Primary school interviews....advice please

[MandM!]

Hello, many students are having primary school interviews for admissions and parents are asking for my advice. But I do not know how to advise the them to prepare. What should we expect at the interview?

Thanks in advance.

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[Fiona in HKG]

Hello, many students are having primary school interviews for admissions and parents are asking for my advice. But I do not know how to advise the them to prepare. What should we expect at the interview?

Thanks in advance.

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Why are they asking you, booth?

[MandM!]

They are my friends so they mention it and I hope to
help them.

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[carang]

so, they aren't really asking you... they are talking about it and you feel you should help them....

not quite the same thing.

what should they expect at the interview? that depends on the schools for which they are interviewing.

[Flat Hunter]

There is more to it than just speaking English and ensuring good pronunciation, intonation and vocabulary. Deportment posture, eye contact, and interview skills also come into it.

[shenwen]

what should they expect at the interview? that depends on the schools for which they are interviewing.

this. for one thing, is it local or international? I know what esf look for. no idea what a local school would want. Perhaps a quiet, well-behaved kid who can recite a list of rote-learned factoids and who will cause as little diversion to the teacher as possible. in other words, pretty much a robot.

[justjoe86]

Shenwen... local school vary too. I'll admit there are local schools that fit your depressing description, but not all of them.

Admittedly, I recently told the English teachers at my school that if I was in charge of HK education I would get rid of 'dictation', and they looked at me like I'd suggested killing the principal.

[MandM!]

agree, so surprised how crazy people are about dictation word for word.

interview is for esf school and international schools.

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[dear giant]

Shenwen... local school vary too. I'll admit there are local schools that fit your depressing description, but not all of them.

Admittedly, I recently told the English teachers at my school that if I was in charge of HK education I would get rid of 'dictation', and they looked at me like I'd suggested killing the principal.

Can the English teachers at your school actually speak intelligible English and understand you well enough to converse fluently with you?

I agree that dictation of entire passages of text (something that does seem to be done here) isn't a good use of time but dictation of vocabulary words for spelling was part of my schooling and seems useful to me. The problem with any sort of dictation here is that many/most local English teachers can't pronounce half of the words that they're dictating properly.

My wife is in education and, over the years, I've come into contact with a lot of local English teachers at various social functions and under other circumstances where I've been present in support of my wife and ... wow ... it has been a real eye opener. HK English education seems to be a case of the blind (mis)leading the blind.

[dumbdonkey]

Hello, many students are having primary school interviews for admissions and parents are asking for my advice. But I do not know how to advise the them to prepare. What should we expect at the interview?

Thanks in advance.

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why can't you tell them you don't know?