Workplace reviews and discussion: 巨匠電腦股份有限公司(巨匠電腦)(巨匠美語)

Multiple layers of screening and many stages—it seemed like they were taking it very seriously.

After the demo lesson, they provided suggestions and feedback.

They gave me a cup of water.

The afternoon before yesterday, I went to interview for an academic affairs position. The job involves managing courses, local and foreign teachers, students, and consultants, as well as conducting demo lessons for students who come in for trial classes.

I had a brief interview with the academic affairs counselor, then started a 15-minute demo lesson. After it ended, the two of them (the academic affairs manager and the academic affairs counselor) went outside together to discuss it and asked me to wait. About five minutes later, the academic affairs manager asked me to go to another small room for an interview and gave me suggestions and feedback about my demo lesson. The academic affairs counselor said my pronunciation was excellent, but that it was clear I was a little nervous. After that, she began explaining the duties and nature of the academic affairs position to me. Her explanation was extremely thorough, and she also gave good answers to all my questions. It felt like they were taking the time to communicate the job responsibilities seriously so that I could understand them more clearly. Overall, after hearing everything, I felt it was okay and was quite willing to give it a try.

Then the two of them went outside together again and said there would be a second-stage interview. During the second interview, the academic affairs counselor presented “many” situational questions. They involved students, teachers, consultants, and how I would respond if students raised various kinds of questions.

I thought I had passed. After being tested with so many questions, both the original academic affairs manager and the academic affairs counselor nodded and said it was okay. Everything had gone quite smoothly overall.

Thus, the long second-stage interview came to an end. By then, more than an hour had passed. After I sat there for a while longer, the third stage began, with only the academic affairs counselor coming in. As soon as she entered, she started discussing the starting date. She hoped I could start as soon as possible, but I was still employed at the time and had originally planned to leave my job at the end of May. To accommodate the new company, we found a middle ground: I would start at the new company in mid-May. I thought that was fine, and we set my start date as May 14. However, on May 8, I needed to go to the Taichung branch to attend new-teacher training and sign the contract that day. The academic affairs counselor also reminded me what I needed to prepare and which bank I should go to open an account.

She said that, generally speaking, an academic affairs manager needed a TOEIC score of 900, but she felt my current score of 830 was acceptable and that I could take the test again after starting work. Once I reached 900, my monthly salary could increase by 2,000, and the company would also reimburse the full cost of the exam on which I achieved a score of 900.

When I got home the day before yesterday, I was very excited. It was a completely new challenge for me. Although I was worried that I might not be capable enough, I was even more determined to do the job well. Yesterday, after noon, I told my current boss that I was resigning, and she agreed.

In the afternoon, after finishing a busy stretch of work, I saw a message on my phone saying that the academic affairs counselor had something to discuss with me and asking me to call her back. I saw the message and, without suspecting anything, called her back immediately.

When she answered, the academic affairs counselor said there was a small matter she needed to tell me. She said that she had discussed it with her supervisor the previous evening, but the supervisor felt there were concerns about having me take on the teaching position because my score had not reached 900.

She asked whether I had considered another position within the branch.

I said, “What other position?”

She replied, “Consultant.”

I said, “Although I have worked in sales before, I don’t want to do sales again at this stage.”

She said several times that it was such a shame, but I don’t know whether she meant it or not.

Maybe her superiors really did not approve it, or perhaps they had found another, better candidate.

I kept my tone very gentle until the end of the call. It was only after hanging up that I felt the whole thing had been an absurd farce.

Now that I see the confirmation email she sent yesterday, it feels even more ironic. I don’t know what to say. Why were they so serious about everything the day before, only for none of it to count the next day?