Whether you need to fill five teaching positions or 25, the questions you
ask during interviews will be the key to drawing out the personalities
of applicants and ultimately selecting the right educators to join your
staff. Find your next new hire with a few of these great interview questions!
Included: 50 questions to help you learn about applicants' knowledge,
experience, and more!
Choosing the Right
Person for the Job
If this article is of interest, then you're sure to find some
more helpful information in these articles from our archive:
If you're a teacher in search of a
job, be sure to check out the additional resources at the end
of this article.
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. Find out if the applicant at your next interview is
the best person to join your staff with a few of the great interview questions
below.
1. What is your educational background?
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.
Tips
for Interviewers
Make the most of teacher interviews with these tips!
Tailor your questions to the applicant's level of experience.
Good questions for new teachers might include:
--- What is a strength of the teacher training program at ____
(university or college)?
--- How have your former teachers influenced your teaching?
--- Describe the positives and negatives of your student-teaching
experience.
--- What do you most look forward to in establishing your own
classroom?
Be prepared with questions that address specific issues related
to the subject matter and grade level the position involves.
Always give applicants the chance to ask their own questions
at the end of the interview.
Ask to see candidates' portfolios. In the nervousness of interviewing,
some applicants forget to share them!
30. Describe your best professional development experience.
31. Describe your ideal lesson.
32. Describe your planning process for a major project or unit.
33. How have you integrated technology into your teaching instruction?
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?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCE
An
Interviewer's Handbook
This handbook features a list of 100 interview questions and shares some suggestions about what interviewing practices to implement and common mistakes to avoid.
For the Teaching Applicant
If you are seeking a teaching position and preparing for an interview, check out the following resources to help you answer interview questions like those above more effectively.
Interviewing
Tips and Strategies
A resource from the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, this Web page provides lists of questions frequently asked during teaching interviews, questions applicants may ask during interviews, and negative factors candidates should avoid.
