sample interview questions and answers teacher pdf

Below are different categories of sample interview questions. This list of sample interview questions is not comprehensive; use it to design appropriate questions that relate to your position.

The interviewer will also want to get some idea about your character to assess whether you are the right person for the job and whether you will fit into the corporate culture.

Tell me your teaching philosophy?

As my opinion, teaching career requires teachers to learn non-stop and it is a long journey and it is not only limited within the classroom or school, it can goes further. Being a teacher, I want to teach my students how to deal with any circumstance in the future. I am willing to take part in any individual works as well as team works and encourage any contributive ideas to make my students have interest in learning.

Have you brought technology into the classroom and tell me the way you will teach their student technology?

I used technology when I taught at school in the past. I will use specific and factual information related to the topics and I will use visual technology such as video clips to illustrate for the lessons to make my students understand as much as good.

Which qualities considered making a good teacher?

There are many qualities to make a good teacher but as for me the two most important qualities are punctuality and patience. A teacher who always appears in timely manner is a good example for her/his students to follow. One more important quality is to make good relationship with other teachers and non-teaching staff.

Tell me your biggest strengths?

The interviewer can ask you that question. If you already found information of the district/school and knew what the requirements of the interviewer are, you completely can prepare your answer in advance and demonstrate your strengths, but remember to put honesty in your answers. Do not forget to show the BENEFITS that you can bring to the district/school. It helps the interviewer know more about your value and your talent as a teacher. Perception is critical… you can use your persuading method when talking about your skills with the interviewer.

Obviously, describing your factual skills in your answers is very important. The skills can be classroom management, curriculum development, or technology integration. Through these presented skills, the interviewer will know your ability in teaching career. Do not skip any events and remember to add factual situations into your answers if you have them. It will create your value… and your answers should contain the truth. Show the interviewer how you brought the technology into the classroom and the result that you gained. This result helps you create your value… and it can bring the job offer to you.

Tell me the reason that makes you want to work for our school district?

In order to answer this question fluently, you should prepare and learn about the school in advance. Tell the interviewer why you choose this school or district and why you are interested in this school. Show your personal experience with the school or district if you have. Do you have any knowledge of the students, faculty members, industry fame, community involvement, educational targets and objectives, upcoming ideas, demographics, or extracurricular activities of this school? Base on this information, you can answer the above question correctly. The latest information is very important because the interviewer does not want to hear the old information, of course.

The interviewer wants to know that whether you are sure to work for that school or you send your resume for that position and you are really interested in it. So base on the information of the school that you could collect, take your time to practice in advance so you will pass the interview easily. Your answer to the above question will be more effective and truthful when it go with the research you have made. Your answer will be damaged with inaccurate information – No other successful factors in the interview but preparation and honesty.

What is your opinion about team-teaching?

I know many of you have ever taken part in team-teaching and I am sure that you understand the benefit of it. The interviewer makes this question in order to find out whether you are adaptable, able to work in a group, have experience in this environment, and what your thoughts about this style.

The best way is to talk about the positive side of team-teaching, such as:

Team-teaching is very good when you have to teach a big group of students. Create the cooperation between teachers and gather different ideas… two heads will work more effective than one, normally like that. Show the interviewer your team-teaching experiences that you have collected and the effective results that you achieved.

You can show the interviewer that you are really interested in working in a team and taking part in team-teaching in case you do not have any relevant experiences. You can also show your knowledge of team-teaching if you have read about it and you can describe what you knew with the interviewer…and maybe it will help you impress the interview!

Honesty is the necessary and important factor when you answer the questions in an interview. Prepare your answers in advance can help you give truthful and confident answers to the interviewer. Remember to demonstrate that your skills that you achieved can satisfy the demands of the school or district.

As for you, what is a successful principal? 

Answer: The interviewer makes this question in order to know how you evaluate the below:

• Which characters makes a successful principal? Which is the most necessary character with a principal?
• Your answer can cause possible argues with the present principal.
• The answers to this question may contain as following:
• A successful principal needs to:
• Have an overall vision and a plan to perform that vision… know how to bring faculty members together in order to create team strength and encourage them to achieve the school tasks and targets.
• Be visible… The principal should present regularly. He or she should communicate with both students and teachers as often as good.
• Have open mind, and create good relationship with variety of groups.
• Show cares to the students, teachers, parents, and the district.

Could you imagine the reaction of students on the first three days in your classroom?

I am sure that my students will be happy, excited and willing to take part in both individual and team events. I will create an open atmosphere and every student can express his thought and he will understand his classmate’s thought. I will do my best for my students.

What method do you choose to manage your students?

I always make plans for the activities of my schedule. I am willing to listen to my students’ problem so they can release all their worry when they say it out. I praise my students when they want to express their contribution to the lesson. I attract my students by giving them interesting lessons and making them concentrate completely on what I am teaching.

What do you do with an average student?

Before doing something, I will find out what his/her problem is. If the student finds it difficult to understand the lesson or learn slowly, I will take my extra time after school to teach him/her until he/she understands thoroughly. I won’t give up until I can see the big positive change from my student.

What will you talk with parents in a parents– teacher’s meet?

I can understand my students by listening to what their parents say about them and base on that I can build an optimum performance for my students. I will discuss with their parents in order to find out the best approach to make their children develop overall at studies as well as extracurricular activities.

Why do you want to work as a teacher?

My mother worked as a teacher and she brought the teaching inspiration to me. I am a hard-working learner and I am really interested in learning something new and useful related to teaching. With my gathered experience I am confident to say that I can orient my students to go in right way. And I intend to write a book of teaching career in the near future.

Specialized Teacher interview questions

• Tell me about yourself?
• What are your greatest weakness?
• Why did you quit your last job?
• What experience do you have in teaching field?
• What have you done to improve your teaching knowledge in the last year?
• Tell me about a suggestion you have made in teaching field?
• How would your last principal describe you?
• What five words would you use to describe yourself?
• If you found nonstandard usage in student writing or class discussion, how would you respond to it?
• In what areas do you feel you need improvement?
• What would you do if a student has been absent from your class for several days?
• What provisions have you made for the gifted?
• What would a visitor in your class see?
• How have you communicated student progress to parents?
• Why do you think you would do well at this teaching job?
• What kinds of inservices would you be eager to attend?
• What is your opinion of holding students after school for detention?
• Teacher interview questions 51 – 100
• Do you like laughter in your classroom?
• What units would you include in teaching [name of course]?
• How do you assist in preventing the destruction of school property in your classroom?
• What is the role of the student within your classroom?
• What curricular materials have you developed?
• How can you meet the needs of a student who does not speak English?
• In what ways can you teach students to be accepting of one-another?
• How would you teach conflict resolution to your students?
• Name a book that you’d like to read to (or with) your students. Describe the book and tell why you chose it.
• How do you feel about working in an inclusion classroom?
• How do you meet the needs of a student with an IEP?
• What can you offer our school that other candidates cannot?
• Describe a high-interest project that you might assign to your students.
• What do you like to do when you’re not teaching?
• How do you incorporate writing into your curriculum?
• What have been your most positive teaching experiences?
• How have you contributed toward the development of the total school program in your current position?
• What activities will you sponsor if you are hired for this position?
• Could a student of low academic ability receive a high grade in your classes?
• What is your system for evaluating student work?
• What would be the ideal philosophy of a school for you?
• Why is your field important for a student to study?
• How would you handle a student who is a consistent behavioral problem in your class?
• What are your recreational activities, hobbies, interests?
• How have you stressed the development of cognitive skills within your classes?
• List three adjectives that describe yourself.
• What professional teaching organizations do you belong to?
• Have you ever received an award for anything in your lifetime? Describe.
• What were you like as a student?
• In your opinion, what is the difference between a good teacher and a great teacher?
• If you teach a lesson and your students don’t seem to be “getting it,” what do you do?
• How do you provide support for students who are not performing as well as they should?

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF?

This is one of the first questions you are likely to be asked. Be prepared to talk about yourself, and why you're an excellent fit for the job. Try to answer questions about yourself without giving out too much, or too little, personal information. You can start by sharing some of your personal interests and experiences that don't relate directly to work, such as a favorite hobby or a brief account of where you grew up, your education, and what motivates you. You can even share some fun facts and showcase your personality to make the interview a little more interesting.

If it feels daunting to generate this information from scratch, you can rely on a simple formula to construct your answer. The ‘present-past-future’ formula is a way to share key background points while ending on a high note. Begin with a brief overview of where you are now (which could include your current job along with a reference to a personal hobby or passion), reference how you got to where you are (here you could mention education, or an important experience such as a past job, internship or volunteer experience) and then finish by touching on a goal for the future.

Bonus points if you’re able to identify how the position you’re applying for aligns with how you envision your future.

Remember to be careful about what you include in your answer – avoid potentially contentious subjects such as political or religious leanings, unless you are absolutely positive that your opinions would be well-received by your interviewer. You should also avoid talking too much about family responsibilities or hobbies that might make your interviewer wonder whether you could commit yourself 100% to the job.

No matter how you choose to respond, write out your answer in advance and then read it aloud to ensure it sounds natural. Try to keep it short and sweet, as you don’t want to come across as the type of person who endlessly drones on about themselves.

WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST PROFESSIONAL STRENGTHS?

When answering this question, interview coach Pamela Skillings recommends being accurate (share your true strengths, not those you think the interviewer wants to hear); relevant (choose your strengths that are most targeted to this particular position); and specific (for example, instead of “people skills,” choose “persuasive communication” or “relationship building”). Then, follow up with an example of how you've demonstrated these traits in a professional setting

Tips to answer this question:

+ Grab hold of the opportunity this question gives you. This question really lets you guide the interview where you want it to go. This your chance to relate your most impressive success story, so take advantage!
+ Highlight a strength that is crucial to the position. (As I mentioned earlier)
+ Find out from your company research and from the job description what strengths the company puts a lot of stock into.
+ Don’t make claims that you can’t illustrate with a brief example or fact.
+ Don’t be overly modest but don’t claim to be Superman or Superwoman either.
+ Don’t name a strength that is irrelevant to the job at hand.

WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKNESSES?

"What are your weaknesses" is one of the most popular questions interviewers ask. It is also the most dreaded question of all. Handle it by minimizing your weakness and emphasizing your strengths. Stay away from personal qualities and concentrate on professional traits: "I am always working on improving my communication skills to be a more effective presenter. I recently joined Toastmasters, which I find very helpful."

Tips to answer this question:

+ Show that you are aware of your weakness and what you have done to overcome it.
+ Show that you are “self-aware” and that you have the ability to take steps to improve yourself.
+ Don’t you DARE answer with the cliche “I’m a perfectionist” answer or any other such answer that the hiring manager can see right through.
+ Don’t highlight a weakness that is a core competency of the job. (Know the job description “inside and out”.)
+ Don’t dodge this question.

WHY DID YOU LEAVE (OR WHY ARE YOU LEAVING) YOUR JOB?

If an interviewer asks, "Why did you leave (or why are you leaving) your job?" and you're unemployed, state your reason for leaving in a positive context: "I managed to survive two rounds of corporate downsizing, but the third round was a 20% reduction in the workforce, which included me."

If you are employed, focus on what you want in your next job: "After two years, I made the decision to look for a company that is team-focused, where I can add my experience."

Tips to answer this question:

+ If it was because you left voluntarily then reference a specific characteristic that the company you are interviewing for has that you are attracted to. One that your previous employer didn’t have.
+ If you were let go, be honest and explain the situation and own it. Explain what you learned from the experience, because the interviewer knows you’re human, you make mistakes, and just wants to see that you were able to do something about it
+ Words like “downsizing” and “budget cuts” and “bad economy” are good defenses if they are true and are the reasons for departure from the job.
+ Don’t bash your last company or boss or anything along those lines.
+ Don’t say, “It’s time for a career switch and I’d like to try my hand at the job you are offering” or “I’m tired of doing the same old thing.” Give a pointed, Positive reason for why you want to head off in a new direction.
+ Don’t lie if you were fired.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT?

Nothing says “hire me” better than a track record of achieving amazing results in past jobs, so don't be shy when answering this interview question! A great way to do so is by using the S-T-A-R method: Set up the situation and the task that you were required to complete to provide the interviewer with background context (e.g., “In my last job as a junior analyst, it was my role to manage the invoicing process”), but spend the bulk of your time describing what you actually did (the action) and what you achieved (the result). For example, “In one month, I streamlined the process, which saved my group 10 man-hours each month and reduced errors on invoices by 25%.”

Tips to answer this question:

+ Talk about an accomplishment that exhibits how you will be a perfect fit for the company and for the position you’re interviewing for.
+ Try and show some genuine passion when you’re talking about your accomplishment.
+ Don’t fall into the trap of thinking your accomplishment is “too small”. The fact is, relating a small accomplishment that is inline with “what the company values” can be more powerful than an unrelated accomplishment. (Remember: “It’s not about you, It’s about them.”)

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS?

If asked this question, be honest and specific about your future goals, but consider this: A hiring manager wants to know a) if you've set realistic expectations for your career, b) if you have ambition (a.k.a., this interview isn't the first time you're considering the question), and c) if the position aligns with your goals and growth. Your best bet is to think realistically about where this position could take you and answer along those lines. And if the position isn’t necessarily a one-way ticket to your aspirations? It’s OK to say that you’re not quite sure what the future holds, but that you see this experience playing an important role in helping you make that decision.

Tips to answer this question:

+ Demonstrate when you answer the question your level of commitment to the position they are interviewing you for.
+ After you have demonstrated your commitment to the role you are interviewing for, outline a realistic growth strategy that is directly tied to the role you’re in and the needs and values of the company.
+ Stress your interest in a long-term career at the company.
+ Don’t exhibit ambition to the point of seeming like this particular job is just a “brief stepping stone” for you. You need to show commitment.
+ Don’t say you want to be CEO of the company in 5 years.
+ Don’t say “Actually I want to be in YOUR seat within the next 5 years.” to the hiring manager.

WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU?

Answer "Why should we hire you?" by summarizing your experiences: "With five years' experience working in the financial industry and my proven record of saving the company money, I could make a big difference in your company. I'm confident I would be a great addition to your team."

Tips to answer this question:

+ Show the hiring manager that you are uniquely suited to filling this position. Be the candidate that solves their “problems“.
+ Show you know some significant details about the company and their general practices because you have researched the firm and are prepared.
+ Tell a “success story” that highlights how you have the ‘qualities’ needed to fill their specific needs.
+ Don’t get discouraged if the hiring manager mentions that “they have lots of very well qualified candidates…” before they lead into this question. (It’s a common “lead in”)
+ Don’t be too modest. This is your chance to shine. Make it count.
+ On the flip side don’t go too overboard and sound too arrogant.
+ Don’t be “wishy-washy” or too general with your answer.
+ Don’t answer with “why” you want the job. Answer with “why you are the perfect fit” for the job.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE COMPANY?

Any candidate can read and regurgitate the company’s “About” page. So, when interviewers ask this, they aren't necessarily trying to gauge whether you understand the mission—they want to know whether you care about it. Start with one line that shows you understand the company's goals, using a couple key words and phrases from the website, but then go on to make it personal. Say, “I’m personally drawn to this mission because…” or “I really believe in this approach because…” and share a personal example or two.

9. What are your salary requirements?

The #1 rule of answering this question is doing your research on what you should be paid by using sites like Payscale and Glassdoor. You’ll likely come up with a range, and we recommend stating the highest number in that range that applies, based on your experience, education, and skills. Then, make sure the hiring manager knows that you're flexible. You're communicating that you know your skills are valuable, but that you want the job and are willing to negotiate.

HAVE YOU GOT ANY QUESTIONS?

At the end of the interview, it is likely that you will be given the chance to put your own questions to the interviewer.

+ Keep them brief: there may be other interviewees waiting.
+ Ask about the work itself, training and career development: not about holidays, pensions, and season ticket loans!
+ Prepare some questions in advance: it is OK to write these down and to refer to your notes to remind yourself of what you wanted to ask.

It often happens that, during the interview, all the points that you had noted down to ask about will be covered before you get to this stage. In this situation, you can respond as follows:
Interviewer: Well, that seems to have covered everything: is there anything you would like to ask me?
Interviewee: Thank you: I'd made a note to ask about your appraisal system and the study arrangements for professional exams, but we went over those earlier and I really feel you've covered everything that I need to know at this moment.

You can also use this opportunity to tell the interviewer anything about yourself that they have not raised during the interview but which you feel is important to your application:
Don't feel you have to wait until this point to ask questions - if the chance to ask a question seems to arise naturally in the course of the interview, take it! Remember that a traditional interview is a conversation - with a purpose.

TEAMWORK INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Now onto the more generic skills, such as your ability to work in a team. No matter how big or small the team is, the hiring manager will want to know that you can develop a strong working relationship with them, as this is essential for productivity and achieving company goals. You may be asked something like the below in order to test if you are a strong team player:

Question: Give an example of team leading in past employment

Answer: You should summarise the task and nature of the group but focus primarily upon your role as team leader. List the personal qualities you possess which made you ideal for leading this team and how you achieved success. Conclude your answer by giving examples of the lessons you learnt while leading this team.

COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Your ability to communicate effectively and influence others to act in support of your own and team goals will be examined. An ability to adapt your communication methods depending on situations and individuals is important here.

Question: Provide an example of how you explained a technical concept to a client or co-worker lacking your technical expertise.

How to Answer: Competency based interview questions are meant to determine how well you communicate with others, including your ability to simplify difficult concept. The customer service question about negative feedback is meant to determine whether or not you’re capable of dealing with customer comments that aren’t all that positive in a courteous, constructive manner. With a few of your examples, briefly discuss what you learned from those interactions.

DECISION MAKING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Decision making is a skill that requires the ability to process information and filter this information to ensure you produce a sound and valid decision. You should be able to provide examples of situations where this skill has been tested. Use examples where an obvious answer is not immediately apparent.

Question: Can you tell me about a time when you consulted others when making important project decisions?

How to Answer: You’ll notice that interviewers tend to want specific examples to illustrate your abilities. It’s not unusual for questions to be fairly complex in nature, often involving multiple, related parts. Don’t get overwhelmed. Instead, answer questions one point at at time by providing relevant, easy to digest examples. If you forget the rest of the question, politely ask the interviewer to repeat it.

DRIVE FOR RESULTS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

This competency assesses your personal motivation and how you approach challenges.

Question: What is your biggest achievement?

Answer: Ideally, use a work-related example to illustrate your key career achievement. Highlight exactly why you consider it important, with details of the role you played. If your biggest achievement in life is related to your personal life, use commercial references such as budget slashing, determination, commitment and team work to communicate all the associated positive aspects.

PLANNING AND ORGANIZAING INTERVIEW QUESTION:

Auestion: Give me an example of a time when you had to plan a project or a large piece of work.

Tips for Successful Answers:

+ Demonstrate how you have worked in a structured and methodical way.
+ Show real detail about the steps you have taken to plan.
+ Explain how you have amended or flexed the original plans you’d made.
+ Talk about how you built pre-emptive solutions to potential problems

CUSTOMER FOCUS INTERVIEW QUESTION:

Your ability to understand and believe in the importance of customer focus will be tested here. You must display a competency for understanding the difference between internal and external customers.

Question: What about important clients, or complex or sensitive customer relationships?

Answer: If you can show that through your customer service orientation you saved the company from losing something of value (a big client, $X amount of revenue, 20 man hours a week) then you will really demonstrate your customer focus. Or did you save the company a political, organizational, or image problem? Write it out. What was the situation? What action did you take? How did you communicate to your teammates and how did you communicate with the customer? What was the result? … I hope this gets you thinking.

LEADERSHIP INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Leadership is a competency employers look for in candidates who are applying for jobs that require them to lead, motivate and/or develop other people, usually team leader and management positions

Question: Describe a time you took a leadership position when you did not have the title of a leader.

Answer: In this question, take an example from a situation where you were in a group and took responsibility to delegate to achieve goals. Show how you gained from the other members to follow your lead and the result of your leadership.

For instance, in college, we were put into groups of four to complete a marketing project. We had to prepare a 15-page paper and 10-minute presentation on a new product. We want to introduce that outside the U.S. I took the initiative among the group to lead a discussion on how we should split up the work when we meet throughout the semester and deadlines for each person’s part of the work. Because I was the one to take the lead the discussion and had a plan in mind, I gained the buy in of the other members quickly. I took everyone’s e-mail address and created a group email to help us all keep track of our progress and so we could help each other outside of class and our meetings. By the end of the semester, my group achieved a 95% on our project.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION SKILL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Conflict resolution skills and the ability to disagree with others professionally and politely are necessary for successful contribution in organizations. If every employee employer hire is willing to engage in conflict resolution, more new ideas and better approaches to solving problems will take place in your organization.

Question: Give an example of a time you handled conflict in the workplace

Answer: Your interviewer will assess your adaptability and gauge the constructiveness of your approach towards conflict, tension and differences of opinion. Your example(s) should highlight the importance of your role in resolving these issues.

CREATIVE SKILLS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Question: Give me an example of your creativity?

Answer sample:

One of my key creative accomplishments occurred in my current job, when I had to increase market share for a new product without increasing our existing marketing budget. I kicked off with some internal brainstorming on how to maximize the use of our resources and be more creative in the way we market. I worked with our two interns, both of whom were creative writing majors, on creating a blog for our website, plus Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages for the company’s new product. I tasked the interns with managing the pages, and the three of us came up with relevant content for each social page. The ultimate aim was to create a community of fans and buzz around the new product.

Through product teasers on Twitter, the timely answering of questions on Facebook, and brief video tutorials on Instagram, we grew a fan base of 2,500 people in just three months. When the product was released, first day sales exceeded all expectations, and sales continued on a steady incline for the rest of the year. A lot of the success was attributed to the online fan base we developed, where positive word-of-mouth spurred an influx of customers to purchase the product through the trackable online sales page we created in-house with our design and dev teams.

TIME MANAGEMENT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Question: Explain a time when you were not able to meet a deadline?

Answer: Use an example were you where not able to meet a deadline due to outside factors. For instance, there was a big project that my team was working on, and I had split up the work among some members and myself. During that time, one member of the team had to leave due to their spouse getting a position in another city. He left at a critical time, and I had to re-assign his duties to someone else. I make the new person work to speed with the progression of the project and due to this, was not able to complete it on time. We were still able to complete the project a few days after the deadline even with the change in the team member.

PROBLEM SOLVING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

The old adage goes that managers want people who come to them with solutions, not problems, and for me, I couldn’t agree more. The employees who can rise to a challenge and think of innovative ways to solve a problem are the ones who go on to achieve great things both for themselves and the business. Taking this into account, your manager may ask something like:

Question: Give an example of a challenge you faced in the workplace, and how you overcame it

Answer: If you are entering the workplace direct from school, college or university, this question will be geared towards your academic experiences.

Provide a great example of a task that involved using as many skills and abilities as possible. An ideal answer to this question enables you to demonstrate your ability to work in a team, display leadership skills and handle pressure.

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