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The interview is one of the most important stages in the process of recruiting candidates for a job position in any organization, including educational organizations at any level. This is carried out after the initial analysis of the curriculum of each candidate, which seeks to rule out people who are obviously not suitable for the position. In other words, the interview is a stage in which the organization has already determined that the chosen candidates have the right profile and it is time to select the one that best suits the requirements. This makes the interview the most important step in the process for anyone looking for a job, including teachers, as it can weigh even more than a great resume.
Each interview has a clear and specific objective, and in the case of job interviews for the position of teacher or professor in an educational institution, be it public or private, the objective may consist of evaluating one or more of the following aspects of a candidate:
- Technical knowledge in a specific area.
- The ability to simplify difficult concepts.
- Your ability to work in different types of academic environments and with different types of students and faculty.
- Pedagogical competencies.
- Her character.
- His creativity and ability to solve problems in different ways.
- The ability to work in a team, etc.
We can say that, from the point of view of the educational establishment, the objective of the interview is to get a clear idea of what it would be like to work with each of the candidates, in order to select the best one. The way in which the interviewer seeks to achieve these objectives is by asking a series of questions, some direct and others not so much.
In fact, some interview questions for teachers and professors can be surprising and even weird, which is why it’s important to be prepared so that you aren’t blindsided or spoiled by a potentially good job opportunity.
In the following sections, we will look at some common questions that teachers are often asked in job interviews, the intent of each question, as well as a suggestion on how each one should be answered.
Basic Interview Questions for Teachers
The first eleven questions in this questionnaire are some of the most common that come up in any job interview for teachers and professors.
Question 1: Why did you decide to become a teacher?
This is almost always one of the first questions in a teacher interview. The interviewer seeks to assess the motivation that drives a candidate to ensure that they are not hiring someone who will only do the bare minimum to meet their obligations, but someone who will always try to go the extra mile.
There is no magic formula to answer this question, since what motivates each one is something personal. However, the most important thing is to be honest and show as much enthusiasm as possible. It is about transmitting with the tone of voice and with the body language that one feels a special passion for teaching.
People love a good story, so it’s ideal to turn the answer to this question into one. If you remember a teacher from your childhood who inspired or changed your life, or if you just heard the story of how someone changed their own life through education, feel free to use these resources to your advantage.
Question 2: What is your favorite thing about teaching?
This question is related to the previous one, although it does not have so much to do with our ideal vision of education as with our personal experience as educators. Here too it is appropriate to frame the answer in the form of a story. It is a good idea to prepare in advance and make a list of special moments that marked us during our career as teachers and look for something that these moments have had in common. Then, we answer the question based on this common element and the stories that include it.
Question 3: What is your educational approach or philosophy?
The intent of this question is to determine if a teacher is only interested in helping their students achieve a certain academic goal, or if they are interested in the development of each student both within and outside of specific subjects.
By answering this question, we want to achieve two things: first, to be honest and show how we really see education and what are the things we value most when teaching. The second, to show how our philosophy aligns with the educational philosophy of the institution. Two obvious things follow from this. First of all, we must investigate what is the educational philosophy of the institution, its values, its achievements and its failures. Second, we must determine if our own philosophy really aligns with that of the institution. If not, this may not be the best job for us.
Question 4: What do you consider your strengths as a teacher?
With this question, the interviewer seeks to understand how we see ourselves as educators. It is a good opportunity to show an aspect of our experience that often does not stand out in the curriculum. In the answer, we must try to emphasize the aspects that differentiate us from the other teachers, but always being honest.
Some important details to mention may be our organizational skills, our ability to command respect in the classroom, our familiarity with current technology, especially that used by students, etc.
Question 5: What do you consider to be some of your weaknesses?
This question also has to do with how well we know ourselves as educators. However, more important than showing that we know where we tend to fail, is that we convey the message that we have these weaknesses in mind and that we are always looking for ways to improve ourselves and turn these weaknesses into strengths.
We must avoid prefabricated answers, especially those that pretend to show a positive ability as an apparent disadvantage, only with the intention of appearing falsely modest. For example, when we say that a weakness is that we are “too perfectionists” or “too organized” or that we sometimes suffer when our students fail because “we get too involved with each student.”
Question 6: Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?
Many educational establishments have programs for the professional development of their teachers, thus improving the quality of the education they provide. The intention of this question is, on the one hand, to determine if we are familiar with these programs (that is, if we do research about the school and what it offers) and, if chosen for the position, if we really intend to commit to the long-term institution. The important thing to answer this question successfully is to research as much as possible about the institution before the interview.
Question 7: How do you usually use technology in the classroom?
Educational technology has come a long way in recent years and educational institutions want to hire people who are able to get the most out of this technology. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic showed us the need to know how to handle ourselves by giving classes remotely and online .
For these reasons, when answering this question, it is important to mention all the educational technological tools that we know how to use and that we could implement in the classroom. We can mention our experience using platforms such as Moodle, Google Classroom or Schoology. We can also highlight any audiovisual educational content that we have created and published on platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo to complement the face-to-face lessons.
Question 8: What is your lesson preparation process like?
No matter how good teachers we are, nobody likes a teacher who improvises the classes. To ensure success with students, all classes must be correctly planned, from their content, material and resources that we will use during the year to teach the different topics, to the way to measure progress and evaluate each student’s learning .
We should prepare for this question by outlining the process we usually follow to prepare our classes, how we structure each session, and how we can adapt this process in the event of future quarantine measures that force us to move to 100% remote education.
Question 9: What motivation techniques do you usually use with your students?
One of the most difficult things to achieve in the classroom is to keep students interested and anchored to every word of the professor or teacher. However, when this is not achieved, boredom sets in, which ultimately leads to disorder. Schools look for teachers who show enthusiasm and who are able to transmit this enthusiasm to their students.
To answer this question, we can research beforehand what some of the most effective motivational techniques are, and perhaps look up some statistics on their effectiveness. This shows interest on our part and that we take a proactive and positive attitude.
Question 10: What do you like or dislike about working remotely as a teacher?
This is a more specific version on the use of technology in education. It seeks to understand what our experience has been teaching online and managing a group of students remotely.
If we have experience in this field, we can take the opportunity to tell some pertinent story about our experience. We must remember that stories and examples are very powerful ways of conveying a message. It is important to avoid making too much emphasis on weaknesses that we may have and that have made our work as distance teachers more difficult. Instead, we can focus on the part that we liked the most and enjoyed the most.
If we don’t already have experience working as teachers remotely, it’s essential to be honest about it. But we can take the opportunity to mention our skills and experience using platforms that we know allow us to work remotely, such as YouTube, Google Classroom or Moodle.
Question 11: What caught your attention about our institution?
This is a very important question and almost always comes up in an interview. It seeks to determine to what extent we are interested in teaching at that particular institution, as opposed to our interest in seeking work anywhere that will accept us.
In order to correctly answer this question, we must research beforehand all the pros and cons of the institution, seek opinions from both current professors and those who no longer work there, and analyze all the possible benefits that the institution can offer us. Mentioning educational and professional development programs, the values the institution stands for, and major recent achievements shows the interviewer that we don’t see the institution simply as a job opportunity, but as the best job opportunity.
Some questions about handling difficult situations
The following questions are of great importance for educational institutions since they allow evaluating the temperance of a candidate and the way he handles complicated situations. The answers to these questions must demonstrate an adequate knowledge of the educational laws of the country and of the particular school district, as well as an assertive attitude towards different common but even unpleasant situations.
Question 12: How would you handle a complaint from a parent who disagrees with your teaching method?
It is not uncommon for differences to exist between parents and their children’s teachers. In some cases, these differences can blow out of proportion and lead to serious problems that must be avoided. By answering this question, we must show our ability to handle conflict assertively. We should mention that we would contact parents first by phone rather than by mail and, if necessary, in person. In the event of an excessively aggressive message from a parent, we can mention that we would let the supervisor know to keep him informed while we would take care of resolving the situation ourselves, involving as little as possible of people possible.
In short, we must show that we are capable of dealing with complex situations responsibly, keeping the school informed, being open to receiving support when necessary, but trusting in our ability to handle the situation.
Question 13: What is your opinion about the tours and observations of classrooms by another teacher or teacher?
In some educational establishments, the principal or some other member of the faculty usually conducts tours of the classrooms to supervise the work of the teachers. When answering this question, it is important to show that we do not have a problem with the presence of another adult in the classroom during the lessons. This not only conveys self-confidence, but also ensures that we will not be an impediment to the normal performance of supervisory duties.
Question 14: What is your opinion about the role that diversity, equality and inclusion should have in the classroom?
In some countries it is mandatory to integrate topics of diversity, social equality and inclusion in the lessons, regardless of the topic being covered. When an interviewer asks a question like this, they are usually looking to determine how familiar we are with these legal requirements, as well as what types of steps we would take to comply with the law. It is not, then, about really expressing our opinion, but about assuring the employer that we will do everything necessary to integrate diversity, equality and inclusion in our lessons.
Question 15: How do you handle students with special needs?
Like the previous question, this one seeks to ensure that the candidate selected for the position is aware of current inclusive legislation that seeks to help students with special learning needs. It is not about determining whether or not we agree with mandatory measures such as giving a student more time to complete an activity, or giving a student a preferential position during assessments. It is not even a question of whether or not we agree that this or that student who is protected by the law really deserves preferential treatment.
The correct answer to this question begins with mentioning your knowledge of the relevant legislation and your commitment to complying with all laws, including any requirements for preferential treatment of students with special needs. If so, you can also mention that you would not limit yourself to the legal requirements, but would pay more attention to these students. If you do not feel that the preferential treatment is justified, it is very important to clarify that you would still comply with your duty before the law, but that you would contact the person in charge of monitoring the particular case of that student to express your opinion.
References
Editorial Staff. (2022, January 27). 50 Frequently Asked First-Grade Teacher Interview Questions 2022 . Current School News. https://www.currentschoolnews.com/en/interviews/First-grade-50-teacher-interview-questions/
Indeed Editorial Team. (2021a, December 3). 50 Teacher Interview Questions and Answers . Indeed Career Guide. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/teacher-interview-questions
Indeed Editorial Team. (2021b, December 5). 15 questions for an interview with a preschool teacher . Indeed Professional Guide. https://mx.indeed.com/orientacion-profesional/entrevistas/preguntas-entrevista-maestro-preescolar
Kalish, A. (2022, March 10). 25 Common Teacher Interview Questions—and How to Answer Them . The Muse. https://www.themuse.com/advice/interview-questions-for-teachers-answers#600dd35f-777c-4ecd-8f4f-277d85e7f304
Writing Staff (2022, April 19). 30 Interview Questions Every Teacher Must Be Able To Answer . We Are Teachers. https://www.weareteachers.com/most-common-teacher-interview-questions/
