Getting a teaching job : Example questions

These examples give a flavour of the sort of questions you may be asked. Try out some of your potential answers on a friend. Alternatively, see if you can arrange a mock interview through your careers service.

Introductory questions

• Have you enjoyed your visit to the school? (Mention anything interesting you have noticed.)
• Why have you applied for this post?

Questions about yourself

• Tell us about yourself and what inspires you.
• What personal interests or hobbies do you have that could be of value to the school?
• What unique qualities can you bring to the school?

Your choice of school/local authority (LA)

• What makes a successful school?
• How would you support the ethos of this school?
• The school is part of the community. How would you plan to integrate this community and all it has to offer into your teaching?

Professional issues

• What are your particular strengths and weaknesses as a teacher?
• Describe the best lesson you have given and say why it was successful.
• Describe the worst lesson you have given. What would you do differently?
• How do you judge the achievement of pupils in your subject?
• If we visited your classroom in October, what could we expect to see?
• What is the role of target setting?
• How would you ensure that you respond effectively to the differing needs and abilities of pupils?
• How would you foster equal opportunities in the classroom/school? 
• How would you accommodate children who have English as an additional language?
• How would you raise a child's self-esteem and aspirations?
• How would you address boys'/girls' underachievement?
• How far do children in your classroom direct their own learning?

Behaviour management

• What are your views about discipline?
• How much noise and moving around the classroom would you permit?
• How would you cope with a child constantly interrupting the lesson?
• How would you deal with bullying?
• What would you do if your strategies for behaviour management were not succeeding?

Primary interviews

• How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the literacy strategy?
• What is the place of topic work in school and what is your experience of it?
• Which reading/mathematics schemes have you used?
• How would you display children's work?
• What are your views on the balance between creativity and basic skills?
• How might you use ICT in your teaching?
• How would you ensure the continued improvement of numeracy standards in your class?
• How would you structure literacy lessons to ensure equal access for all pupils?

Secondary interviews

• What do you like most about teaching your subject?
• How would you motivate year 9 pupils who have lost interest in the subject?
• What would you say to a student considering taking your subject at A-level?
• What are your views on cross-curricular teaching?
• What are your views on streaming/sets/mixed-ability teaching?
• How would you address the underachievement of boys/girls in your subject area?
• Have you had any experience of vocational education?
• What bearing do you think future developments (in your subject) will have on your teaching?
• How would you teach (an area relevant to your subject) to a year 8 mixed-ability group?

Pastoral considerations

• What is the role of a form tutor and what relevant experience have you had?
• How would you seek to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the children in your care?
• To which aspects of personal and social education could you make a contribution? 

Issues concerning parents

• What is your experience of having parents in school? To what extent should this be developed?
• How would you deal with a hostile or aggressive parent?

Working with colleagues

• What qualities do you have that make you a good team player?
• How would you seek to work cooperatively with your colleagues?
• What support would you expect from staff as a newly qualified teacher (NQT)?
• How would you seek to work with adults other than teachers in your classroom?

Career development

• How will you develop yourself as a professional teacher?
• How would you like to see your career develop?