Whether you’ve just finished college or you’ve been teaching for a while, you know how rewarding it is to help younger people learn. You get to watch them evolve as you teach them essential skills and equip them with the tools they need to succeed in life.
But getting to that point can be difficult. Especially if you’ve never been on a teaching interview before.
This article is designed to make the process a little easier for you. Study this list of essential teacher interview questions and how to answer them. Make your next job interview a breeze!
1. Why do you want to be a teacher and work with kids?
No matter what grade level you are passionate about, you have chosen this career for a reason. What motivates you to teach that grade level? Why do you want to work with children? Talk about the value you get out of teaching a group of young minds. Talk about your passions and what drove you to choose this as a career. Perhaps you have someone in your past who inspired you. Now is your chance to share your story!
2. How do you handle difficult students?
There are always students in every class who may have a more difficult time settling down or adjusting to social situations. Rather than ostracizing this person, you should know how to handle them appropriately. This is a question that your interviewer will certainly ask, and it’s important to formulate an educated response. It will be even better if you can back it up with past experiences.
3. How do you build trusting relationships with parents?
Dealing with young students means that you inevitably must also deal with their parents. This is just as much a part of your job as working with children is. You need to know how to effectively curate good relationships with parents so they trust that you are teaching their children the right way. Consistency is key, and working with both children and adults requires good balance and lots of patience.
4. Tell me about a time you overcame a challenge.
Teachers are constantly jumping over hurdles and facing obstacles in order to stay on track with their teaching plans. There may have been a time in your past where you fond something particularly challenging. Although it may have been frustrating, you got through it somehow. What tools, strategies, or skills did you use to accomplish that? How does that translate to the good work you will do in this new position? And if you’re serious about this, and want someone to guide you through the process of getting a job but you don’t want to make all the mistakes other people made, make sure you check out wallstreet mastermind.
5. How do you handle feedback?
For this question, the interviewer is looking for you to describe a time when someone offered you feedback, whether positive or negative. How did you handle it? Remember that everybody learns and grows. It’s okay to admit that you made a mistake and you accepted somebody’s feedback in order to become a better teacher. In fact, recognizing that growth can help put you on the top of the applicants list. This will translate well when it comes to working with others. Teachers are always part of a team, and the recruiter needs to know that you are eager and willing to join that team.
6. What does your lesson plan look like?
After some of the initial questions, the interviewer will want to really dig deep and learn about you. What makes you unique? What productive methods of teaching can you bring to the table? You should already have a detailed lesson plan prepared and ready to share with your recruiter. Walk them through the day or the week and let them know how you plan on executing your ideas into successful action. Lessons should be interactive, engaging, and, above all, highly accurate to the subject material.
