50 Great Questions for Teacher Interviews

Whether you need to fill a teaching position or whether you're applying for one, it's worth exploring
common questions asked during interviews. Here are 50 questions that help draw out applicants' knowledge,
experience, and more.

The interview is an opportunity to get to know an applicant in ways that can't be gleaned from a resume. While an
applicant addresses a mix of questions about background, teaching experience, and the "ideal" classroom, the
interviewer learns about his or her enthusiasm for teaching and dedication to the profession. For those interviewing for
a teaching position, use these questions as guidelines to prepare. See key interview questions below. (Tailor these to the
level of the candidate.)

1. What is your educational background? (Or I see you went to [insert school name here]. What was the most
rewarding part of attending that university?)

2. What are you currently reading for enjoyment?

3. What do you want to be doing in five years?

4. List five adjectives that describe yourself.

5. What is one of your weaknesses, and how are you working to improve it?

6. What interests do you pursue outside of the classroom?

7. To what teams and/or clubs did you belong as a student?

8. What activities might you coach or advise as a member of the teaching staff?

9. When did you decide to become a teacher, and why did you choose this field?

10. Why do you want to teach at the ____ level?

11. What personal strengths do you find especially helpful in your teaching?

12. What is your favorite subject to teach? Why?

13. What is your least favorite subject, and how do you overcome your indifference toward it to teach it well?

14. What do you like most about teaching as a career?

15. What is your least favorite aspect of teaching?

16. What is your philosophy of education?

17. What role do standards play in your classroom?

18. Describe your teaching style.

19. How do you organize your classroom?

20. How do you structure your time to manage all of the duties associated with teaching?

21. What is the greatest success you have had in teaching?

22. What do you think is the greatest challenge facing students today?

23. What is the most difficult aspect of teaching today?

24. What are the qualities of an excellent teacher?

25. Describe the "worst" lesson you have taught. What did you learn from it?

26. What is your approach to classroom management?

 27. What role have parents played in your classroom?

28. How do you motivate your students to become active learners in your classroom? (Or: How do you encourage
class participation?)

29. Tell us about a troubling student you have taught and how you helped him or her.

30. Describe your best professional development experience.

31. Describe your ideal lesson.

32. Describe your planning process for a major project or unit.

33. Explain your experience with [insert teaching strategy here].

34. What plans do you have for the integration of technology in your own classroom?

35. What experience have you had with team-teaching? What is your opinion of it?

36. How have and will you address your students' different learning styles?

37. How do the assignments you give offer students the opportunity to express their creativity and individuality?

38. How do you modify your teaching to reach students who are struggling to perform at grade level?

39. How do you provide support for students with exceptional ability?

40. What would you tell your incoming class in a "back-to-school" letter at the start of a new school year?

41. How would you deal with a student who regularly missed school or your class?

42. If most of the students in your class failed an assignment, test, or project, how would you respond?

43. What would your students say they had learned after spending a year in your class? (Or: What do you want
students to remember about your class?)

44. How would you establish and maintain good communication with the parents of your students?

45. What steps would you follow to deal with a student who displays consistent behavioral problems in your
classroom?

46. Under what circumstances would you refer a child to the administrator's office?

47. What could a visitor to your class expect to see?

48. What do you hope to learn from your mentor?

49. How would you take advantage of resources within the community to enhance your teaching?

50. Why should you be hired for this position?

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Typical teaching interview questions

Find out what you are likely to be asked at your interview for your first graduate teaching job, whether in a primary or
secondary school.

Interviewers will be keen to know how you will relate to parents.

When you are interviewed for a teaching job you should expect to be asked questions on specific topics around teaching
your subject or age range, current issues in education, and your approaches to tasks such as behaviour management,
assessment and overcoming challenges.

Interviewers will be keen to know how well you could work with other teachers and how you will relate to parents.
Supporting your answers with examples will strengthen their impact.

Introductory questions at teaching interviews

 Have you enjoyed your visit to the school?

 Why have you applied for this post?

Questions about yourself

 Tell us about yourself and what inspires you.

 What personal interests do you have that could be of value to the school?

 What unique qualities can you bring to the school?

 How do you know when you have had a good day?

 How do you handle stress?

Explain your choice of school or local authority

 What makes a successful school?

 How would you support the ethos of this school?

 How could you integrate the community into your teaching?

Handling professional issues in the classroom

 What are your particular strengths and weaknesses as a teacher?

 Describe the worst or best lesson you have given. What would you do differently? Say why it was successful or
unsuccessful.

 How do you judge the achievement of pupils in your subject?

 If we visited your classroom in October, what could we expect to see?

 What is the role of target setting?

 How would you ensure that you respond effectively to the differing needs and abilities of pupils?

 How would you foster equal opportunities in the classroom/school?

 How would you accommodate children who have English as an additional language?

 How would you raise a child's self-esteem and aspirations?

 How far do children in your classroom direct their own learning?

 What are your views on the value of homework?

 Which is more important, teaching or learning, and why?

Behaviour management

 What are your views about discipline?

 How much noise and moving around the classroom would you permit?

 How would you cope with a child constantly interrupting the lesson?

 How would you deal with bullying?

 What would you do if your strategies for behaviour management were not succeeding?

Primary interviews

 How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the literacy strategy?

 What is the place of topic work in school and what is your experience of it?

 Which reading/mathematics schemes have you used?

 What are your views on the balance between creativity and basic skills?

 How might you use ICT in your teaching?

 How would you ensure the continued improvement of numeracy standards in your class?

 How would you structure literacy lessons to ensure equal access for all pupils?

Secondary interviews

 Why do we teach (your subject) in schools?

 How would you motivate year 9 pupils who have lost interest in the subject?

 What would you say to a student considering taking your subject at A-level?

 What are your views on cross-curricular teaching?

 What are your views on streaming/sets/mixed-ability teaching?

 How would you address the underachievement of boys/girls in your subject area?

 Have you had any experience of vocational education?

 What bearing do you think future developments (in your subject) will have on your teaching?

 How would you teach (an area relevant to your subject) to a year 8 mixed-ability group?

Pastoral care

 What is the role of a form tutor and what relevant experience have you had?

 How would you seek to promote the moral, social and cultural development of the pupils?

 To which aspects of personal and social education could you make a contribution?

 How would you get to know your tutor group/class?

Your approach to working with parents and other adults

 What is your experience with parents in school? How could this be developed?

 How would you deal with a hostile or aggressive parent?

 How would you seek to work cooperatively with your colleagues?

 What support would you expect from staff as a newly qualified teacher (NQT)?
  How would you seek to work with adults other than teachers in your classroom?

 Give an example of when you have worked effectively within a team?

Your career development

 How will you develop yourself as a professional teacher?

 Where do you see yourself in five years?

Answering questions: interview performance tips

 Panels are interested in how you answer as well as what you say.

 Answers should be sufficiently detailed to show how you stand out from other applicants and should include
examples wherever possible.

 Taking time to think before giving a well-constructed answer is fine.

 Remember to ask for clarification if the question is unclear.

 When you are offered a job, most schools will expect a prompt response. Some may even ask at the interview if
you will accept the post if it is offered.

https://targetjobs.co.uk/career-sectors/teaching-and-education/advice/330725-typical-teaching-interview-questions
Reasons to Become a Teacher

Many teachers discover that their love of children draws them to teaching, or that their own love of learning makes
them passionate about teaching.

Others are inspired by a teacher earlier in their education who had a positive impact on them. A teacher may be seen as
a leader, a mentor or even a surrogate parental figure.

Describing a Favorite Teacher

This might naturally lead to a related interview question about the best teacher you ever had, or who your favorite
teacher was and why. This question addresses more than just your chosen career; it also shines a light on how you
function as an employer since a teacher is essentially the first boss or manager of your work, albeit in an academic
environment. Did you respect your teacher because she was patient and tolerant or perhaps because she took time to
offer you extra help? The interviewer will be interested in your explanation as to which traits you admired in your
teacher because it lends insight into what kind of management style you prefer and what approach enables you to
thrive.

No one ever forgets a meaningful teacher who had an impact on their life. This is a rather personal question and so your
answer should be personal too. This is also a chance to indirectly slip in some positive qualities and strengths of your
own that you possess as a result of this teacher's guidance.

It's also helpful to provide a personal anecdote. Share stories of how you made a difference to a child in a classroom or
how you successfully taught a challenging lesson as a result of what you learned from that teacher. Here's an example:

The best teacher I ever had was my history teacher in high school. I preferred English and science to history, but she was
able to see past the dates and facts and make the subject come to life beyond the basic curriculum. For instance, we
looked through old newspaper articles about historical events and then wrote our own blogs as if we were journalists
living during that time. I was inspired by her unconventional techniques and I strive to bring the same passion for
innovative ways to learn to my classroom.

Additional Examples of Best Answers

 The assistant principal of my high school was a real inspiration to me, and she is one of the major reasons I
pursued a teaching career. Her ability to guide students, her fairness, and her sense of justice made me aspire to
bring these things to my own classroom.

 While I was student teaching, I had the opportunity to take a student aside to help him with a particularly
difficult math concept that he was having trouble understanding. When I was able to show him a different way
to approach the problem, and he 'got it', I knew that I had chosen the right field!