I went through a multi stage interview process for a teaching position that included two virtual interviews and then a full day on site visit. The virtual interviews were fine for the most part. Just the usual awkwardness of being on a panel call with a bunch of people talking over each other. The on campus portion, however, is where things started to feel off to me. It required taking an entire day off from my current job to attend hours of back to back meetings and activities. It ended up feeling less like a typical interview and more like a tightly scheduled marathon. In my experience with hiring in education, the level of intensity felt out of proportion for the role. At a certain point, I found myself wondering who this kind of process is really designed for. The teaching demonstration also pushed into somewhat uncomfortable territory. I was placed into a live class with multiple observers and a recording. While I understand the intent, it started to feel less like a demonstration and more like contributing actual instructional time. At moments, it raised questions about how much is being asked of candidates during an already lengthy process, and whether it starts to edge into providing free labor as part of the interview. By the end of the day, the number of interviews began to feel excessive. Conversations became repetitive, and there was a recurring emphasis on tuition benefits that came across more like a sales pitch than a secondary perk. One of the more awkward moments was being scheduled for a formal interview during faculty lunch. Teachers were trying to eat, ask questions, and apologize for the situation at the same time. It made me wonder what day to day expectations around time and workload are really like there. The overall atmosphere also stood out. Everyone was polite and professional, but the energy felt somewhat muted. I did not get a strong sense of enthusiasm, which made it harder to picture the day to day environment. At times, the process gave me the impression of a school that holds itself in very high regard, while expecting candidates to invest a significant amount of time and effort for the opportunity. It was difficult not to question whether that level of demand really matched what was being offered. After completing all stages, including spending half the day there, I received a brief follow up email stating that another candidate had been selected. Given the level of time and effort involved, I would have expected at least a brief phone call, but didn’t even receive that. This made the conclusion feel impersonal and somewhat dismissive. They also handed out a bag of branded merch at the end, which, in hindsight, just feels like a souvenir from an unnecessarily exhausting process. What am I supposed to do with this stuff? Free advertising? Going in, I expected I might feel disappointed if I did not get the job, but honestly I mostly felt relieved. The whole experience made it pretty clear that it would not have been the right fit.