Best of British interview help

Parents in Hong Kong know only too well that the competition starts early when it comes to getting the best education for their children. A place at the right primaryschool can make all the difference and open up more choices later on. Securing that place, therefore, is something most parents prefer not to leave to chance. 

To help them, the British Council Hong Kong offers an "Interview Skills for Primary 1 Admission" course. Held in the last week of December and consisting of three three-hour sessions, the course covers material that reflects what actually happens in local Primary 1 admission interviews.

"Parents know that a successful interview will help their child get into the primaryschool of their choice, so there has been a lot of interest in our course," says Alex Caughey, teaching centre co-ordinator for the British Council Hong Kong. "It aims to make children more familiar with the process, thereby increasing their confidence and improving their performance." 

The course includes confidence-building and speaking activities, plus plenty of practice in answering questions that focus on topics such as family, likes and dislikes, general knowledge, and day-to-day routines. 

"Our specialist teachers understand the needs of local students and how to help them," Caughey says, noting that the British Council has now been running kindergarten classes for over 10 years. "As a result, children will be well prepared for the actual interview and able to express themselves clearly and confidently." 

To achieve this, an important aspect of the classes is to help children build experience in communicating in English with someone they are not so familiar with. The conversations and exercises will get youngsters talking about subjects they know about and understand, but may never have discussed in English. There will also be intensive interview practice sessions with a focus on building vocabulary, learning key phrases and speaking clearly.