4 Tips For Your Teaching Interview

Interviewing for a teaching job is a bit different than any traditional office type job. Not only do you have to be prepared for a tough interview, you also need to be sure that you come prepared with a teaching portfolio. By preparing for some of the more common interview questions, and practicing your answers, you can give yourself an advantage. Here are some tips to help you survive your teaching interview.

• So tell me a little about yourself- We all expect to be asked this question at any interview, but when interviewing for a teaching position, the interviewer doesn't want to know everything about you. This is your chance to let the interviewer know why you chose teaching, a little bit about your love for children and what you hope to bring to a classroom. Remember that you don't want to talk too long here, try to keep your answer between 1-2 minutes and make every word count. A good idea is to write out your answer and time yourself. Practice it over and over until you feel confident that you can say it without using fillers like “umm” or “y'know”.

• Include a Classroom Management Plan in your portfolio- You should give some thought to how you would manage behavior in your classroom and write your plan out. You will want to write out classroom rules and a list of rewards and consequences. Include plans for how to deal with behavior issues that may arise.

• Include a Lesson Plan sample- In your portfolio, make sure that you include a sample lesson plan. Make it well thought out and targeted for the age group you are interviewing for. Ideally, the lesson plan should be from a lesson you have taught before. Include pictures of students while you are teaching the lesson and some of the work that the student completed.

• Be prepared with a sample lesson that you will have to teach at your interview- If you are going to be expected to teach a lesson at the interview, you will know about it ahead of time. It is becoming more and more common for teachers to audition before being offered a job. The interviewer wants to see how you are as a teacher before they make their decision. When preparing for this lesson, you will want to plan some activities that get the children out of their seats and moving around. The challenge is to make sure that you plan something that you can cut short if you start to run out of time, and also to have additional materials in case you find that you have to stretch things out.

The most important thing in a teaching resume is to be prepared, but be yourself. Practice your answers to get more comfortable with the answers, but not so much that you sound like a robot when you deliver them. Take some extra time with your portfolio and be sure to include pictures of yourself in a classroom, so that the interviewer can see rather than just hear, how brilliant you are. With a little work ahead of time you can feel confident during your next interview.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a freelance writer and regular contributor to several websites and other publications, a volunteer, a full time mom and an active job seeker.