XJTLU Interview Questions
& Process

The process was fine until the offer stage. The interview was conducted by a committee of six faculty members. I had to give a sample class, and then there was a Q&A session. I got a message from HR saying the interview went well. However, the negotiation was a big letdown. They never gave me an official offer, just some salary ranges, allowances, and benefits. They also didn't provide details about living conditions, schools, or other things in the city, which is important if you're moving with family. My advice is to avoid this institution; don't waste your time.

First, they told me about the program, then I talked about where I live and my grade. Then I introduced myself and talked about basic info. After that, they asked me interview questions, which were situational questions. Finally, we had a small talk about school life.

I saw a job advert for Teaching Fellow and Senior Teaching Fellow on jobs.ac.uk. The advert mentioned competitive salary, housing, relocation, and travel allowances. It required a master’s degree, five years of university teaching experience, and a proven record of teaching excellence, with desirable experience in curriculum design and engaging with professional bodies. The application needed a cover letter, CV, including personal details like date of birth, home address, nationality, and three referees, submitted online. Six weeks after applying, I got an email for a job interview, but without a specific date or time. I was told I'd need to give a 20-minute demo lecture and a 10-minute presentation on my personal contributions. No topic was given for the demo lecture. They said interview details would follow once I answered some questions about my target role, motivation for joining XJTLU, birthplace, teaching evaluation report, salary expectations, current salary, start date, and other job offers. I answered these, but some questions felt odd, like asking my target role when I applied for Senior Teaching Fellow, or birthplace when I already gave nationality. I provided my teaching and job performance evaluations for the last seven years. A few days later, I got an email confirming my online interview in four days, and the demo lecture topic was Digital Transformation. Both presentations had to be submitted 24 hours before the interview. The interview was scheduled with very short notice, only four days away, which is unusual for the UK. I attended the 70-minute online interview with a five-person panel. I felt their attire was unprofessional for a business school panel. A week later, I was offered a Teaching Fellow position, not the Senior Teaching Fellow role I applied for, with a salary between RMB 500,000 and RMB 570,000, which included all allowances. I clarified if it was pre- or post-tax and learned allowances were part of that figure. I formally rejected the offer because the role was different, the compensation was lower than my current salary, and the relocation support was insufficient for an international move. I realized I should have specified my salary expectation was post-tax.

The interview was scheduled about 3 months after my online application, with the deadline being postponed twice by XJTLU. It included a 10-minute presentation prepared beforehand, followed by a discussion, making the total interview duration around 40 minutes. There were three interviewers: two staff members, one with a PhD, and one junior Chinese administrative staff. The main interviewer was impatient and unprofessional, while the others asked only a couple of common questions, seeming to be held back. The interview process itself seemed inefficient. Despite these issues, I was keen on the role's potential to boost research and real-life impact, and I had already secured another offer before this interview.