or not?? I’m sure some people would answer with a
definitive YES! But according to the ink
blots, I’m just crazy enough!
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