All About Parent Volunteers (PV)
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Yes, schools do interview parents.
my friend work in a big bank as a private banker. She & her husb went for PV interview at an extremely hot popular school school in Toa Payoh (this school got balloting).
there was a long queue of hungry PV parents, all waiting to be interviewed. When it was their turn, they sat down in front of a panel of interviewers. Straightaway, the school shoot to the point.
they told my friend this, 'for this PV opening available right now, we only need the mother. The mother has to spend approximately 1 hour per week in the canteen during lunch time, cut assorted fruits for pupils, explain to them the nutrition value behind why eating fresh fruits are healthy for their body.'
my friend was taken aback. She didn't quite know how to reply on the spot, but she didn't reject them, politely said will go back & ask permission from her boss first, for that time slot if she can come out. She was being honest during interview. Then she also asked, 'Are there any other PV job openings where my husband can contribute, besides this ? ' They replied 'Sorry No, not at this point in time. Not for male. '
so she went back to the bank, asked her boss if can come out per week close to lunch time. Her boss was not disappointing. He replied, 'i need you to go and source for me potential customers, sell them our banking products. This close to lunch time period is important to us. I hire you to bring in sales for me. I can't let you go out during this crucial lunch time hour.'
so my friend lost this golden opportunity of doing PV in that hot school. It was given to the next in queue.
advice to future PVs -
before you even go down for PV interview, try to psycho yr boss first to take 1 to 2 hrs off from work. Once you obtain favorable reply, there & then on the spot you can tell the panel of interviewers straightaway that Yes, you are definitely readily available for PV ... instead of tell interviewer that you need to go back, seek permission from boss first.
future PVs, try to put yourself into the shoes of the panel of interviewers.
Suppose you are the interviewer. Who will you be more enthusastic to select for PV in your school, if 2 candidates stand right in front of you to pick now.
a) one that tell you need to go back seek permission from boss first ? or
b) one that tell you on the spot that she's right available to contribute to the school now?
think over it yourself. -
hi mambobb,
advise your friends to come to page 241 of this thread here, that indeed there is interview for PV work, by a panel of interviewers, esp. in very hot, popular schools. They’ll stop laughing once they realize the truth. The truth will set them free.
reminds me of … he who laugh first laugh last. -
mambobb:
Hi,I know some schools which mentioned in this thread have interview. My kid is going P1 in 2014.
I need to give this info to my frens as they dont believe me that there are schs which interviewing parents for PV, and they (daddies) laughed at me :mad:
So I just want to get the facts and slam into their faces.. haha :evil:
i would like to check which school you had registered at and they have accepted you as their pv? my kid is also going P1 in 2014. -
my friend told me - another qn posed by the panel of interviewers was:-
why did you pick our school ?
There are also other popular schools in Toa Payoh. So what makes you pick us ? -
phtthp:
Ah yah ,same goes to our job interviews. Almost all company asked the same questions : why you choose to apply job in this company..what make u think you are capable in this job fields etc.....my friend told me - another qn posed by the panel of interviewers was:-
why did you pick our school ?
There are also other popular schools in Toa Payoh. So what makes you pick us ?
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… and what do u think u can contribute to our school? just use the same model answers used during your job interview will do… need to answer in a positive manner and show that you have a positive attitude…
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KSP:
.... and what do u think u can contribute to our school? just use the same model answers used during your job interview will do..... need to answer in a positive manner and show that you have a positive attitude.....[/quote]Depending on which school u wanted to PV, the model answers do not work MOST of the time.
Ah yah ,same goes to our job interviews. Almost all company asked the same questions : why you choose to apply job in this company..what make u think you are capable in this job fields etc.....sc88:
[quote=\"phtthp\"]my friend told me - another qn posed by the panel of interviewers was:-
why did you pick our school ?
There are also other popular schools in Toa Payoh. So what makes you pick us ?
At job interview, the one who is the most qualified and experienced gets the job. In PV, sorry to say, it is the parent who is the most 'eng' who gets the slot.
And this is not surprising, it is precisely we read so widely, and prepare ourselves so well that we know the only chance to get into these popular school is via PV.
Honestly, in these schools they are not short of drs, lawyers, IT specialists or accountants. In fact many a times, they need people to help to man the library, wrap books, do gardening or read stories on a REGULAR basis. -
Actually on an economic cost-benefit analysis scale, it’s really counter-productive to get working parents to regularly do stuff like wrap books or do gardening…
firstly, it could be seen as a terrible example to our young kids, since it seems like it’s all for show, that the parents are doing this not because they genuinely want to, but for the narrow purpose of school admission.
secondly, it’s taking parents from economically productive jobs (some run businesses and have to sacrifice real income, not just annual leave), to do tasks that can be done much better by professional gardeners etc. even sahms are busy people you know! spending those hours in school doing these low value add things takes them away from caring for their younger babies etc.
it’s a bit like how children from developed countries go and try to help plant trees in developing countries. by the time they plant one, the local kids have planted 5. not sure whether they are helping or hindering. but that’s another topic for another day.
in fairness, I should say that it’s not all bad. Since PV-ing can help a parent get to know the school better (and perhaps decide to quit halfway and not want the child to go there after all haha!), and relieve some burden from our ultra-stressed teachers, e.g. reading might be one of the less meaningless activities… -
b2b3m4:
Depending on which school u wanted to PV, the model answers do not work MOST of the time.KSP:
[quote=\"sc88\"]Ah yah ,same goes to our job interviews. Almost all company asked the same questions : why you choose to apply job in this company..what make u think you are capable in this job fields etc.....
.... and what do u think u can contribute to our school? just use the same model answers used during your job interview will do..... need to answer in a positive manner and show that you have a positive attitude.....
At job interview, the one who is the most qualified and experienced gets the job. In PV, sorry to say, it is the parent who is the most 'eng' who gets the slot.
And this is not surprising, it is precisely we read so widely, and prepare ourselves so well that we know the only chance to get into these popular school is via PV.
Honestly, in these schools they are not short of drs, lawyers, IT specialists or accountants. In fact many a times, they need people to help to man the library, wrap books, do gardening or read stories on a REGULAR basis.[/quote]in the job market only the best fit gets the job... that is most qualified and experienced within the salary range...
if u read more u will find some of the popular schools don't even accept PV.... the only way to get in is thru GR.... -
Hi all
Can someone please kindly advise me on this? I am very keen to be a PV of SNGS and I have a few questions:
1. How to increase my chance of being selected as PV in SNGS?
2. And if selected, will i need to go through interviews?
3. What kind of question will they throw to me during the interview?
4. And oh gosh, I do not have any \"talents\" ( eg good in computer, good in gym etc etc.), what I can offer is my flexi hours. Does this mean they will not select me?
5. Need some mummies who have done PV is advising me on all these as I am actually staying just opposite SNGS and I have to increase my DD's chance of getting in. DD's registration is in a few years' time and I understand that PV does not guarantee place but i just wanna move myself from phase 2C to phase 2b.)
Thank you in advance.
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