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January 15, 2005
Teacher Interview Questions
TYPICAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR K-12 POSITIONS
* Tell me about your background.
* Take a few minutes to give a brief sketch of your academic
history, professional experience, and specific qualifications as
they pertain to this job.
* Why are you interested in a position with our district?
* Why do you think you would like this particular job?
* What qualifications do you have that make you feel that you will
be successful in your field?
* What jobs have you held? Why did you leave them?
* What are your special strengths? Weaknesses?
* What do you think is the most important contribution you can make
to students? To education?
* What is your philosophy of education?
* How do you provide for individual differences within your
classroom?
* How would you motivate a lazy student?
* What kind of relationship do you want with your students?
* What hobbies and/or interests do you have that might help you as a
teacher in a classroom?
* What do you want to be doing five years from now?
* What do you know about our school? About our city?
* What do you think should and can be done to improve communication
between teachers and students? Teachers and parents? Teachers and
administrators?
* Describe your idea of testing.
* What works best for you in classroom control?
* Why did you decide on a career in education?
* What do you anticipate as being the most satisfying aspect of
teaching?
QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES TO ASK AT JOB INTERVIEWS FOR K-12 TEACHING POSITIONS
In your interview with K-12 school district administrators, it is very important that you learn as much as possible about the school, district, and community in which you might be employed. You should be prepared to ask about concerns and issues related to your employment that are of interest to you.
The following are topics about which job applicants typically have questions.
DISTRICT
* History and development of the district
* Recent trends in district enrollment (stable, increasing,
decreasing)
* Unique characteristics of the district
* Characteristics of the student population and community
* Size of the district (number of elementary, junior high/middle,
and high schools)
* Central office administrators and their roles
* Grades included at each level of education
CURRICULUM
* Courses in the curriculum in your discipline and their content,
sequence, pre-requisites, and status as electives or required
courses
* Typical schedule of courses in the curriculum (first and/or second
semester courses)
* Textbook and supplementary materials, how recent they were
adopted, and district adoption procedures
* Availability of technology for classroom use
* New and/or innovative curriculum developments in your discipline
in recent years
* Curriculum developments currently being planned
STUDENTS
* Type and size of student body in the school in which a position is
available
* Typical class size
* Procedures for student placement (i.e., homogeneous, tracked)
* Characteristics of entering and exiting students (i.e., number or
percentage who are enrolled vocational and college preparatory
curricula and the number or percentage who enroll in college upon
graduation)
INSTRUCTIONAL ASSIGNMENT
* Reason why the position is available (enrollment increase,
retirement, resignation, etc.)
* Number and type of teaching preparations (i.e., self-contained
classes or team taught classes)
* Other instructional assignments (i.e., coaching)
* Methods and frequency of teaching evaluation
* Availability of summer employment
* Assignments on department, school, district committees
* Duties in the supervision/sponsorship of student activities
* Starting and ending dates of employment
* Contract length (i.e., 9, 10, 11, or 12 months)
FACULTY
* Number of administrators in the building and their
responsibilities Size of the faculty within departments and the
building
* Number of new teachers hired each year
* Special interests and/or expertise of faculty
STUDENT SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES
* Student clubs, organizations and sports
* Counseling and guidance personnel and services
* Social worker, school nurse, librarian, and other support staff
and their roles
COMMUNITY
* Community support for education
* Involvement of parents and other community members in the school
program
* Recreational and other facilities in the community
* Demographic information about community residents
* Cost of living and housing in the community
SALARY AND FRINGE BENEFITS
* District salary schedule
* Reimbursement policies for graduate study
* District requirements for continuing professional education
* Vacation and sick leave, personal leave, and other leave
policies
* Substitute teacher procedures
* Payroll schedule Medical insurance
PERSONNEL SELECTION PROCEDURES
* Number and type of interviews that job candidates can expect
* Individuals involved in the preliminary screening of candidates,
interviews, and the final selection (personnel director, building
principal, department head, or other)
FINAL SUGGESTIONS
* Be certain to read your employment contract carefully before
signing it.
* You might want to visit the district while classes are in session
and visit the department and building in which you might be
working. If at all possible, try to meet the department head
and/or building principal by whom you would be supervised.
Posted by Kristie at January 15, 2005 09:42 PM