Throw A Trick Question At Your Candidate
Finding out how potential teachers will handle and react to uncomfortable and out of the ordinary situations with students is very telling. You can have a prospective teacher come in and propose the best lesson plans in the worldbut if they cant connect with their students or show compassion, it could lead to bigger issues.
One of my favorite questions: Youre working with a small group of math students at a table when one throws up on the manipulatives. What do you do? Ive had interviewees say, Ewwww! or focus in on gloves and custodians. The candidates who knock it out of the park are the ones who not only say how theyll clean it up and make sure the sick student is helped to the office, but how theyll talk to the rest of the class to make sure the sick child is welcomed back later and not embarrassed.Bird B.
Why Do You Want To Teach These Particular Subjects At This Particular Level
In your job application, you may have specified what subjects you would like to teach and the age group of students you want to teach. You are required to ideally have a justification for this, to illustrate your expertise in teaching a particular subject or a particular age group.
Example:I want to teach English to secondary school kids because I see it as an opportunity to introduce them to good literature, cinema and music. Secondary school kids are at the right age to start picking up interests and honing their talents. They may need a little push to explore their interests and aspirations.
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Attend Teacher Job Fairs
Meeting job seekers in person can be an effective candidate attraction tool, as you have the chance to answer all their questions on the spot while promoting your school. Check out any job fairs that take place in your area and ask some of your teachers to join so they can start building relationships with potential future teachers.
Also, consider hosting an open day at your school. During this recruitment event, teachers looking for a new job can visit your school and learn more about your open positions, while you get the chance to meet with potential candidates and evaluate their qualifications.
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Do You Have Any Questions For Us
This is a fairly common question asked by interviewers in all domains. Feel free to prepare questions in advance to ask your employer. Make sure that your queries are genuine and lead to some meaningful discussion or clarity.
Example:”How would you define success in this particular job role?”
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What Is Your Educational Background
This is where you can go into the details of your formal academic record. List out the courses you have completed at universities, the duration of your academic engagements, the subjects you have studied and any honours you received during your education.
Example:I completed a B.Sc and B.Ed integrated course from Imperial College, Chennai in 2016. I studied a range of science stream subjects there, with a focus on chemistry, in which I graduated with distinction.
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What Role Does Discipline Play In Teaching And What Is Your Approach
Teachers must handle issues with discipline from time to time and how discipline is addressed is an especially important aspect of elementary teaching interviews. Discipline is a vital part of controlling a classroom and depends on the age of the students, district policies and teaching style. To answer this question, you should carefully describe your approach to discipline and how handling it correctly can affect the classroom.
Example answer:I believe that a teacher can’t be effective without the right disciplinary approach. I prefer to explain what’s expected of my students, so they’re set up for success. Without discipline, there won’t be respect, and keeping students accountable may be difficult. After researching several methods, Ive found that a rewards system is the best method for avoiding bad behavior. While there are certainly still cases that need to be addressed with the schools behavior program, using rewards enforces positive behavior and gives children a goal to strive for.
Develop An Evaluation Scale
An evaluation or rating scale will help you review candidates in a fair, systematic way. Everyone on the committee should complete the evaluation after each interview. It should include a numerical rating scale as well as a space for written responses. For example:
After the committee members complete the evaluation individually, discuss your responses as a group. You should save your responses for the end so no one feels self-conscious about their answers. If two strong candidates emerge, this discussion will often help you make a final decision.
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What Would You Do If You Suspected Neglect Or Abuse In The Home Of One Of Your Students
What They Want to Know: Teachers walk a delicate line as advocates for their students welfare. Think about how you would respond should you suspect a child has been subject to abuse.
I take my position as a mandated reporter very seriously. I am aware of the districts daily health check system that early childhood teachers are required to implement daily. In my previous position, we also did daily checks when the children would arrive each morning. There was one child in my previous classroom who had odd bruising on both arms and I was not sure if the bruises were from rough play with siblings or friends, or from an adult being physically abusive.
Before I said anything to anyone, I reported what I saw to the principal who guided me through the process to determine the cause of the bruising. Ultimately it was discovered that the bruises were from the childs older sibling. The way my school handled the situation enabled us to ensure the child was in a safe situation without falsely accusing or upsetting the parents.
How Can I Evaluate Candidates For Teaching Jobs
When hiring teachers, you have to make a difficult decision: youre choosing people wholl interact with and mentor students on a regular basis. So, you need to be very confident when making your hiring decision that those teachers you hire will be the best for your students. Here are some ways thatll help evaluate their teaching skills:
- Use teaching assignments. As an assessment, ask candidates to prepare a syllabus or a 15-minute lesson. This way, you can see how organized they are, how comfortable they are with creating presentations, and how creative they can get.
- Simulate common work scenarios. You can describe challenging but realistic incidents and see how candidates would handle them. For example: A parent is complaining about their childs bad grades. How would you handle the situation?
- Check references from previous schools. When youre close to hiring a teacher, reach out to principals of schools where theyve worked in the past to learn about your candidates performance and overall collaboration. Check out our reference check questions to get some ideas of what you can ask. References may come particularly handy for substitute teachers who may have worked in many different schools.
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How To Ace A Teacher Interview
The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.
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Jenn, a career coach, provides a look at the interviewing process and shares tips on how to position yourself for success at every step.
Teachers are important members of society who help educate people, provide guidance and support and establish general education structures. Getting an interview as a prospective teacher can be the first step in your career path, but learning to excel at interviews can increase your chances of getting a job offer. Understanding how interviews typically proceed and what behaviors the interviewer might expect from an applicant can be crucial to interview success. In this article, we show you how to ace a teacher interview in five steps and cover common questions, answers and interview tips.
Wrap Up The Committee
After youre finished discussing your evaluations, thank the committee members for their participation and input, and ask them to respect candidates by keeping the contents of the interviews confidential. Dont tell them your decision, because you dont want staff members discussing who is about to get hired. In addition, sometimes your first pick will decline the job offer. Be upfront and transparent by explaining this process to the interview committee.
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Can You Describe A Time When You Handled A Difficult Student
An interviewer may want to explore how you handle conflict in the classroom. If you have experience handling challenging students, you can expand on your methods and showcase how you run your classroom. Here’s an example:
Example:”I had a student in my previous position as a teacher’s aide who came to the classroom late and disrupted other students with loud noises and rude comments. The teacher opted to discipline the student with detention, but I intervened and asked to have some time with him. During that time, we worked together on his lessons and he confided in me about his struggles at home. I feel taking the extra time to understand why a student is acting a certain way is crucial to addressing the challenge in a healthy way with the best outcome for everyone.”
Most Common Teacher Interview Questions
Interviewers often tailor questions to their institution so it is wise to consider your answers to these common questions and how they may apply to your potential school or position.
Here are some common interview questions for teachers, as well as advice on how to answer them with example answers. Remember that the interviewer is interested not only in the content of your answers but also, in your overall ability to be clear, approachable and engaging:
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Ask Questions And Thank The Interviewer For Their Time
Prepare three to five post-interview questions for your interviewer. Asking questions can help you learn important information the interviewer might not cover during the interview and shows that you’re truly interested in every aspect of the job. You can ask questions about specific job duties, company values, your schedule or compensation or the company’s history. It’s important to determine which questions to ask before the interview, so you’re already prepared when the interview concludes. Consider common post-interview questions like, “Can you tell me more about the company’s salary structure and bonuses?” After the interview, send a thank-you email or letter.
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Questions About You As Part Of A Teaching Team And Classroom Community
Schools want to foster a sense of community within the school, especially in the classrooms. You will likely be asked questions about your ability to work as part of a team of teachers and administrators, as well as your abilities and experiences bridging the gap between the students in the classroom and their families at home.
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How Would You Engage A Reluctant Student
What They Want to Know: This question is meant to prompt discussion about how you motivate students with different learning styles.
If a student seems reluctant to participate during a specific subject, I would use my experience working with different types of learners and adjust my teaching strategies to engage the student in a way that they would feel more comfortable to participate. This may be by having the student work with a partner, or creating my lessons around a topic that the student may be more likely to be interested in.
What Questions Do You Have For Us
This question is typically asked at the end of the interview and is a critical part of the interview. Asking thoughtful and researched questions shows your interest in the position and supports a memorable final impression. Come prepared to the interview with five to 10 questions and jot down or make a mental note of any new questions that arise throughout the interview.
Example questions:”How would you describe the culture of the school? What qualities do you look for in a candidate? What are some of the schools greatest achievements? What extracurricular activities are offered to students?”
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Prepare Thoughtful Interview Questions
Doing so shows your passion for the position and your preparation for the interview. These questions can also help you determine whether align with those of the school’s administration. For example, you may want to consider asking about what kind of support you can expect in terms of mentoring or training.
Assemble An Interview Committee
Including other teachers as part of the interview process is a powerful strategy principals can use to keep staff informed, invite input, and create a sense of ownership. When theyre included in the decision-making process, staff members are more likely to feel valued and support administrative decisions more readily.
When assembling your teacher interview committee, consider the open position and ask two or three people who will work with this person. Typically, that means teachers in the same grade level or content area where the opening exists. If it is a position where the staff member will interact with all grade levels or content areas, like media specialists or librarians, seek out representatives from a cross section of the staff.
Try to keep your interview committee under five members. Too many people can be overwhelming during the interview and the post-interview discussion.
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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.
How Do I Prepare For A Teacher Interview
Before you appear for an interview for a teaching position, carefully review the website of the school and ensure that you fit into their working culture. Consider whether your ideals and philosophies match with that of the institution and prepare a good cover letter that expresses your intent in joining the institution. Build a well-formatted CV that lists your relevant educational qualifications and your past work experience.
Prior to the interview, try and talk to people who are affiliated with the school in some way. This includes parents, teachers and other staff. They may be able to provide you with reliable information about the functioning of the school. Prepare thoughtful questions about the job to ask the employer, so that they know you are serious in your intent to take up the job.
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English As A Second Language
This program helps newcomers to the USA improve their English. It enables them to achieve academic success and become confident problem-solvers with a strong sense of belonging and connection to the world. As an ESL teacher, you will have students with varying degrees of fluency in English.
ESL is for all grades K-12 . This position requires teachers with a higher level of English proficiency. Qualified applicants usually teach English in their home countries.
Look Inside Their Heart By Posing Scenarios
Sometimes what you need to know about the teacher comes from within. Anyone can practice perfect answers to cliche questions like what are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? But, they cant pretend to be someone theyre not.
Ditch the traditional interview questions and pose scenarios. The answers speak to their hearts. Skills I can teach. The heart of a teacher? Not so much. Bird B.
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What Is The Interview Process For Teachers
The interview process for teachers usually involves multiple steps. While not all school districts follow the same interview guidelines, here are the steps in the interview process that you might encounter during your interviews, from the time you submit your application to the actual interview:
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Research The Position And The Institution
Researching the position you’re applying for is important to acing an interview because you can learn a lot about the job duties, qualifications and the institution with which you’re seeking employment. Understanding the position gives you an advantage because you know exactly what your prospective employer needs from candidates, and you can tailor your resume and interview style to match those requirements. Determine what the minimum qualifications are for the position and whether you meet those requirements. Study the job description and determine if you can fulfill the requirements of employment. An employer might appreciate that you understand the job.
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Ways To Grow Your Teacher Interview Pipeline This Year
Evidence shows that teacher quality is the biggest factor in student success. However, for some time, K-12 districts have been dealing with hiring challenges including teacher shortages and stiff competition with other school districts. COVID-19 added new layers of complications like school shutdowns and an increased need for substitute teachers. So how do you continue building your teacher pipeline and interview pool?
Thinking differently and trying new recruitment methods will be key. One example is to embrace technology like video interviewing to make your district stand out, attract diverse talent, and hire the best teachers for your district. Read on for more ways to recruit more teachers this year.
