10+ Teacher Interview Questions & Answers [The Best Tips]

The teacher’s profession is incredibly important and influential for modern society. The education sector provides an opportunity for the tutor to be involved in the formation and development of personalities. Preschool pedagogues, elementary teachers or educators in high school not just engage young and adult individuals on a specific topic or range of topics, but shape how they grow, learn and feel the surrounding world. A great teacher always prefers not just to transfer knowledge, but to become part of the learning process, which significantly improves the final result. 

This article delivers a special set of interview questions for the teaching position. Of course, the list of questions to ask in a teacher interview may differ some from the examples below. Nevertheless, you can catch the main principle for a successful dialogue with your potential employer or with a recruiter during the hiring interview. 

For your reading pleasure, we’ve collected common requirements and typical interview tips for teachers with examples of acceptable answers. Here you can also find some useful tips on how to prepare for the teaching job interview and how to display yourself as an excellent candidate in the eyes of your employer.

What do hiring managers want to hear from you in the job interview?

In a special edition of The Guardian, the top ten teacher interview questions and answers are published alongside quotes by real headteachers of contemporary British schools. In the article, these proven leaders of the educational sphere share questions they ask when recruiting new staff and the answers they hope to hear. In general, these shortlists of interview questions for teaching position include testament to the variety of hard skills and professional qualifications that teachers must-have.

We gathered a collection of typical questions to ask in a teacher interview and provide examples of the answers which you can use as references when preparing for your first personal meeting with your future employer. 

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

Despite the fact that this is the most common of all interview questions for teachers, a generic answer will not work. Your willingness to help people probably won’t be appreciated. Try to come up with some specific facts from your life experience and crucial moments from your professional biography to make the answer more genuine and to impress the interviewer. 

Why should we hire you?

Every single job interview question has an aim to become a piece of the puzzle that provides a detailed portrait of a candidate. Employers look for a worker that will fit well with the company. So to answer such questions correctly, you have to do research in advance on the school’s needs. Study the vacancy requirements and tailor your answers to that role to show that you are a perfect match!

What are your strongest professional features?

It would be great if you point out your strong moral qualities, excellent leadership abilities, and patience. Your wider professional portrait is better to display in your cover letter. Still don’t have one? Try to compose your job application document with the help of special web platforms like the Get Cover Letter online editor. With a good cover letter, you’ll look like a more confident and prepared job seeker.

Do you have effective methods to prevent bullying of kids at school?

This is an incredibly important issue nowadays. Everyone is familiar with bullying cases that transformed into dangerous situations. Be ready to face this question in the interview. Teaching can be complicated, especially if you work with a child at risk or in the area of special education. It is always better to prevent critical situations than to correct the consequences. Highlight that this is your mission as a good teacher.

What qualities do your students appreciate in you?

You can point out your professional and personal characteristics that play a role in grabbing the students’ attention and getting them excited to learn. Also, mention your fairness, consistency, and sense of humor as connecting links between you as an educator and your audience. 

What teaching style do you prefer in your work?

All educators use teaching styles that reflect their distinct personalities and curriculum. Answers could include being a role model for your students, an authoritative lecturer, an activity facilitator, a demonstrative coach or a delegator. It’s also quite normal to mix different teaching style elements to perform a hybrid teaching method. Show off your flexibility in this topic.

How do you motivate your pupils?

Two of the most important teachers’ duties are to educate and to encourage students. A Ph.D. candidate at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, Soren Rosier, describes 3 ways to inspire students in an article he wrote for WikiHow. You can learn more about them and choose the one that relates best to you. This will help you to answer this question more clearly.  

How can you describe your best lesson?

The most acceptable answer to this question must be customized for a certain case. HR managers in the educational sphere would prefer to hear about some innovative methods. Examples could include animated discussions, excellent visual displays of students’ work in progress, and a high level of engagement.

How do you engage students who are bored?

Contemporary educators have to compete with online games, Snapchat, and other kinds of digital entertainment for kids. This is a real challenge. Think about how you can implement new technologies, interactive presentation of learning materials, organizing lessons in different locations, etc.

Do you implement technologies in the teaching process?

No matter what subject you profess at school, conservative and archaic forms of teaching are top class enemies for the contemporary teacher. Point out that you are constantly developing your knowledge of digital technologies and their implementation in classroom activities. Smartboards, desktops, iPads, Fitbit and other devices are your friends.

Can the teacher become the profession of the future?

Tim Walker investigated the contemporary workforce in the educational area in the United States and highlighted the top 5 key trends in the teaching profession for his contributor’s article in the NEA Today, the news web resource of the National Education Association. The author of this statistical research discovered that over the past 30 years, the percentage of the workforce’s educational employment has significantly grown due to a combination of factors. 

The teaching force has been on the uptick ever since the late ‘80s (except for the period following the Recession), even outpacing the rate of increase for students. This trend demonstrates that the profession of a teacher won’t lose its social impact in the future. Therefore, it may be a great idea to try yourself in the educational sphere where you may be able to transform your set of skills into advantageous professional features.

A real teacher must be a multi-tasking employee. A professional tutor must plan lessons, develop a curriculum of a studying process, make sure that the classroom meets safety rules, observe the behavior of students, and prepare study materials, among many other things. So the main skill that you must present to the employer is your strong ability and willingness to perform a wide range of tasks in a quality manner. 

Don’t miss a chance to point all this out in your cover letter, which can become your invitation card to the job interview. Click here to learn more helpful information about creating a good cover letter for teaching positions, vacancy requirements, writing tips and samples of ready-made job application documents.