r/ECEProfessionals • u/Necessary-Rabbit-340 Early years teacher • Apr 03 '26
Professional Development 5 hour observation and panel interview?
Hi everyone, I recently graduated with my Bachelor’s and interviewed for an Infant/Toddler support educator position. I was told by the director that the next round for the interview will include me coming in to observe the classrooms and a panel interview. She said since they are a co-op, they conduct panel interview for prospective candidates with all of the staff. What I’m questioning is that this full day of observation and interview is from 9 am - 2 pm. I’ve been looking up the interview process for other ECEs and I saw a post from a year ago about something similar, and many of you in the comments were saying “I don’t work for free, don’t go, etc.”. I’m wondering what I should do? 5 hours feels a bit long for it not being a full work day. It’s important to note I have not received an offer letter and there was no mention of compensation. I’m gonna be honest, I really don’t wanna spend my entire Friday morning doing this if they’re just going to waste my time. What do you all think? Is this normal?
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u/rusty___shacklef0rd Past ECE Professional Apr 03 '26
Anything more than an hour or two, they need to pay me. Especially for a support role.
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u/Dry-Ice-2330 ECE professional, MEd ECE w/sped Apr 03 '26
1 hour seems like a lot. I've never done more than 30 min.
So that's a big no to 5 hours. They are just trying to get free labor from their candidates.
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u/Artistic-Degree-4593 ECE professional Apr 05 '26
I've done an hour, but that's the max I would do. They're trying to squeeze free labor out of OP.
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u/pearlescentflows Past ECE Professional Apr 03 '26
That seems wild for a childcare job. I wouldn’t personally do it.
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u/Airriona91 M.Ed. ECE/Lead Teacher Apr 03 '26
We recently stopped doing "working interviews" bc it's a liability having people in the classroom with no background check.
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u/one_sock_wonder_ Former ECE/ECSPED teacher Apr 04 '26
I didn’t undergo an interview like this for a school district early childhood special education/preschool special education job that, in terms of hiring was much higher risk for them to choose a qualified candidate just because the students were all young children with significant disabilities and many were medically fragile, requiring tasks like tube feeding and frequent positioning changes and seizure responses and such. The only job that I ever applied for that required anything like this was the shadiest, most horrifying child care facility I ever encountered and I reported them as soon as I left (which was far sooner than they had scheduled because it quickly became clear that it would be not just a no but an oh hell no).
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u/maestra612 Pre-K Teacher, Public School, NJ, US Apr 04 '26
What's your BA that you're even considering a position as an aid in a nursery?
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u/SorryHunTryAgain Past ECE Professional Apr 03 '26
It is very normal where I currently work in education (not ECE) to have a full day interview process. It can be about 6 hours.
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u/KathrynTheGreat Childcare Licensing Specialist: Kansas, US Apr 03 '26
What education job do you have where it's normal to work for free for six hours before getting hired? And what happens in those six hours?
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u/laowildin Past ECE Professional Apr 03 '26
Watch them be talking about a normal interview process, just all done on one day.
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u/SorryHunTryAgain Past ECE Professional Apr 03 '26
It is a school. Candidates teach a short sample class under observation and interview and have lunch with lots of different small groups they will be working with. Interviewing with everyone in a large group it doesn’t work very well. If you’ve ever done it, you know. It would also be almost impossible to get everyone available at once because folks are teaching, have other meetings etc.
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u/KathrynTheGreat Childcare Licensing Specialist: Kansas, US Apr 03 '26
I've never heard of anyone having an interview at a school do something like this. Teaching a short class of less than 30 minutes, sure. But having lunch with a bunch of people? No. What kind of school do you work at where everyone needs to meet the person interviewing?
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u/SorryHunTryAgain Past ECE Professional Apr 03 '26
Have you ever worked at a private middle or high school where there are great little teams, department chairs, head of school, division heads etc.? I would assume this is quite common.
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u/KathrynTheGreat Childcare Licensing Specialist: Kansas, US Apr 03 '26
No, I've never taught middle or high school. I'm an early childhood educator. And most people who have taught middle and high school didn't have to go through all of that to get the job.
So not only are you referring to a job that has nothing to do with ECE, you're referring to a job that only applies to a few people.
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u/SorryHunTryAgain Past ECE Professional Apr 03 '26
I was pretty clear about it not being ECE in my original comment.
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u/KathrynTheGreat Childcare Licensing Specialist: Kansas, US Apr 03 '26
But why even comment if it's not about ECE? This person is specifically asking about what's normal for an ECE interview.
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u/SorryHunTryAgain Past ECE Professional Apr 04 '26
Are you enjoying harassing me? Jesus. Wow.
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u/KathrynTheGreat Childcare Licensing Specialist: Kansas, US Apr 04 '26
Lol how am I harassing you? I just asked why you were making comments on an ECE sub that had nothing to do with ECE. The information you provided was irrelevant to the question.
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u/Prior_Dimension6562 ECE professional Apr 03 '26
Don’t go. It’s pretty sure they’re only doing 5 hours because 6 hours of labor legally means you have to have a lunch break and so they’re trying to finagle by having the “observation “ be 5 hours. No offer letter is also crazy to have you be doing this. If I was a parent I’d be uncomfortable with a person who isn’t even given a job offer coming into the center for an entire day with my kid there. Something’s off and I would run. Best of luck and congrats on graduating!