To think this is too early for an interview?!

[tomhazard]

I got to the second round of a job in Hong Kong which I would really like. I was supposed to have the 2nd interview today at 6.40am our time - I was ready to go and then at 7.05am they emailed and said the manager was delayed so could they rearrange. I said yes even though I was a bit annoyed at sitting there for 25mins waiting.
Anyway I've just had an email saying could they interview me tomorrow at 5.30am...I know there's a time difference but would I be unreasonable to say that i can't really be interview-ready so early in the morning. Not sure I can even get my brain in gear- it was a struggle this morning!

I do want this job but I feel like it's a bit of a mess around this.

No wineandroses it's not. It's just that as I have explained, the original interview was this morning at 6.40. They did not show up for this then they rescheduled for 5.30am tomorrow.
I live on my own with my two young DC and to even be able to attend the interview this morning at 6.40 I had to make quite significant arrangements for childcare with my mum. I have a DC who sleeps in my bed and will also have to wake up at 5 if I have to get up that early. Then I will have no one to look after him while I try to do an interview at the crack of dawn.
So it's not as simple really as just rolling out of bed a few hours early and putting on my make up 'if I really want the job'.

Yeah I want it, yeah I want to make life better for me and my dc and this job would help, yes I'll get up early tomorrow morning and I'll do the interview and no it's not the biggest deal in the world but today It feels like it.

I wish I hadn't started this thread now, I should just listen to myself but now I feel stupid and lazy and I probably won't get this job anyway so all the drama will be for nothing.

It depends...on the job, are they interviewing people globally at the same time?

DH often gets up at 5:30am... I think starting work at 6am would be his limit....it depends how much they were paying for a 5:30am interview.

@NCjustincase

Am I alone in LOATHING the solitary biscuit reply?

Sanctimonious piss stains.

However it's much more polite than saying Get a fucking grip.

...although I didn't realise that there was a child to be taken care of, which changes things.

I've just asked my DH about this and he said if you want the job badly enough, and it pays enough, you'll get up at anytime.

He's never had to worry about childcare. He's now he's gone to bed, announcing he has to be up at 5am...guess who'll get the DC ready for school in the morning. And gues which one of us earns the most .

It's child care which is the issue here.

Lynette it's not really about childcare generally - I can manage through careful planning as I always have.

I had careful plans in place this morning and tomorrow I have no such plans so obviously a very early start and 2 little ones Wasn't going to be ideal.

Childcare aside I still don't think 5.30am is a normal time to arrange an interview.

I've thought about this over the last couple of hours and re-read the points made and I think I am going to drop an email and pull out after all. I think I'm getting ideas above my station and it just goes to show that I probably can't deal with things easily if they change at the last minute, so a previous poster is right and there isn't much point really.

Thanks for everyone's contributions though, I'm grateful for a range of opinions and I can see that I need to be in a position to show more commitment and drive in future.

Do not send that email!

At least do the interview! What's the worst that can happen? Your child bursts in demanding a bowl of Frosties.
If you don't interview you won't get the job...if you do you might or might not. At the very messy call the shots and say you will be available at X O'clock when you've hit the kids sorted. How do they know you don't already have work obligations at the time th

they suggested

Childcare aside I still don't think 5.30am is a normal time to arrange an interview.

It's not 5.30am, it's 12.30pm. The interview is arranged on their terms, not yours.

Re the child, get up at 4am and leave them in bed. Have a coffee and a decent breakfast, get the interview done before the children have even stirred.

Do the interview! Don’t let anyone put you off! Good luck

I sympathise op, I'm not a morning person and can barely speak until 8am when I've been up an hour!

It is super early but I think I'd agree to do it to give yourself the best chance of getting the job. I have worked in Hong Kong and I loved the place but the company work culture is something else, they expect so much of you and the hours are a killer. It was a great experience overall though.

Lynette thanks but a child busting in to the interview is even less likely to result in success than asking to rearrange for a slightly easier time! Appreciate your support though.

Bombardier that sounds ideal but I have a child who wakes a lot, especially if I dare to move. Me getting up and dressed, making coffee then doing a skype interview will certainly wake him and possibly the other one too.

I think considering they have rearranged the interview only today they could have been more considerate with the timing. I've worked in other international schools and every interview I've ever had had taken into account UK time if it's over Skype.

Nevertheless I don't think I'm the right person for this job anymore.

OP why are you being so hard on yourself just because of the negative nancy brigade on here? They obviously see the potential in you or else they wouldn’t ask you to interview, surely? Why pull out when this could be down to somebody not counting the hours properly, or someone just chancing it because they think you might be an early riser given you agreed to the 6.40 time. At the very least, email them to gratefully ask for a slightly later time - if they say no then base your assessment on whether it’s a school you want to work on the back of what they say. Good luck

I'm sure there will be other jobs that will suit you better coming along. There are usually a lot of teaching jobs at international schools being advertised around this time. The turn over is pretty high.

I'm surprised you're getting such a hard time OP. In a previous post you seemed really confident in your abilities but now not so much. Don't be put off by some of the replies here.

I have lots of (phone) meetings with people in the US/ Asia and everyone always does their best to arrange meetings to suit people in different timezones.I'm surprised that anyone would arrange an interview for so early in the morning (does the organiser definitely know you're in a different timezone?) but of course it can be difficult to find a time that suits everyone. I think it's fine to ask for a later time. If they say no I'd probably just do it anyway and see how it goes. Good luck.

OK.... tell them a reasonable time for you both. If they don't like it, the job wasn't right anyway...but they might respect you not being a pushover.

Oh this makes me so cross. Please don't pull out if a job because a bunch of know-it-alls with nothing better to do decided to entertain themselves this evening by bringing you down.
Ask for a more convenient time-consuming it's perfectly reasonable due to childcare, especially as they cancelled the first time!

Honestly, people on here need to have a look at themselves.

For heaven's sake don't pull out! I've been involved in loads of International work over different time zones, including doing Skype calls as interviewer and interviewee, and the vast vast majority of people try to be accommodating and also recognise that you're not going get the best out of people at stupid times of day.

It may well just be an oversight on their part. Worth at least inquiring if a change is possible. Your reasons are absolutely legit.

Mumsnet threads can be helpful but they aren't your real life, so don't give up the chance of an opportunity you really want just because it got a bit testy on here.

Best of luck. Let us know how you get on.

Don't pull out!! Sorry if you've already says but would you move to HK if you get this job?

Come on OP, you can do it!

HQ
You've emailed me to say I've been mentioned in this thread.
I haven't.
I wasn't on it.

Thanks

Get up early the day before and then go to bed at 9pm, which isn't all that early if you're tired. You could then get up at 4am having had 7 hours sleep.

I used to get up at 4am for a whole week at a time when I was a driver for Jaguar Land Rover and would then sometimes switch to the night shift the next week, requiring me to completely readjust my sleeping pattern over the weekend - admittedly it was a ballache but one day isn't much if you really want the job.

As you were MN.
Just reporting myself to HQ

“If it's online English teaching, check what hours you'll be expected to be online as China/Japan/HK etc have a great work ethic and it's not unknown for people to have their English lesson at 6 before going to work.”

Slightly off-topic, but I would describe that as a “strong work ethic” rather than a “great one” which sounds like a value judgement. As though people who aren’t out the door at 6am are lazy slackers

Just think of Robert Kelly, the Korea-based academic/commentator, whose daughter rocked into his interview like she owned the fucking BBC. Plan for everything to go right, and if a small child wakes at 5.30 am and comes looking for you and of course these lovely bright mornings bring out the early risers just going with it is better then opting out. I wish you the very best and you are not lazy or unambitious.