Prepare for a Great Job Interview With These Questions and Answers
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Well, I'm not going to give you the answers, because if you are a competent teacher, you should be able to answer them satisfactorily. Some questions are: What is your teaching philosophy? How do support students with special needs or ESL in you classroom? How would you deal with a student who refuses to do what is asked? What would you say your biggest strength is? Your weakness? What is your approach to planning lessons or units? How do you manage your students' different needs? What teaching methods do you use? How do you deal with a parent that disagrees with your teaching methods?
Job Interview Skills - What You Must Have to Land the Job
- Every interview is going to be different depending on the person doing the interviewing. Most likely though, you will be asked about your interest in teaching...why in the world you would be nuts enough to willingly put your success in the hands of kids who don't even have all of their teeth yet! There are some stock answers (almost like 'world peace' in a beauty pageant) that revolve around impacting kids and making a difference in the world. Those are terrific, but find something that singles you out some. Think of a specific task, like improving reading skills or really inspiring kids to come to school everyday. Make it real!
Most bosses will ask 'what you have to offer' the school. Think of words that describe you. Honestly. You are marketing yourself so get somebody to help you with super adjectives (passionate, creative, innovative, patient, persistent, flexible, eager, determined, energetic...again, go for interesting and unusual words that will catch some body's attention)
Talk to somebody in the school system you are looking at if you can. Find out what you can about the general atmosphere of the school. Some people will ask about your philosophy of discipline or what you teach. I had a principal who refused to hire anybody who said that they taught a subject. The answer was 'I teach children'. One department managed instead of disciplined.
Think about your out of school experience and how that can help you. extra curricular work can be invaluable in other schools sometimes, like coaching, tutoring, after school work, and so on. Drama, student council, beta club, and other organizations often need sponsors. If you mention experience or interest in those you may get a raised eyebrow.
Be yourself. The last thing you want to do is get put in a place that isn't where you belong. For some people teaching kindergarten is like kicking a fire ant mound. For others it is heaven. Some teachers prefer the sense of humor of older students. Others can't stand the immaturity of older grades. You have to know yourself.
Don't be afraid to ask your own questions. That shows interest and forethought. Act engaged and curious and be sure to ask the supervisor what area/grade/specialty they were in....you can always mention that you look forward to gaining insight from them in the future :) - OK, i am a retired teacher, I have been interviewed in my years and have also been on the interviewing group
So, many times when you are being interviewed, the first thing the principal is looking for is someone he can "control" or someone who will fit his/her agenda, You may not like to hear that, but I find it true, so so true and so sad,
Rarely in an interview is the hiring person, usually the principal , looking for the most talented,............. infact if you are smarter or more talented than the hiring person, they often don't want you, you will make them look bad. many don't want to believe me, but this is the truth ;)
They are looking for someone who will "fit the bill" which may mean
" can get along with teaching partners, or ???????? mostly about getting along with the principal or others :) The principal's goal is rarely the students first. It is about how to make him look good as a principal so his school looks the best. Most won't tell you this ;) But when I was on the interviewing board, boy did I learn a lot. Our entire teacher board might have voted for one person to hire and the principal would just over ride it with some flimsy excuse, So if you want to "get the job" try to ask some subtle questions back to get a feel for what " niche' they are trying to fill. Once we had an old slightly dementia teacher so they wanted to hire someone who wouldn't expose her and yet could carry off 4th grade without paying attention to her ! Do you get it ? - What are your strengths? just be honest about this one.
What are your weaknesses? turn this one around - make your weakness sound like a strength - like you spend too much time at school, you love to help with fundraisers, you spend a lot of your off time reading educational books, you really enjoy looking and analyzing data...etc.
How would you collaborate with your peers? share ideas on sharing, working together, supporting new teachers, creating a sharing file - check the internet for other ideas on this one.
How do you integrate technology in your classroom? offer suggestions for using computers and interactive whiteboards - principals like research, interactive websites, webquests, and typing activities - spelling lists, that sort of typing practice.
