When considering you as a candidate for a teaching position, interviewers want to know your specific qualifications, such as experience and credentials, as well as your relevant personality traits, goals, and expectations. They are generally concerned with how you will relate to your students and whether your experience and education have provided the necessary skills to be an effective teacher. They will also be interested in your long-term objectives. The following are questions to expect during an interview for a teaching position.
First, they may ask you to tell them about yourself in general. You can briefly describe your background, how long you have lived in the area, what your interests are, and anything you want to mention that may be interesting to them.
What made you decide to become a teacher?
Now is an excellent time to let them know how you feel about education, why it is essential, and what you want to accomplish with your students.
What is your educational background?
You should list your credentials, including degrees and where you earned them.
Do you have any teaching experience?
Explain and describe any teaching you have done so far. If you do not have formal teaching experience, you can describe any circumstances in which you used your teaching skills. If you have worked in daycare or have had any interaction with children, which included teaching them basic skills, you can use these as examples. If you are applying for a position teaching adult learners, you can describe any formal or informal experience you have teaching skills to adults.
What is your basic approach to teaching?
Asking about your approach to teaching is an important question. It reveals your knowledge and understanding of the learning process and how you intend to help your students realize their best potential. Your answer to this question should include specific methods you intend to use and why they work. It should also include your underlying philosophy on creating an optimal learning environment. Explain how you think students learn best and how your pedagogy will provide the best process for each student. It is also a good idea to mention differentiation in the classroom. They will want to know that you are capable of teaching all types of learners.
What are your long-term goals?
You should explain in reasonably specific terms where you would like to be and what you would like to be doing in the next few years. Use broader, more general terms to talk about a longer time frame. For example, in the next three years, you might want to be well established in the position you are applying for, and continuing to learn and improve your skills. Ten years from now, you might want to consider the possibility of obtaining a more advanced position, depending on the skills you acquire in that time frame. Mention specific possibilities, such as a position on the school board, or in educational counseling.
Remember that you were a student at one time. If you mention your own learning experiences and how they affected you, your interviewers will see that you can understand and relate to your students. Use your personal experience to demonstrate your confidence in your understanding of the learning process.