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[anonymousgal]

I've finally scored an interview and wanted to find out if its considered okay to ask questions during the interview. The type of questions I had in mind:

1) Why did the previous person leave this position (my research shows the previous person was only there less than six months)?
2) What does a typical day look like?
3) What is the best part of your job? What is the hardest part of your job?
4) Future growth goals for this department.

I don't want to come across as rude but I'd like to get a sense of what I'm walking into. I didn't know if questions such as these were considered acceptable or not.

[systeme_d_]

Dear Anonymousgal,

Is this a preliminary interview, or an on-campus interview?  Your time for questions at a preliminary interview will be limited, so you will want to choose your questions more carefully.

The first three questions you've generated might be appropriate in business interviews, but they would not be appropriate in academic ones.  You could try to suss out the answer to the first one if you are invited to campus, but it would probably be impolitic to do so. The other two are not good questions at all, as answers to 2 and 3 will differ dramatically from person to person, and will not tell you anything that would be helpful for you to know.

Do you have a mentor or advisor?  He or she should be a good source for this kind of thing.

Generally safe and sensible things to ask about in the preliminary interview:

How many majors and minors
Typical class sizes at the introductory and upper levels
What classes they are hoping you will teach, and what your courseload would be (if that's not in the ad)
Opportunities to teach in your area of specialization (probably at the upper level)
Opportunities for collaboration with other scholars (if that's done in your field)
Opportunities for interdisciplinary work
Your question 4: the direction in which the department will be going in the future (but don't be surprised if you get a vague answer to this one)

[scotia]

If the interview is for a UK university we do not do usually hold preliminary interviews. The process is not that same as that in the US (read through the threads here for the differences).

Is this for an academic job or an administrative position? I am assuming in my answers mostly that it is an academic position.

(1) Do not ask this question. Frankly it is none of your business and I would not think highly of any job candidate who thought this a sensible question to ask: you would come across as extremely naive. This would apply for an academic or administrative position. We would not, for example, tell you that the previous post-holder left because his wife died suddenly and he had moved to a part-time position to have time to spend with his two young children, nor would we admit that the department was extremely toxic. Asking the question would create a poor impression and tell you nothing;
(2) For an academic position I could not answer this question. I don't think there is a typical academic day, just a typical set of requirements over a period of time. Classes have to be taught (note in the UK we tend to talk in contact hours rather than course loads as there is a stronger ethos of team teaching here), administrative duties have to be carried out, research must be done.......;
(3) I would again find this question inappropriate. I would be extremely cautious in my answers and you would learn nothing from my answers about what I dislike;
(4) I would not be too put out by this question, but be prepared for a bland generic answer. Also be aware that in the UK we are expecting significant cuts in government support for universities and so 'growth' may not be what departments are expecting. Asking about the department's plans in the current environment might be a better question - read up on the recent spending review and its impact on HE before attending interview.

The questions read like those from generic job search books rather than those aimed at academic job searchers (I worked in an industry setting for a number of years and these sound like questions I heard from job candidates in those interviews). I would look more carefully for questions appropriate in academic settings, and do some homework about the UK setting.

[expatinuk]

Good questions would be for clarification about anything concerning the dept/faculty/school that you saw on their website... for example:

I got the impression from your website that the focus of the dept/school/faculty was XXX and XXX.  Which one tends to drive the other?

Notice that this is a real 'non' question... but it will allow the interviewers to expound on some element of the program that they like.

A good hint would be for you to see if you can find (on their website) a couple of programme specifications for awards... and module descriptors. If you can't find these... then in the interview say... 'I looked for the programme spec and module descriptors on the website but wasn't able to find them.' If you CAN find them... then ask a question based on what you read.

Good luck.

[totoro]

What about asking about evaluation? i.e. how they see the balance between research, teaching, and service?

[anonymousgal]

Thank you so much for your feedback - it is incredibly helpful. I don't want to make a prat of myself. The role I'm interviewing for is an administrative position. The interview is going to be conducted via Skype and it is the first interview.

Also, I had an unrelated question - is London Weighting applicable to all university positions? The job listing did not say if the salary included LW or not. This is a private college if that matters.

Thanks again for your assistance.

[qrypt]

"Private college" is a strange term to use in the UK context.  There is only one private university, and "college" would normally mean sixth-form (last two years of high school).  So, although the answers you've been offered might be helpful, most people here might not have direct experience with employment at the kind of institution you are interviewing with. 

[mingus]

Thank you so much for your feedback - it is incredibly helpful. I don't want to make a prat of myself. The role I'm interviewing for is an administrative position. The interview is going to be conducted via Skype and it is the first interview.

Also, I had an unrelated question - is London Weighting applicable to all university positions? The job listing did not say if the salary included LW or not. This is a private college if that matters.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Only when the ad explictly says so.  But note that *all* university positions in the UK give a London weighting; that's why it's called a London weighting.

[scotia]

Thank you so much for your feedback - it is incredibly helpful. I don't want to make a prat of myself. The role I'm interviewing for is an administrative position. The interview is going to be conducted via Skype and it is the first interview.

Also, I had an unrelated question - is London Weighting applicable to all university positions? The job listing did not say if the salary included LW or not. This is a private college if that matters.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Only when the ad explictly says so.  But note that *all* university positions in the UK give a London weighting; that's why it's called a London weighting.

Uh? Only positions in London attract the London weighting. I am guessing you mean that all HEFCE-funded universities in London offer London weighting?

qrypt is not the only one puzzled by the term 'private college' in the context of UK universities. The only private university in the UK that I am aware of that is currently acknowledged as part of the UK system is the University of Buckingham. I guess there may be outfits run by companies/universities from other countries, but at the moment they are very different from universities in the UK system.

[anonymousgal]

They are listed on their website as a private college & it appears they are associated with an American university. They offer undergraduate and post graduate degrees. Do only HEFCE-funded universities receive LW? It is located in Central London.

[expatinuk]

I would assume that since it's private and affiliated with a US institution that it has it's own pay scale.

[sandgrounder]

Yes London weighting wouldn't apply if it's a private college, so what they're offering in the advert is it. LW is part of the nationally agreed pay scale for the state-funded universities. You might want to be very clear about tax and national insurance contributions ahead of time, so you know whether or not it's doable financially.

[mingus]

Thank you so much for your feedback - it is incredibly helpful. I don't want to make a prat of myself. The role I'm interviewing for is an administrative position. The interview is going to be conducted via Skype and it is the first interview.

Also, I had an unrelated question - is London Weighting applicable to all university positions? The job listing did not say if the salary included LW or not. This is a private college if that matters.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Only when the ad explictly says so.  But note that *all* university positions in the UK give a London weighting; that's why it's called a London weighting.

Uh? Only positions in London attract the London weighting. I am guessing you mean that all HEFCE-funded universities in London offer London weighting?

qrypt is not the only one puzzled by the term 'private college' in the context of UK universities. The only private university in the UK that I am aware of that is currently acknowledged as part of the UK system is the University of Buckingham. I guess there may be outfits run by companies/universities from other countries, but at the moment they are very different from universities in the UK system.

I would have thought it obvious that Lodon Weighting applies only in London, but ask a silly question and ...

[theblondeassassin]

But as noted above applying only in London is not the same as always applying in London to a non-insider who does not know that private institutions are "off-scale" even if they have "University" in their names.

Although Regent's Park is located entirely within Zone 1, for example, London weighting does not apply within its boundaries [AFAIK].