How to Prepare for Your Teacher Job Interview

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Preparing for an interview is probably the most overlooked phase of securing a new job position. Everyone thinks it is easy until they enter an interview room in front of a panel of educators who are judging every move and every word. Then, reality sinks in! The panel might include the superintendent of the school district, school principals, teachers, and parents, making it critical to address your answers to all involved. The more you prepare for an interview, the better your odds of securing a job offer will be.

Below are a couple of common teacher job interview questions and possible answers to give you some ideas on what to include in your responses.

Keep in mind, these are just possibilities and should be used with discretion. Each candidate's background, teaching style, and experiences are different, and the answers should reflect those differences. There is one thing you must remember that applies to everyone who interviews --- don't lie! Also, keep in mind, that you should tailor your answers to address the specific needs of a school or school district in which you are interested.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Oh, yes, this is the question that is most likely to be asked first. I call it a two minute commercial about yourself. This is a great opportunity to sell yourself to the school district representatives. Keep in mind, if it is the first question asked, it will set the stage for the interview, so it needs to be extremely strong. Don't be too modest. This will provide an overview, an introduction, to you. You might start by stating, "As you can see from my resume…." and then mention your degrees and certifications and give a quick run down of your relevant experience. The last 1 ½ minutes should be used to communicate your strengths and skills and what you can do to enhance education in their district. In other words, they are asking "Why should we hire you?" Practice this carefully. You need a few sentences that answer that question at the end of your response. Also, at the end, you may want to mention why you would enjoy working for the school district in the position for which they are hiring.

Let's pretend it's almost the first day of school and you are a first grade teacher. How would you prepare your classroom?

This question tests how well you will manage the classroom. The philosophy is that the more organized you are, the more well-run your classroom will be. Don't give the panel just a few words… they may be using a checklist to see how many items you mention. Plus, as a teacher, you should be very excited about this question and be able to speak for a while, but limit the response to two minutes.

Your response must provide them with an idea of how nurturing and inviting your classroom will be to students. Come up with some creative decorating ideas, making sure they are student-centered. You could also mention a huge welcome sign, the daily schedule, age-appropriate posters, name tags for students, labeled desks (how will they be arranged?) and lockers, a list of class rules/consequences/rewards, and other labeled areas (e.g., the classroom library, manipulative storage, computer area), etc. Or, mention that you might invite parents and students to visit the classroom the day before school starts, with the administrator's permission. If you have a portfolio with have pictures of other first days of school, this is a great chance to share them with the panel.

Next, make it clear that you will have organized the textbooks, your lesson plan book, your grade book and other materials well before school begins. Mention several activities you might include during the first day of school, including an ice-breaker, a trip to the restrooms, and a fun art project.

The real key to this question is to show your enthusiasm, passion, excellent organizational skills, and how you will create a warm and captivating environment in which students will feel safe, where learning will be maximized, so that children will look forward to coming to school each day.

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Teachers, discover 101 interview questions and potential answers by clicking on the following link: resumes-for-teachers.com/ebook/Teachers-Interview-Edge.php Administrators, discover 101 interview questions and potential answers by clicking on the following link: resumes-for-principals.com/PIE/Principals-Interview-Edge.php Candace Davies, Owner of A+ Resumes for Teachers and A+ Resumes for Principals, is dedicated to assisting educators worldwide leverage their strengths, accomp

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