What Are Hiring Managers Looking For When Interviewing Teachers
If youve never been in a teaching interview beforemaybe youre changing careers or just starting out in the education spacethere are common themes hiring managers tend to look for in qualified candidates, no matter the specific role or workplace:
When planning out your responses to these questions, dont just think about what youre going to say but also how youre going to say it. I always look at body language first, says Calvin Brown, Senior Recruiter at Alignstaffing, an education staffing firm. When someone looks frazzled or caught off guard by a basic question or behavioral questionthose questions that often start with, Tell me about a time whenhe says, I start to question, okay, can you really handle that kind of population or have you handled this kind of situation before?
If you have a situation or a story with a great outcome, absolutely share , says Brown. Stories are also a great ways to highlight your expertise and skill set if you dont come with a traditional background in education. Swartz adds, Even if youre not a teacher with experience, you can still highlight how you go about your work by giving past examples and scenarios of engaging others.
Need some tips for writing your teaching resume? Find a full guide here.
General Questions For A Primary Teacher Interview
General questions for primary teacher interviews typically relate to the professional’s personality and basic background information. Here are some examples of general interview questions:
Tell me about yourself
What educational qualifications do you have?
Is your teaching licence up-to-date?
Why do you want to work at this school?
Which subjects do you most like to teach and why?
Which age group do you feel most comfortable with?
How would you describe your teaching style?
What do you think is the biggest challenge about being a teacher?
What skills can you offer our school?
What traits do you think help teachers be successful?
Read more:20 Teacher Interview Questions
Question 11 ~ Do You Have A Homework Policy
What are your thoughts on homework? Ive met numerous teachers on both sides of the fence. Some educators believe that students require homework to continue practicing the learned skill. Thats okay. Other educators are not supportive of homework and thats okay too!
No matter what your answer will be or your feelings are about homework, it is important that you support your reasoning. If you are going to identify a homework policy be sure to discuss how homework plays into grading and what happens if students do not complete homework.
As a side noteconsider the reasoning behind why students are not completing homework. Sure they may just feel like not doing it. However, perhaps they are working at a job immediately after school or are one of the primary caregivers for their siblings. I will hop off of the soapboxfor now.
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Describe A Time You Had To Address A Safeguarding Issue
Safeguarding is a critical concept in any school. Most teacher interview questions would include at least one question on this topic, which may sometimes include a hypothetical situation.
A good answer would display your knowledge about safeguarding and the process you would use to handle any potential safeguarding issues. You should convey that you would be sensitive and supportive of the student but would always follow protocol and reporting procedures.
You might also be asked what you shouldnt do if a safeguarding issue arose.
If you have experienced a situation in a safeguarding area previously, you can share this as long as details are anonymous.
Interview Questions for Teachers
How Do You Assess Students Progress
![Interview Questions for Teaching That You Should Prepare For Interview Questions for Teaching That You Should Prepare For](https://www.interviewprotips.com/wp-content/uploads/interview-questions-for-teaching-that-you-should-prepare-for.jpeg)
Heres your chance to preview your lesson plans and reveal your methods for keeping on top of students social, academic, and physical development. Explain the types of quizzes you give because you know that theyre most telling about students strengths and weaknesses. Give insight into how you use oral reports, group projects, and seat work to determine whos struggling and whos ahead. And, share how you implement open communication with your students to discover what they need to succeed.
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Could You Please Provide An Example Of When You Successfully Worked As A Team Player
Being a teacher means being a team player beyond just with your students and their parents. You will often be faced with situations where you have to come to agreements with other staff members and student aids to ensure the success and well-being of your class. This is one of the most common teacher interview questions.
What Made You Decide To Be A Teacher
Why do you want to be a teacher? This question is one of the most common teacher interview questions, and your answer needs to go beyond the typical response that you love to help others learn. Your answer needs to show that you are really meant to be a teacher, giving specific, genuine, and thoughtful examples.
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What Do You Feel You Can Contribute To Our Schools Plc For Your Subject
The days of shutting your door to do your own thing are out, and professional learning communities are in! Go in ready to discuss topics such as common planning, benchmarks, and data analysis. This is a key time to highlight your strengths. Whether you shine in making high-level DOK assessment questions or have a plethora of student-centered activities for your subject, let the interviewers know what you have to offer to your prospective peers and what you hope to glean from collaborating with them.
Preparing For The Teaching Demonstration
Implementing the elements considered important in a teaching demonstration requires planning and practice. We have compiled a number of suggestions that can help job candidates as they prepare for the teaching demonstration part of their job interviews.
Follow Instructions.
If you are given instructions by the department on the type of audience you are to be teaching, follow the instructions. Regardless of the makeup of the audience, it is advised that you treat them as though they were students. Furthermore, if you were told your teaching demonstration is to be pitched to an introductory biology class, do not give the same talk you would give in a graduate-level journal club.
In my experience, the teaching demonstration can easily fall into a continuation of the research presentation, centering on the presenter’s area of expertise rather than using a more balanced approach to the big picture that an undergraduate or even graduate student might need to progress.
It is helpful to start your presentation by reminding your audience of the type of course your teaching demonstration is focused on . Reviewing these details not only sends the message that you are paying attention to directions, but also reminds the audience they are playing the role of the student. This reminder is particularly important when active-learning exercises are being used, as the faculty need to give typical student responses if the exercise is to work appropriately.
Do Some Research.
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Build A Rapport With The Children
Some of the very best interview lessons have been stripped back to the bare bones and have relied upon the rapport between class and interviewee. Rapport does not mean best of chums this is a school and the desired relationship should be teacher and student. We are looking for professionals who enjoy being in the classroom and interacting with young people. We will ask the class after each lesson how they thought it went and we want to hear the children clamour for the employment of interviewees. We want the kids to be your advocates.
It is worth practising your delivery. I have sat in rooms where the interviewees have yelled at the class, whispered at the class, spent the whole time red and sweating, and some who never came close to cracking a smile. I have heard some tell X-rated jokes, threaten to bitch slap someone and another who said, Bloody hell, if I was as stupid as you, Id shoot myself.
Such things are unlikely to convince me that youre the right person for the job. I want you to inspire, motivate and educate the young people at my school, not terrify them or let them run riot.
Top Tips For Acing A Teacher Interview
- M.S., Education, Buffalo State College
- B.S., Education, Buffalo State College
You’ve put in the time and have done the work, now you are rewarded with your first teacher interview. In order to make it a successful one, you will need to prepare for it. Here’s how to ace your interview, including tips on researching the school district, perfecting your portfolio, answering questions, and interview attire.
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What Are In Your Opinion The Most Important Skills For Teachers Name 3 Of Them
A good teacher needs to have a whole set of skills and qualities. Most often we can hear that in order to become an effective and inspiring teacher, absolutely crucial and necessary are:
- Passion for teaching,
- Excellent communication and listening skills,
- Leadership skills,
- Good classroom management and a knack for organization,
- Knowledge.
Interests: Encouraging Student Involvement In Learning
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Understanding students interests begins with having them share how they spend their free time. Including their interests gives valuable context for them to connect abstract concepts and skills to the world they navigate both in and out of school.
Designing lessons around the interests of all learners in your class may sound daunting. An easy first step is to focus on topics and products. When the required skills allow it, let students choose their topicwhat to research, what type of experiment to do, what line of inquiry to follow, or what to read.
Products are best when the criteria focus on the skills to be demonstrated, not the logistics of the mode of display. Ask students to propose the display tool they want to use, and give them a thumbs up or down as to appropriateness. Choosing the topic and mode of displaying learning places them in the drivers seat for their learning experiences.
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How Do You Manage Parent
Interviewers ask this question because parents and guardians often want to have some sort of involvement in their children’s education. Managing relationships with parents can allow teachers to better customise their lesson plans and increase the reputation of the school. In your answer, it may be helpful to mention specific methods you use, including how you typically communicate with parents.
Example:”To maintain a good relationship with parents, I send out regular emails to update parents on their children’s progress. I also host parent-teacher meetings at least once each quarter so they can address any concerns in person. I find it important to set boundaries to ensure I can complete my duties with minimal interference, so I typically implement a period after school each day where I’m available to speak over the phone about non-emergency concerns.”
What Makes A Good Lesson And How Do You Generate New Lesson Ideas
This is another question that assesses how you fit the schools teaching philosophy and what you consider to be a high level of teaching.
You should demonstrate your lesson planning techniques and skills.
You might be asked this as a situational question:
If I walked into your classroom and you were delivering an outstanding lesson, what would this look like?
Demonstrate how you access and use different resources to find inspiration and content for your lesson ideas. Show you use these to create a lesson plan that meets the learning requirements of the students.
A good answer will reference multiple sources, such as the education standards for the age group of potential students, national curriculum, online support and other educational publications.
You can also draw on examples from successful teaching in your past.
You want to show your ability to stay informed about education trends, and a willingness to grow and change as a teacher.
You may be asked to demonstrate these skills during a demonstration lesson, so your answer should be something you can deliver.
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Can You Give An Example Of When A Pupil Refused To Cooperate In Class
This is likely to entail some follow up questions:
- What did you do?
- How did your actions affect the situation?
- What would you differently next time?
Your interviewers want to get a sense of you as a teaching professional. This could be where you mention good working relationships with parents and carers, school policies, working together as a staff team or your behaviour management strategies. Be prepared with a good example of where you have made a difference and any successful results.
What Are They Looking For
More than anything, they want to see if you are a good model of teaching and learning. Are you an effective classroom teacher, confident about your subject knowledge, demonstrating good organisation and behaviour management? Do you have some presence with students? You could give the kids name badges or ask them to write their names on a folded sheet to place on their desks so you can learn a few during the lesson to show you can build relationships quickly.
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How Do You Cultivate Positive Relationships With Your Students And Create A Sense Of Class Community
This is an opportunity to share an experience with the interviewer of when you bonded with a student who required some additional attention outside of the classroom time. Its a chance to show that you care for the overall well-being of the student, and that you have a sense of empathy for your students.
Is There Anything You Would Like To Ask
Anyone thats ever been to a job interview, not just a teacher interview, surely knows that this question will be asked. This is asked for two main reasons.
First, to really provide you with additional information that you may be wondering. And second, to give an extra few minutes to really show that you are the ideal candidate by asking questions such as: what the school culture is like, what a typical day looks like, how many students are in each class, and what the bullying policy is.
Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels
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How Would You Handle
Depending on the subject matter and classroom youre signing up for, this question can really vary in how its delivered. The interviewer may ask how youd handle students incorrectly understanding a topic or performing poorly on state exams.
Sometimes Ill present one of our objectives for a semester or for a course that they might be teaching, explains Sheppard. And Ill ask, How would you assess this, or what would you consider evidence of learning for this particular outcome?
Being able to correctly show a mastery of the content versus just the knowledge of the content is key, adds Swartz.
Provide Examples & Evidence During The Interview
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Its easy to fall into the trap of explaining your teaching philosophy and mentioning your strategies without ever really talking about what will actually go on in your classroom. Yes, the interview committee is looking for certain answers, but everyone can regurgitate the same buzz words, strategies, and philosophies. One of the best ways to frame your answers during an interview is through an If you walk into my classroom, you will see approach. This prompts you to think of actual examples, rather than mere ideas or buzz words.
The more specific you can get, the better. Make sure you discuss concrete examples that show your teaching philosophy in action. Not only will concrete examples offer more proof of your competency as a teacher, but theyll be more memorable, too. Instead of being that teacher with the student-centered philosophy, youll be that teacher who loves learning stations, question trails, and escape rooms. Think of what examples define you as a teacher, and find a way to weave them into the interview. Like I tell my students, cite your evidence and show what you know!
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Interview Questions That New Teachers Want To Prepare For
Whether you are a brand new teacher looking to land your dream job as an educator or a veteran teacher that could be looking for a change of scenery or relocatingthis blog is for you! When it comes to teacher interviews oftentimes we stress out over what they could possibly ask us. We could be walking into a room of strangers so focused on how to answer correctly that we sometimes forget to be ourselves. Lets face itthe unknown is scary!
Well, here we go because I am going to offer you some tips and secrets to landing that job! I was lucky enough to sit on both sides of the table. Ive been asked numerous questions over the years as well as the opportunity to ask questions as an administrator for incoming teachers. I am providing you with 20 Interview Questions that New Teachers Want to Prepare For! By all means, this is not an exhaustive list, nor is it the only list of questions that may come your way. However, this is a great start to prepare for that upcoming interview!
What Aspects Of A Student’s Life And Personality Do You Consider When Creating Lesson Plans
It’s often important for teachers to understand a student’s personal background and learning style to help them succeed. This is because a student may have outside factors affecting their ability to learn or might need certain accommodations. Interviewers often ask this question to ensure candidates consider this possibility and to determine how they create their lesson plans.
Example:”**I perform regular check-ins with students to ensure they aren’t struggling with personal issues that could affect their productivity or mental health. I also monitor my students towards the beginning of the school year to understand the learning style of each student. I try to accommodate as many learning styles into my lessons plans as possible to maximise their efficacy but if I notice that the majority of students share a certain style, I may cater to this style more than others.”
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