How to answers teacher interview questions?

Are you a teacher with an interview coming up? Review common teacher interview questions and examples of the best answers.

Below are also tips for interviewing for a teaching position, questions to ask during the interview, and information on the salary you can expect to earn if you get a job offer.

Review this list of questions you might be asked during a teacher job interview, with examples of the best way to respond to each.

More questions you may be asked:

• What interests you about our district?
• How would you deal with a student who is habitually late?
• What would you say to an angry parent about their child’s grade?
• Would you be interested in leading any after-school activities?
• What would you do if you suspected neglect or abuse in the home of one of your students?
• If you noticed a child being bullied in your class, how would you deal with the situation?
• How would you engage a reluctant student?

Tips for Answering Teaching Job Interview Questions

What can you do to ensure your candidacy gets careful consideration for a teaching job?

When you interview for a job, it’s important to do more than give generic responses to the questions you're asked.

The best candidate for a job is one who can explain why they are qualified for the job, and why they would be a good fit for the school.

It makes it much easier for a hiring manager to make a decision when the applicant spells out why they would be a great hire for the school.

Make it personal. Take the time to personalize your responses to interview questions, so they fit your background, skills, and experience – and what the employer is seeking in a candidate.

Be prepared to discuss why you are interested in the job, your teaching qualifications and credentials, your teaching philosophy, classroom management, and how you handle a challenge. Share your enthusiasm for working with students and examples of how you would teach your class.

Make a match. Take the time to match your qualifications to the job description. Make a list of the job requirements and a list of your experiences that match them. Use your list as a guideline for responding to questions about your background.

Provide examples. The interviewer will likely ask you behavioral interview questions. These questions require you to provide an example of a time when you did something. For example, an interviewer might say, “Tell me about a time you handled a behavioral issue with a student.”

These kinds of questions require you to think of examples from past teaching experiences.

To answer these questions, describe the specific example you are thinking of (it helps to think of examples in advance). Explain the situation and what you did to either solve a problem or achieve success. Then, describe the result.

Even if the question is not a behavioral interview question, it is often helpful to provide a specific example. For instance, situational interview questions ask you to consider a possible future situation at work. An interviewer might ask, “How would you handle a parent who thinks you graded his child unfairly?” Although these are about future situations, you can still answer with an example from a past experience.

Research the school. Research the school district and the school where you will be working if you get hired. You’ll be able to find plenty of information about the district and the school on the school district’s website.

Do you know any teachers who work there, or do you know any parents of students that attend the school? Ask them for their insights into the job. The more familiar you are with the academics, extra-curricular activities, sports, students profiles, and the curriculum, the better equipped you’ll be to respond to your interview questions.

Be prepared for a panel interview. When you interview for a teaching job, you may be expected to interview with a variety of different constituents. You could interview with a panel, which could include the school principal, administrative staff, other teachers and parents. Or, the interview could be with a search committee charged with screening applicants prior to a formal interview for the job.

You might also be asked to teach a mini lesson to a group of students, or teachers pretending to be students, during your interview. Be sure that you know exactly what you need to prepare for each interview.