Teacher Interview Questions

Some Example Interview Questions for Teachers

1. Why do you wish to teach at this School?

2. What do you think you have to offer?

3. What is the place of your specialist subject in the curriculum for xx year olds?

4. What do you think is the role of staff appraisal in terms of professional development?

5. How would you set about teaching reading in your classroom? How would you help poor readers?

6. How would you organise your class in terms of provision for equal opportunities?

7. What do you think is the value of organising the curriculum around topics?

8. How would you manage assessment in your classroom?

9. How would you see parents as assisting you in the classroom?

10. How do you see your career developing in the future?

11. How would you use the computer in your classroom?

12. If your classroom is organised in groups, how do you ensure that everyone is occupied?

13. What is your understanding of ‘the basics’?

14. What does discipline mean to you?

15. Who determines what you do in the classroom?

16. As a NQT what are you looking for in your first school? What do you think will be expected of you?

17. Your letter of application mentioned expertise in (Music / Games…) what did you do in this area on your last TP?

18. What would you look for when on playground duty?

19. What do you think of introducing French into the Primary School?

20. How frank can you be in your reporting of classroom performance to parents?

21. What In-service courses would you like to attend in your first year?

22. The National Curriculum is the prescribed minimum, what would you try to fit in your curriculum beyond this?

23. Is there too much emphasis on play and not enough on the 3 R’s in the early years?

24. How would you involve parents in the life of the School?

25. It is important that children learn correct grammar, don’t you agree?

26. What is your understanding of the ‘Hidden Curriculum’? Is tradition important in the life of
a school?

27. What is the wider educational value of music?

28. Should Maths be fun?

29. Are you competent across the whole of the primary curriculum? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

30. Where do you stand in the debate over Topic and Subject based lessons?

31. Given a free-hand how would you organise your class?

32. How would you feel with a precociously gifted child?

33. What do you think of team teaching?

34. How do you create a learning environment?

35. Why do we make records on children?

36. What do you think is important in preparing children for adulthood?

37. Are you computer literate? How will you use Information Technology in the classroom?

GENERAL PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

1. What is the difference between bias and discrimination? Should the teacher show either in his
or her teaching?

2. What would you do if you suspected that a child in your class was suffering physical/sexual or emotional abuse?

3. How would you arrange your classroom or manage your teaching to meet the needs of four year olds?

4. What information do you think it is necessary to pass on to the next teacher of your class?

5. How will you manage assessment in your classroom?

6. What are your views about discipline?

7. To what extent is the class teacher responsible for children with Special Educational Needs?

8. What would you do if, on a Saturday morning, you saw a group of children from your school in the local shopping centre?

9. What action should you take if, for argument’s sake, you accidentally caused injury to a child?

10. How do you see the role of the Governors?

THE CURRICULUM

1. What is the place of your specialist subject in the curriculum for six year olds?

2. How would you set about teaching reading in your classroom? How would you help poor readers?

3. Your letter of application mentioned expertise in (Music/Games …). What did you do in this area on your last school experience?

4. What would you look for when on playground duty?

5. What do you think of introducing French into the Primary School?

6. The National Curriculum is the prescribed minimum. What would you try to fit into your curriculum beyond this?

7. How would you go about teaching numeracy at the foundation stage or Year 6?

8. How can Maths be fun?

9. What are your strengths and weaknesses across the whole of the primary curriculum?

10. How would you plan to develop the role of ICT in your classroom?

11. What is the value of play in the learning of young children?

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

1. How would you organise your class in terms of provision for equal opportunities?

2. What would you do if you suspected that a child in your class was suffering physical/sexual or emotional abuse?

3. What are your views about discipline?

4. What action should you take if, for argument’s sake, you accidentally caused injury to a child?

THE CLASSROOM

1. How would you see parents as assisting you in the classroom?

2. If your classroom is organised in groups, how do you ensure that everyone is productively occupied?

3. How would you involve parents in the life of the school?

4. What are the important provisions of the foundation stage?

5. How would you go about creating a stimulating learning environment within your classroom?

INTERVIEW – SCHOOL QUESTIONS

1. If you were to walk into a Primary School what would you look for which might tell you whether or not it was an effective school?

2. Describe your perfect classroom and how it would be organised.

3. How do you think children learn best?

4. Should foreign languages be taught in the primary school? Do you speak any?

5. What are your views on topic teaching versus subject teaching and formal teaching versus enquiry and problem solving based teaching.

6. Questions related to:
• running of schools
• policies
• discipline points
• organisation

7. Tell me about one of the children you got to know well in school?

8. How would you go about the task of getting a child to do as you say?

9. What are your particular strengths/weaknesses?

10. What are your views on discipline?

11. The school does a lot of extra-curricular activities, clubs etc. Are you happy to be involved in these and if so what could you offer?

12. I notice from your application that you are interested in ……………………. How involved are you?

13. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

14. The government publishes ‘league tables’. What are your views on this and what do you think the consequences may be?

15. What reading/maths schemes have you used in school?

16. What are your views about streaming/setting etc?

17. Tell us a little about the course you have followed.

18. How has your knowledge of your main subject developed during your course?

19. Tell us something about the class on your last teaching practice in respect of age-range and ability.

20. A child in your class comes to you covered in bruises saying they have been hit by their parents. What course of action do you take?

21. How do you see the role of classroom assistants in school?

22. Describe your perfect classroom and how it would be organised.

23. Having looked around the there any area you went back to and if so, why?

24. Are there any areas of the curriculum which you are not happy about teaching?

Questions courtesy of an article posted on Supplybag.co.uk http://forum.supplybag.co.uk/jobs-jobs-jobs/1448-example-interview-questions.html