First, I recommend that you interview at LEAST 2 – 3 different brokerages. You are interviewing to see if they are a good fit for YOU.
Real Estate is a very relationship-oriented business. At first you have no past clients, so it takes a lot of work. On top of that, you will be running your own business (you), so the mind set is different than an employee mind set. That’s a big part of the reason that within the first 2 years, 80% of new Brokers exit the business.
The benefits of a small company are (a not inclusive list): It becomes more like a family. You get more individualized attention. There are not as many opportunities for training in house. Since there are not as many people around, you may feel more alone (which can be good for some people).
The benefits of a larger company are (not inclusive): More people to answer your questions (more people around all the time), usually more training in house, bigger online/community presence.
The following are things to ask and observe. This is not meant to be a complete list and you certainly don’t have to ask ALL the questions, but it’s a good start! As you talk to the QB, you need to write down his or her answers…take notes!
Company:
Remember this is about a fit for YOU. Try to get a feel for the company culture.
1. Does it feel like a place you’d want to spend your time?
2. Would you feel comfortable with a client there?
3. Is it clean?
4. Do they have conference rooms?
5. Tour the brokerage and meet brokers and staff
6. Can I sit in on an upcoming training session or team meeting?
Office specifics:
1. What is your online presence?
2. What is your market share?
3. How many Brokers do you have? How long do they stay? What is their experience level?
4. How often do you have team meetings, happy hours, lunch and learn sessions?
5. Are there any mandatory meetings?
6. Do you promote our listings, the office and the Brokers? How?
7. Are you involved in the community?
8. What are your expectations of me? Hours in the office? Open houses? Other events?
Money and support:
1. What are the commission splits and how do they work? Is there a commission cap?
2. Are there franchise fees?
3. Any other fees? (monthly office, MLIS, E&O, education fee, desk fee, start-up fee)
4. What other expenses might I be responsible for? (lockboxes, eKey, signage, business cards, Realtor dues, website hosting)
5. Do you offer:
a. Business cards
b. Signage
c. Stand-alone website/page
d. Leads (and how are they handled)
e. Closing coordinator
f. Tech support
g. CE classes
h. Marketing resources (and get details)
i. Clerical and administrative support
j. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system
Training:
Everyone will say they have the best training, so be prepared for that 
1. What kinds of training do you offer? Is there a cost for it?
2. Is it in person or online?
3. How often?
4. How do you access the training materials?
5. Who can I contact if I have a question about a contract?
6. Is there a mentorship program? How does it work? (Typical first 3 – 6 months or until the first few transactions and the mentor may share a percent of your commission).