Toddlers Prepare For Their First Big Interview

Local Editor

Getting into good schools or universities is tough in many parts of the world, but in Hong Kong the pressure begins earlier. Often parents try to get children into a good kindergarten - and before that, into a good nursery.

Yoyo Chan is preparing for an important interview that could help her succeed in life. She is one-and-a-half years old.

At two she will start nursery, but competition is fierce in Hong Kong, and some of the most prestigious nurseries are selective. Her parents want her to be well-prepared for her first big test in life.

Furthermore, the best nurseries and kindergartens are seen as a gateway into the best primary schools - which in turn, parents believe, pave the way to the best secondary schools and universities.

So the most renowned of them can receive more than 1,000 applications for just a few dozen places. As a result, enterprising tuition companies are now offering interview training for toddlers.

At interview class, Yoyo is asked to greet the tutor and introduce herself. The tutor then asks her to complete a number of tasks, including building a house with bricks, drawing a picture, sticking two felt eyes in the right position on a felt face, and identifying pieces of fruit.

Moreover, Yoyo's younger brother, still a baby, will begin interview classes in a few months, she says - when he's about eight months old.

At one tuition company, the Hong Kong Young Talents Association [HKYTA], a series of 12 training sessions costs HK$4,480 [$580; £390] - that's nearly a quarter of the median monthly household income.

Accordingly, interview classes for toddlers may be helpful, according to a pre-school teacher, if they might make the child less nervous on the big day.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team