Explore Learning Interview Questions & Answers

No telephone interview: straight to centre interview.

Greeted by one of the Assistant Directors. Was told to take a seat and was given an Explore Learning brochure to look through. Was briefly shown around the centre. (Make sure you have questions ready as they ask you a lot 'do you have any questions' throughout the tour).

Was then greeted by the centre director and had an interview with them both. They asked me why I applied for the role, what I knew about the role, how i' d be suitable for the role, my best achievement etc. No scenario based questions were given to me at interview.

Then had my role play: this I thought went well and not a lot of feedback was given back rather than to ask more questions to get to know the customer a bit better before you advertise your product (gym membership). Took this on board and after my second attempt was told I had done better and that I had took on board the feedback. That it was good that I got to know the customer more personally the second time round and secured a trial day.

Was given 15 minutes with the children; the AD/CD however didn't really assess me as they weren't in the room whilst I was interacting with the children. I enjoyed this part the most and helped many of the children at their computer desks.

What is your biggest achievement?
What is your hardest achievement?

Prepare questions to ask

Make sure you know the role thoroughly; on my feedback on why I didn't get to assessment stage was because I didn't know enough about the role even though I mentioned the four main parts: management, sales and marketing, customer services and teaching throughout my interview (not sure how I would know about it any more thoroughly when I hadn't started the job yet?)

Didn't get to the assessment centre stage

I personally did not have to have a telephone interview due to my experience, but have seen many do.
The interview was very relaxing and the staff put you at ease. Firstly they take you on a little tour of the centre and let you ask questions (they liked being asked questions- so do your research). We then had a sit down and spoke about marketing, teamwork, leadership and working with children. The questions were easy to answer providing you had prepared. There were a lot of scenario based questions, but they were really common sense. I then had to do my role play (which you have to prepare in advance). This was scary at first but then they give you feedback and you get the chance to act on the feedback and do it again.

After the initial interview I was given the chance to play on the systems they use before working with the children.

There weren't any particularly difficult questions.

You need to be prepared! Look on there website and get a feel for what they expect from an assistant director. It might be handy to go into one of the centres and see what they do, so when you have your chance to work with the children you're prepared. Everyone freaks out with the role play but when you're in there it's actually not that bad.... so don't worry!

Most importantly let your personality shine through!

My Assessment Centre will take place in April but I understand this will be two interviews, a role play and a presentation along with team working and simple tests.

It began with a tour of the Explore Learning Centre before sitting down with 2 of the 3 managers and having an interview. The atmosphere was informal, although be sure to dress appropriately. The interview was about 40 mins long, beginning with questions about experience, the part of the job you think you'll succeed in most, and your chance to ask any questions.
Lastly, There's the opportunity to interact with the children and you're observed while doing this.

The role play was most difficult for me. The topic was given the day before (via email) - I had to sell a gym membership. A tip for this is to bring your own material, eg business card, flyer, etc.

The environment is relaxed and informal, it really puts you at ease. Be sure to check Explore Learning's website prior to the interview as some questions are there to nite your preparation for the interview.

After the interview there's an assessment centre, however I did not get through to this.

Phone interview - brief (20 minutes) but decent questions regarding previous work experience, personal skills and qualities, how much I knew about the company/role, and scenario based questions. You are expected to have thoroughly researched the company and role to answer all questions in a fitting manner (i.e. all with relation to the qualities expected, the vision and values of the company, the requirements for the role). I was contacted within a week to arrange for a centre interview.

Centre interview - starting with a centre tour by the Centre Director, I was given similar personality/experience/skills questions in a private interview with the CD and Assistant Director. Following this was a sales role play, which was performed twice with feedback after each trial. They are looking for your receptiveness and adaptability as well as sales patter, so listen carefully and incorporate elements back in the second time. Lastly there was a period of observed interaction with children, with feedback afterwards. Friendly and professional, I was contacted within 1 working day inviting me to the next Assessment Day.

What would you consider the biggest obstacle you have overcome?

Do your research, really learn about the company and their culture/vision/values to help answer questions. Be confident in understanding the role (not just a teaching or managerial job), and if you have no sales experience make sure you do your research and practice before the interviews. Above all, be honest and genuine and friendly - they promote a supportive and family-like staff culture, so side-eyes and attitude do not go down well.

10-4.30, the day felt longer because of lots of waiting periods while other candidates were interviewed. The area was designed to be friendly and welcoming however, so it was not unpleasant.

Two individual interviews consist of a personal presentation, a sales role play (only once this time), and a skills-abilities interview. These are conducted privately with one interviewer, so no presenting or role playing in front of other candidates or staff. There was a short written task testing basic maths and English skills, and a short group activity in the afternoon designed to assess your team-work, response to other personalities, leadership, and cooperation.

Interviewers are all team members who started as ADs and progressed through the ranks, and most applicants were recent (or soon-to-be) graduates.

I went to a face-to-face interview with two directors of the learning centre that I was applying for. It started off with a tour of the facilities, which I was shown around upon entry. We then moved on to face-to-face interview questions, where I was sat down at a table with the two interviewers. They asked me questions on a variety of topics, such as my drive to succeed, my experiences with helping children overcome obstacles, and my previous work experiences. I then had to conduct a role play with one of the interviewers where I was trying to sell them, acting as a member of the public on the street, a gym membership for a new fitness centre. The interview concluded with me being taken to the room where the children were doing their after-school learning, and being encouraged to interact with them and ask them questions about the work they were doing, and I was also given the chance to assist them in their learning if they so wished.

Describe an obstacle you have had to overcome in the past where a child has had a lack of motivation for an activity, and you have had to ensure that they became more enthusiastic about the activity.

The initial interview was informative. I learnt lots about the centre that I visited. I spoke to the existing Assistant Director about her role and was encouraged to ask questions and find out more. Explore Learning really just wanted to find out more about me; my passions and interests. The sales role play was fun and clear, immediate feedback was given.

The most difficult question was "is this the end for your teaching career, why?"

Be sure to have a good knowledge of the company. Prepare for the sales role play by predicting questions that you might be asked by a potential customer. Enjoy yourself and be confident in your own experience. Get a feel for the company by talking to others as much as possible

The assessment centre comprised of a written task (maths test and English test), a 5 minute presentation, a sales role play, an interview based on my cv and skills and a group activity.

The initial interview was good. I personally left with the thought that I did not get the job. But that was more my worry and because I really couldn't read my interviewers. Apart from that, the process went smoothly and they made you feel comfortable and the environment is friendly. I also enjoyed the chance to interact with the children during the interview.

The most difficult question I was asked was during my interview on the assessment day. It was my scenario question, which I ended up getting wrong.

My advice to anyone interested in applying is to make sure you do your research into the company and the role you are applying for. Make sure that you show your passion and enthusiasm of the job, but make sure that it is real and genuine. Also be confident in yourself.

You have an idea of what tasks you're going to be doing before you go, but you still don't know what to expect with the people and the other candidates. However, it turned out to be a great day. The interviewers were super friendly and we as candidates were friends by the end of the day. Certain tasks that we had to perform made us more nervous than others and it varied for each person. However, you get it done and you realise you made yourself worry for nothing.

I did not have a telephone interview and I got invited to the Centre Interview. They started off with a tour of the centre and explaining the role of an AD on a daily basis. Then we had an interview with competency questions (a situation with a difficult customer, leadership) and 'why explore learning?" and a general conversation about the role. Then we had the gym role play, which they made me feel very relaxed about and they give you immediate feedback to then do it again. Definitely listen to the feedback and take it on board! Then I had time to work with the children where they will also give you feedback too.

Describe a time where an experience was stressful or de-motivated you.

The day was very relaxed and non-competitive. First met the candidates and had a chance to get to them before the day started. Had a presentation about the history of EL and whats important to the company. Then, our days were all scheduled differently so you would all do things at different times. It involved an interview (scenario-based questions and logistics), presentation (how you can contribute to the 4 visions- drawing on competences and experiences), role play (with a parent at a RMU in a shopping centre), maths and english test (perhaps brush up on basic maths) and then a group activity (action plan to get member numbers up).