Top 20 teacher interview questions with answers

Question 1 - How many years of experience do you possess in teaching and what are your competencies?

I possess X years of experience in teaching subjects like X, X, X and X. 

My main competencies are in handling students with different intellectual capabilities and designing a customized model of teaching for each class. At the same time, I can enthuse the students towards the subject by giving them practical overview of the concepts.

And, I hold a track record of teaching students who have then always scored above 60% of marks.

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Question 2 - What are your greatest strengths?

Answer - This question will probably be asked. Now, if you researched the district/school and found out what they are looking for in a candidate, you will be able to focus your response on that information, keeping in mind it is important to tell the truth. With every response you must show your VALUE to the district. This will also give them an idea on how you view your talents and skills as a teacher. Perception is critical... you must be able to confidently discuss your skills using a convincing approach.

It is important the answer shows your hard/tangible skills. For example, classroom management, curriculum development, or technology integration. These skills will show the interviewer(s) what you can do on the job. Don't stop there, you will set yourself apart from the pack if you can back up your claims with actual stories. This will build credibility... it shows you really are good at what you are claiming. Tell them about what you have done to incorporate technology into the classroom and what was the result. The result part of the story sells value... and that produces job offers.

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Question 3 - What is your biggest weakness?

Answer - Your response could include something that may have been a challenge in the past, which you have taken steps to rectify. It is important to be truthful, they will be testing your honesty. In addition, they will be checking to see if you provide a weakness that is critical to success in the position. For example, the interview will likely end quickly if you answer you have a difficult time management the classroom. The key to answering the question is to turn a negative into a positive.

I don't suggest using that the traditional statement, "I'm a perfectionist", it is often overused, and will tend to sound phony. It is important you don't get defensive and try to justify why you are weak in a particular subject area, such as social studies. This would make a bad impression, because it may be relevant to the position that you are seeking. Whatever you decide to use, ensure it is not one of the key skills of the position you are seeking. In other words, don't pinpoint classroom discipline and/management or subject area if you are seeking a teaching position.

Think of this question as an opportunity to sell yourself. Here is an example: You wouldn't say, "I have a difficult time organizing my day." Instead, rephrase the answer by saying. "There are so many creative activities I plan for my students and class time is limited. It is difficult to incorporate all of the activities that I would like my students to learn from. Over time, I have realized to prioritize what lessons are the most important to enhance my student learning. I now realize that I can't do everything I would like to."

The above example shows you are excited about designing new and creative lessons for your students. In their mind, this will not be a negative. It will position you that much closer to getting a job offer.

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Question 4 - Let's imagine an interview for a grade one teaching position and the interviewer asks: "Describe your classroom's physical appearance." Having prepared ahead of time, you understand the interviewer[s] attempt to determine:

• Your teaching style,
• Your ability to effectively manage the class,
• The level and quality of student interaction,
• Your teaching philosophy,

Answer - Within this context, you might respond:

"Upon entering my classroom you will find a lively and colorful room completely centered upon children and active learning. Sight words, the alphabet, numbers, and inspirational quotes cover the walls while large bulletin boards proudly display students' work. A large area contains a carpeted reading or group corner specifically for storytelling, show-and-tell, weather discussions and calendar and day-of-the-week conversations. This classroom includes an abundance of age appropriate reading materials and student mailboxes where children place personal journals, home reading books and workbooks in the morning and then collect newsletters or other parent communication at the end of the day."

NOTE:

Presenting floor plans successfully used in the past demonstrates strong organization and preparation skills. Indicate various potential seating plans used throughout the year and offer pictures of your old classrooms as a way means to provide the principal and interviewing board a first-hand view of your potential classroom...As the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words."

Remember, each person's answer will vary depending upon teaching style and philosophy. The district representatives will look to see if your style is compatible with their needs. Thoroughly researching each specific district needs will allow you to tailor your answers which is the key to a successful interview.

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Question 5 - Why do you want to work for our school district?

Answer - Your preparation and research is imperative to successfully answer this question. Provide a few reasons why you're interested in the school or district, and what in particular sparked your interest. What is your personal experience with the school or district? What do you know about its student body, faculty members, industry reputation, community involvement, educational goals and objectives, upcoming initiatives, demographics, or extracurricular activities? This information will help you to accurately respond to the above question. The word accurate is important -- don't answer the questions by using old information

The interviewer is looking for evidence that you really know why you want to work there or did you just send out applications and hope for the best. This research will also help immensely when answering other questions throughout the interview, so plan to dedicate some time and energy doing this homework. Effective research will help to tailor your answers, without being deceiving, to the question above. It is wrong to tailor your answer with incorrect information - preparation and honesty is the key to a successful interview.

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Question 6 - How do you handle classroom discipline?

Answer - For obvious reasons everyone will have a different answer; it will depend on your teaching style, grade interviewing for, and past experiences. The interviewer will be looking to see if you have a plan, you know how to implement it, and if you think that discipline is an important part of the position. What I have found from coaching clients is they fail to provide a clear action plan that can be backed up with examples. Also it is important to find out what is the philosophy of the school or district, this will give you some additional information. A few things to bring up when answering this question is the following:

It is important to develop ground rules the first week of class, this allows the students to understand what is and isn't acceptable behavior.

These rules are discussed and agreed upon with the students, this makes the students accountability and responsible. You may want to touch on your philosophy of classroom discipline. This of course would depend on your style; you will have to be honest with yourself. But you may believe that you reduce negative behavior by offering the students a intellectually stimulating, organized, and respectful environment.

You will want to get an example of your plan; use a real situation to show your expertise in this very important area. Whether you use the red light/green light, time-outs, or removing the student from the classroom, it is important that you can back up why it is effective and use examples. You will want to explain why you feel the discipline action is effective and why you enjoy using it.

It is also important to indicate there are always two sides to every story, so if the action involves discipline of two students, you must listen to both sides. Indicate that you try to get the students to resolve their own disagreements, which may involve compromise. And end the discussion by asking them, "How will you handle the situation next time?"

Again, you must be honest when answering this question or any other question during the interview, but by organizing your thoughts and stories will make your response concise, truthful, and show your skills to the district.

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Question 7 - How would you describe a successful principal?

Answer - By asking this question, the hiring committee is attempting to assess the following:

• Do you understand what traits contribute to the success of a principal. As a teacher, what traits do you value most.
• Your response may indicate or suggest possible conflicts with the current principal.

Responses to this question may include:

It is important that a successful principal...

• has a vision and a plan to reach that vision...combined with the ability to bring faculty members together to form a cooperative team and motivate them to reach district goals and objectives.
• be visible... the principal's presence should be evident on a continual basis. He or she must be easily accessible to both students and teachers.
• has a great sense of humor, and can relate well to a diverse group of individuals.
• genuinely cares about the students, teachers, parents, and the district.

8. What qualities in you made you choose teaching as a profession?

Education is the key for the development of the society and teaching is profession where a continuous learning and sharing of knowledge happens. Personally am a very enthusiastic learner and a good communicator with a strong zeal to do contribute to the society. Hence chose this profession to enlighten the young minds and drive them for a better life.

9. Why are you looking for a change from your current institution? I have been working with the current institution for the last X years and it has always been a learning experience all the while. But feel that I am entering the comfort zone and hence change is a must to ensure there is some professional development. Looking for a new and challenging work environment where enhancing my existing skills is a must.

10. Every teacher will have a different style in teaching. What is your style? Demonstrative style of teaching is what I follow where it involves lot of preparation for the class. Text books collate all the information and put it at one place for the students and hence the role of a teacher is to explain the concepts in a way that students understand and remember. Organising practical sessions and showing the videos pertaining to the subject helps students better.

11. In your opinion what do students look for in their teacher? Students look at their teachers as role models and person who can guide them better for a bright future. As a role model the teacher should infuse positive attitudes towards life and encourage them to be good citizens contributing to the nation and society.

12. Each and every child is special and gifted differently. How do you identify those hidden talents? Yes, the fact that each child is blessed differently and a teacher is the best person to identify the hidden talents and encourage them to pursue those special skills. Different classroom activities like essay writing, elocution, painting and role plays help in identifying children with special talents in writing, oratory, acting and artistic skills . Also the sports and cultural events bring out their leadership & team working skills.

13. What are the challenges for teachers in handling the modern day students? The role of teachers is becoming very challenging these days. Especially with both parents working and the time they spend with the children for their studies is drastically coming down. Also the expectations of the parents on their children both in studies and extra-curricular activities are very high. All this becomes a great challenge for the teachers in giving individual attention to each child rather than just delivering the lesson. Also the improving technology and communications are giving children a great exposure to the happening around the world and tinge of innocence is completely missing. Children are able to get any sort of information in a click of mouse on the internet. Hence the teachers are facing a great challenge in handling students in the current day. Teachers need to really pull up their socks and improve their knowledge and not just rely on the text books.

14. How do you use technology in driving the interest of the students? Use of technology is inevitable both to gain hands on knowledge using internet and using PPT’s and video clippings for delivering the class room sessions.

15. Good Communication skills are a must for a teacher. How do you comprehend this? A good teacher must be a good communicator. Without good communication skills one cannot get the students attention however knowledgeable the person might be. Obviously what matters is the output or the delivery and no one would count on the time spent on preparation or the years of experience gained.

16. What techniques do you follow to ensure active participation of the students in the class? Communication should always be two way. The teacher delivering the lesson and students listening to it is an old style; the teachers today need to be facilitators. Simple techniques like giving small assignments on the subject, conducting quiz competitions and making presentations on the topics helps students to gain interest on the subject. 17. Tell me about a challenging discipline problem you had. How did you manage it? Teachers regularly experience various types of disruptive student behavior, from the frustrating but relatively minor problem of talking during class, to more challenging problems, like students confronting the authority of the teacher. Provide a specific example and in your answer show your ability to have planned ahead for such instances by having measures in place and a clear action plan to deal with serious discipline problems. Support any disciplinary action you took with reasons as to why it was effective and why you used it. The interviewers are looking for an effective classroom behavior management plan. 18. Describe your discipline philosophy. With teacher interview questions and answers like this it is a good idea to have a well organized statement about your approach to discipline. Your interview answer will depend on your teaching style, the position (including age group) you are interviewing for and your past experience. Do some research about this school or district's approach to discipline so that you are on the same page with your answer. Provide a clear and concise statement and back it up with examples. "The purpose of discipline is to facilitate learning and foster better relationships and respect between the students. It is also intended to help students become more self-directed, self-disciplined and accountable for their behavior. I have found that students respond poorly to forceful discipline but well to discipline that is helpful. My philosophy is to provide clear limits and rules that are communicated to the students so that they have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. The rules are discussed and agreed upon to encourage accountability from the students........." 19. Tell me about your classroom management style. Your answer should demonstrate how you achieve effective student management and control. Include aspects such as monitoring, modeling, environmental control and reinforcement. Explain how you are able to adapt your style according to the situation. Provide examples. 20. How do you build rapport with your class? Teacher interview questions and answers about establishing rapport should include an understanding of the role of rapport in contributing to effective teaching. Demonstrate what behaviors you use to develop rapport such as sense of humor, showing interest in the students, availability, encouragement and relating lessons in everyday terms and examples that are relevant to the students. Give examples of how you have demonstrated these behaviors in the classroom such as finding out something about your students' interests, hobbies, and aspirations.