Frequently Asked Teacher Interview Questions - All You Need To Know
Teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs on the planet that requires individuals to share their knowledge and experience with students and help them prepare for their brighter future on both academic and personal levels. The job is not just to engage with students and talk about a specific topic but also to shape them into learning, growing, and perceiving the world around them. To achieve a successful teaching career, a person requires powerful presentation and interpersonal skills. Hence, the interview plays a crucial role in the selection of a teacher. Although the interview is an essential step in every job search process, the one for teachers is more critical. It is an excellent opportunity for candidates to showcase their knowledge, skills, and the ability to educate children.
To help you approach interviews with confidence and be prepared ahead of time, we have gathered some vital teacher interview questions that will help you succeed and get your dream job at a great school. These are the questions frequently asked by the interviewer and are required to be answered diligently. Learning about these questions and the best way to answer them will make you feel prepared and let you pass the interview process with confidence. Remember, “Preparation is the key to securing your dream job!”
So, scroll down, take a look at teacher interview questions, and start preparing your responses. It’s time to nail the interview!
Question 1) What Made You Decide To Be A Teacher? Or Why Do You Want To Be A Teacher?
This is one of the most common teacher interview questions asked by interviewers to know how motivated you are. While answering this question, make sure you go beyond the typical response and display your dedication to enriching students’ lives. You must stay honest and paint your journey with anecdotes or examples that are thoughtful, genuine, or specific. Avoid using book stories or standard answers like “I want to become a teacher because I love helping people to learn,” or “It is my favorite pastime,” etc. Take out some time before you sit in front of the interviewer and prepare a specific answer that can easily resonate with people.
Question 2) What Is Your Teaching Philosophy?
This is yet another question that the interviewer is likely to ask the candidate. The aim behind asking this question is to understand the teaching method and whether the person is a good cultural fit for the school. With the answer, the interviewer wants to ensure that the interviewee is not just trying to push students towards some goal but wants to help them develop and grow academically and personally. An excellent answer to this typical teacher interview question is the one that has the candidate's mission statement and goes well along with the school's philosophy. So, use this question as an opportunity to tell why you are passionate, what you want to accomplish, and how you are going to do that.
Question 3) How Do You Like To Build A Relationship or Communication With Parents?
Part of being a teacher is communicating with students and interacting with them. However, the other half is about working with parents and guardians. They have an equal influence on the behavior of children in the classroom as their friends. Hence, it is the job of a teacher to work with them and meet their students' expectations. This is why the interviewer asks this question as they want to know the candidate’s view towards the role of parents in a child's success. Also, this common teacher interview question helps the interviewer understand the teacher’s approach to working with parents. The best way to answer this question is to emphasize a parent's role and provide examples of when you collaborated with them.
Question 4) What are your thoughts about technology in Classroom? Or How do you leverage technology in education?
In the post-COVID era, this has become one of the most vital teacher interview questions. Technology has now come at the forefront of education and has become an integral part of students' learning. So, this question is the right opportunity to tell how tech-savvy you are and can use it for better learning experiences for the students. Since the answer to this question might be a little tricky, make sure you prepare it well in advance and come up with a solution that will show how excited you are to incorporate technology in your teachings. Your answer should explain your thoughts about technology and how it translates to your teachings.
Question 5) How would you handle a difficult student?
Not all students are easy to handle. Some are considered problematic because of their behavior, habits, or other factors. Regardless of which school you teach in, finding a difficult student is natural. Such students exist in every class and can be meant differently for different teachers. Hence, the interviewer wants to know the thought process of the candidate on handling such students. They ask this tricky teacher interview question to know the teacher’s prior experience of dealing with challenging students, how successful they are in the situation, or what exactly they prefer to do in such scenarios. So, while answering this question, you must focus on addressing the root of the problem and provide your answer with some past examples to understand the interviewer better.
Question 6) Why do you want to teach at this school/institution? or What makes you a good fit for this school?
If you have ever given an interview for a teaching position, you can relate to this question. It is one of the most common questions asked by the interviewer and perfect for telling why preparing for the interview is crucial. The interviewer wants to see whether the candidate has researched the school or is familiar with it through this question. When the interviewer asks you this question, you must talk about everything you know about the school. This is a chance to prove why you are the right fit to teach at the institution, what excites you about the school, your views about the education system, and more.
Question 7) Is there anything you would like to ask us? Or Do you have any questions for us?
Interviewers always put up this question at the end of the interview, and it is considered one of the most crucial parts of the interview. This question is asked for two main reasons; first, to provide the candidate with additional information that they might be curious to know, and second, to give extra minutes to showcase that candidate is interested in learning about the school. Make the most of this gold mine question and ask the interviewer some thoughtful and well-researched questions that will display your curiosity and interest in the position that the school is offering.
Incredible Tips For Answering Teacher Interview Questions
Structuring your responses to teacher interview questions before sitting in front of the interviewer will set you up for success and help you get your dream job. Although these above-mentioned teacher interview questions are enough for the preparation, here are some additional tips.
- Be specific and keep your answers concise. Try to provide maximum information to the interviewer in minimum words and time. If you are using examples, they should be relevant to the situation.
- Know and understand some important lingos. Brushing up your terms and using lingos in your answers will put a positive impression on the interviewer.
- Get personal with your answers. A teacher's job requires direct involvement with students and their lives. Hence, it is essential to get personal with the answers instead of giving memorized generic responses.
- Use the STAR method for answering. The STAR method is a great way to answer teacher interview questions. The method says:
S: Situation (provide a context to your anecdote)
T: Task (explain what you are asked)
A: Activity (describe your activity)
R: Result (explain the situation)
- Be honest. “Honesty is the best policy.” Lying your way into a position will make you end up hurting yourself. If you are caught in your lies, you will lose not only your position but also your self-esteem.
- Be comfortable. If you are well prepared for the interview, you can easily be comfortable in front of the interviewer. Being comfortable will help you provide better answers to these teacher interview questions.
- Listen and then respond. The more you listen, the better you can reply. It is one of the most essential tips to follow in an interview. Always listen and then give a response.
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask. While it is already suggested above under the teacher interview questions section, one cannot stress enough about this tip. Asking thoughtful questions displays your passion for the job. On the contrary, if you leave this opportunity or ask random questions, it might negatively impact the interview.
Final Words
Every interview has a few subtle differences; however, knowing how to handle the curveballs can make a huge difference between capturing the dream job or flunking the interview. To make sure you succeed in every step of your teaching journey, we have curated this article. Prepare all the teacher interview questions well in advance and walk into the interview confidently. If you are still having trouble landing an interview, we recommend you tailor your resume and fit it for the job role by adding your strengths and experiences.