Hiring managers are looking for more than just your ability to teach.
I’ve written a few posts about how to answer teaching interview questions, but those posts were based on my own experience as an applicant. In that role, I knew what the hiring managers wanted to hear — and what they didn’t want to hear — because I had interviewed with dozens of schools and districts over the years.
Now I’m back in the classroom, and I see how much has changed in terms of what’s actually expected of new teachers. A lot of people still think that all you need to do is be good at your content area and have a strong teaching philosophy. But if you’re applying for a job now, you’ll find that these days hiring managers are looking for something far more comprehensive.
In fact, most of the interview questions that come up during the hiring process will revolve around three things:
Your belief in students described as “unteachable”.
Your confidence working with the age group you’re being asked to teach.
Whether or not you focus on building a positive community rather than punitive consequences.
And while there are some other topics that might come up (like your experience and your teaching philosophy), it seems like hiring managers have pretty well defined ideal candidate profiles in mind, and they’re looking for signs that you fit into that profile.
The first thing you should know is that this means you can prepare for almost any teaching interview. There are only so many ways to ask a question about whole-child development, classroom management, teacher-student relationships, student engagement, learning outcomes, etc. And there are only so many ways to ask questions about your content-area knowledge. The preparation is entirely achievable given the limited number of question types.
Common Question Categories
Once you know that, you can start preparing answers to common questions. Here are a few of the predictable categories of questions you’ll face in interviews, along with suggestions for how to answer them.
When hiring managers ask about whole-child development, they’re trying to determine whether you believe that children grow socially, emotionally, and academically. They’re also trying to see whether you understand that each child grows individually, and whether you understand that children grow together as a group.
When they ask about classroom management, they’re asking you to demonstrate your understanding of what goes on in a classroom. This includes your understanding of behavior management, your understanding of how to create a productive environment, and your understanding of how to respond to unexpected scenarios. These questions are often scenario-based, meaning that they’ll present you with a situation and ask you to describe how you’d respond.
When they ask about teacher-student relationships, they’re trying to determine whether you understand the importance of relationships between teachers and students, and whether you understand how to build those relationships. When they ask about student engagement, they’re looking for evidence that you understand how to keep students interested and motivated to learn. When they ask about learning outcomes, they’re looking for evidence that you understand how to measure what students learn and how to improve their learning.
Finally, when they ask about your content-area knowledge, they’re simply testing your ability to teach that subject. But even though this may seem like a simple question, hiring managers expect you to prepare for it.
How to Answer Key Interview Questions
If you get a question about handling disruptive student behavior, you should lead with your approach to building a positive community. It’s important to note that managing student behavior is a key part of teaching, but it’s equally important to note that hiring managers are assessing whether or not you prioritize building a positive community over reacting with punishment.
When asked why you want to be a teacher, you should share a genuine idealistic vision of education. You should explain how education impacts the world, how it helps students achieve their dreams, how it builds confidence in students, and how it allows students to uncover their potential. This demonstrates that you have the right kind of “drive for achievement” that hiring managers want.
But your goals shouldn’t just be idealistic; they should be specific. They should reflect what you hope to accomplish as a teacher. And they should always be tied to helping your students succeed.
You should also explain both your personal motivations for becoming a teacher and your professional motivations. This shows that you’re not just going through the motions, but that you really care about teaching.
There are a few other high-priority topic areas that you must prepare specific strategies and examples for:
Literacy support for all students, including English language learners
Social-emotional learning: concern for emotional well-being of the most vulnerable students, plan for developing SEL skills
Parent and guardian engagement: inform, collaborate, and recount several concrete methods
How to Deliver Strong Answers
When delivering answers to interviewers, you should aim to come across as confident and credible. School leaders want to hire someone who they can trust to do a good job. That doesn’t mean you should try to impress them with your personality; instead, you should practice giving answers that sound confident, reflective, and authentic.
It’s important to rehearse your answers, because school leaders will have an ideal candidate profile in mind, and they’ll look for signs that you fit into that profile.
Finally, you should always make sure to prepare thoughtful questions for the interviewer. Your turn comes after the interviewer finishes asking questions, and you should use this opportunity to ask the interviewer questions about the school district and the specific position you’re applying for. Even seemingly simple questions benefit from advance preparation.