27+ Interview Tips For Teachers & Sample Answers!

For any teacher going for a job interview, there are some things you need to know that will enhance your success in landing this job.

Interview tips for teachers are different to normal interview job tips, as there is a specific skill set that the interviewer is looking for.

When you express yourself with confidence, remembering the following key tips, you’ll have a greater chance of standing out from the crowd of applicants.

Table of Contents

27+ Interview Tips For Teachers With Tested Questions & Answers Samples!

1. Learn teaching phrases

Brush up on key teaching terms so that you are using specific teaching lingo in your interview when asked questions or when you are asking the interviewer questions. This will depend on your mode of teaching, the syllabus and curriculum offered, and the region you are applying for. Know the commonly used terms for teaching before you go into the interview.

2. Prepare answers to common interview questions for teachers.

Read the later points of the article to get a sense of what the most generic questions are, and see example answers that can help you feel confident and prepared to answer them.

3. Research the school thoroughly.

Learn about the school’s community culture through their website and any other links and news that come up in an online search.

4. Look into the school’s achievements and accolades.

This can give you material for topics to talk about during your interview.

5. What can you bring to the school

Assess the school’s current context and notice if there are any particular needs that you see that this school would benefit from having fulfilled. You can tailor your language and expression to touch upon these points, offering your unique expertise to the school.

6. List your core teaching strengths

List your strengths in the practical classroom teaching environment so that you can draw from them when asked about your proficiencies.

7. Share how you manage data of students

Also, list your strengths in back-end data systems in how you manage and organize your plans and your students. This is essential for the interviewer to know that you are an organized person able to manage their role.

Interview tips for teachers: During the interview

There are key actions to remember to take within the interview process to display a professional tone and be seen as a key choice for the role. Read these interview tips for teachers below.

8. Bring any relevant documents & certificates

Bring documents to the interview, like your portfolio, that display your achievements, or samples of your past lesson plans, worksheets, and other teaching resources. Even if you never show this, it will come across as you being professional and well prepared simply to bring this with you.

9. Wear professional attire.

It goes without saying that for any interview in any field, you need to wear business-smart attire to your interview. Even though many teachers may have a casual-smart style in their daily work, as a rule, you’ll need to dress more professionally in the interview.

10. Make eye contact and watch your body language.

Open, relaxed gestures will show your self-confidence, which is definitely something teachers will need in their role of communicating and standing at the front of a room.

11. Take your time and listen.

It’s ok if you take more time to answer questions. Put your energy into being attentive and listening deeply to the interviewer. This shows that you are a considerate, thoughtful candidate who is taking the interview seriously.

12. Speak with passion and conviction.

If you show your enthusiasm for teaching through the way you animatedly speak, this bodes well for the interviewer to trust that this is more than just a job for you, but a career that you will invest a high standard of work in.

13. Have a good understanding of your teaching style

Understand your teaching philosophy and be ready to express this during the interview. Find a space where it comes out organically. For example, ‘I believe that listening to students allows them to feel more confident in me being there to support them and help them, rather than being an authority ‘against them’. My teaching philosophy is to respect the student as a human being that is deserving of being seen as a valuable member of society, with thoughts and views worthy of being heard.’

Interview tips for teachers: After the interview

Now that you’re finished with the actual interview process, there are a few more things you can do. The following tips could be just the thing that separates you from the rest of the interviewers who also aced that stage. Even if you do great, that doesn’t mean that others didn’t do great too. So be sure to follow up in the right way to leave a lasting impression.

14. Wait 24 hours before sending a follow-up email. This respects the time of the interviewer and makes you come across as less ’desperate’ for the role.

15. When you write your follow up email, have the main message be gratitude for the opportunity and simply an open offering to share more information if they need it.

16. Wait one week until you send a second follow-up email if you haven’t heard from the interviewer, to ask about their decision

17. Stick to email, rather than calling, unless you have not had any response after two weeks, or unless they specify to contact them over the phone.

Interview tips for teachers: Common questions and their answers

As mentioned above, there are common questions that you’ll be asked in your interview, so preparing for the following questions can make you feel more at ease going into the interview with having some answers ready to go.

18. Question: ‘Why have you chosen teaching as your career?’

Answer: ‘I am a forever student, always learning something new and feeling the inspiration and confidence that comes with acquiring new skills and knowledge. This makes me passionate about sharing this with others, as I know firsthand the beautiful feeling that learning offers.’

19. Question: ‘How do you like to interact with parents?’

Answer: ‘I like to have clear communication with parents as much as possible, often over email, when something arises with a student that I feel would be beneficial for them to know.’

20. Question: ‘How do you handle difficult students?’

Answer: ‘I take it case-by-case and attempt to take my own personal judgments and opinions out of it, especially not taking things personally, so that I can stay calm and grounded for more objective problem-solving.’

21. Question: ‘What is your favorite subject to teach?’

Answer: ‘I love English. I’ve always loved writing, and teaching English is very gratifying as I know how much of a practical and valuable capacity it will be for people throughout their lives to communicate with the written word.’

22. Question: ‘What is the biggest challenge you face as a teacher?’

Answer: ‘I feel that juggling multiple classes and curriculums is the main challenge, and requires me to be very meticulous in how I schedule my work priorities so I can stay on top of tasks and not fall behind.’

23. Question: ‘Why did you leave your last job?’

Answer: ‘I felt that my personal values weren’t reflected in the school’s mission, and knew it was time to find an environment to work that fosters a healthy, positive way for students to learn, whilst having key resources needed to teach them.

I feel that your establishment is more in line with modern learning techniques, and has a wonderful mission that came throughout in my research of your school. One that I’d like to be a part of.’

Interview tips for teachers: Questions to ask the interviewer

Finally, you’ll often be given time to ask the interviewer questions, and this is a great opportunity to continue to show how interested you are, how you are thinking about the role, and where your mindset is. Questions are very telling! So the following questions are valuable to ask the interviewer to show that you’re a valuable candidate.

24. ‘What makes this school unique?’

25. ’What is the average size of a classroom?’

26. ‘How do you measure the success of your teaching staff?’

27. ‘How does this school handle bullying?’

To learn more about how to land that next job, check out our homepage where you can see dozens of great articles.

Or perhaps you’re thinking about a change? Check out our detailed guide on ideal jobs for former teachers.