Interview With Style | Secure Your Teaching Job

We all know how daunting the prospect of an interview can be. Throw in the added task of having to teach a lesson and be observed in a class that you’ve never met before, as well as a topic that is generally ultra broad and you have yourself your standard London teaching interview!

In an interview schools are looking someone who is going to fit smoothly into their current staff structure and who will come in and continue, if not raise, the current level of teaching within the school. They will want to know honestly and accurately who you are so they can work out if you are going to be an asset or a hindrance.

Preparation is the key for anyone wanting to make their mark in a teaching job interview. Check out what the Vibe team have experienced as the most useful questions to prepare for in a teaching interview.

How do you think your lesson went?

This is not a trick question. Schools look for someone who is reflective in their practice and are honest with their appraisal of a lesson. Make sure you have a few examples of what went well and what you would do to improve. Try to be honest and precise – they watched the lesson as well so they will have their own ideas and will want to see if both are similar.
Why do you want to work here?

Make sure you have done some research on the school and know about how it is run. Saying it is close to home is not a wrong answer, but you need to have other answers that show you have thought carefully about the roles you are applying for. Make sure you have read the latest Ofsted report and visited the school’s website.
What is the best lesson you have taught? Explain more about it.

This is your opportunity to show off a little and talk proudly (and hopefully passionately) about a lesson/s you have taught that went very well. Have a good idea about why the lesson/s went well – Student engagement, work produced etc.
What are your strengths?

Another good opportunity to blow your own trumpet. Talk about what you are good at and how you have used this in your teaching career to improve learning and improve the whole school. If you are good at sport, have you coached teams and organised carnivals? If you are good at Literacy, did you organise World Book Day or have meetings with parents to inform them of different things (How to support their child at home, how you teach literacy at school).
What are your areas of improvement?

Again, be honest. No-one is 100% great at everything. Where you might see an area of improvement in yourself, the school may have someone who has a strength and can help act as a mentor to improve your teaching. Be careful though, do not list too many things – schools will run a mile away from you!
What do you know about ‘inclusion’?

Schools are an equal opportunity environment and all students need to be seen to be making equal progress. You need to have an understanding of what inclusion means and how you ensure that your classroom caters for EVERY learner.
Questions about Child Protection.

Keeping Children Safe in Education is the new document relating to Child Protection. An understanding of this and the structures of a school including its Designated Contact People and the procedures you should follow if a disclosure is made or you have concerns is extremely important.
Give me an example of when you worked as part of a team?

This is very important, whether working in a 1-form entry school or 6-form entry. All teachers need to work together to achieve the school’s goals / mission statement. Schools want someone who will come in and play ball, not take their bat and ball home when they don’t get their own way.
What is your understanding of a creative curriculum?

Linking different subjects together and engaging students through topic-based learning is how some schools plan. If you have not planned using a creative curriculum, be honest but also have an idea of topics or themes you would like to teach based on a creative curriculum.
Questions about communication and your communication skills.

As a teacher, we need to liaise with a number of different people in any given day – other teachers, parents, coaches, professionals (S+L, Psychologists etc). Schools will want to know that you are able to do this effectively and openly. Think of some examples of when you have had to communicate and how you went about this.
The cliché – Do you have any questions for us?

Do your research on the school and think about this question carefully. This will give you the opportunity to show how committed you are to the role by asking a question that shows you have some insight into the school and how it is run. Do not try to trick the HT or DH, but make it insightful. Your question here could set you apart from all the other candidates.