First, I had to endure a very stiff and almost automated-feeling telephone interview with an extremely robotic-sounding HR staff person in Michigan. This was soon followed by a low-intensity in-person interview on-site with the dean of students, during which all seemed to go well. Finally, there was a follow-up interview that consisted of giving a mock lesson with little structure. It consisted of being dumped into a swarm of undisciplined early elementary students with a book to read, to which only about a third bothered to pay attention. No guidance given as to what level of authority I was to attempt to exert, The children who did engage seemed to enjoy the experience, as did I. Despite what seemed to be at least a moderate level of success for someone with no formal teaching experience, I never received any feedback or follow-up of any kind, not even to inform me that someone else was selected. Following a tour of the building after the lesson, I was informed that someone from the corporate office in Michigan would contact me the following Monday or Tuesday after a Thursday interview, but no one ever did. The lack of professionalism during the end stage of the process caused the entirety to feel like a highly negative experience, regardless of whether I was offered employment.
