To Be Confident You Need To Be Prepared For Your Teacher Job Interview

When you prepare for your teaching job interview you need to keep the word professional in your mind.  You should dress appropriately, be on time, and most of all, be prepared for what’s about to happen.

Wear a nice suit. (At least a close as you can get to a nice suit!)  It would be nice if you had more than one set of clothes to wear in case you are called back for a second interview.

Don’t be late! Make sure you know where you’re going and how long it will take you to get there.  Please do not underestimate how important it is to not be late.

Don’t drink too much coffee or other liquids before the interview.  You don’t want to be jacked up on caffeine when you begin the interview.  You’ll be nervous enough already.  And, you don’t want to have to raise your hand to be excused during the interview.

Rehearse the Common Teacher Interview Questions. You can’t anticipate every question, but you can have an idea about the different topics that will probably be discussed.

Being prepared for your teaching job interview is an absolute necessity if you want to stand out as an excellent teacher candidate.  Take some time to plan, prepare, and rehearse.  You’ll be more confident with it comes time for your teacher interview!

Teacher Portfolios Can Help You Focus On Your Teaching Goals

What do you need in your Teacher Portfolio? How do you use your Teacher Portfolio?

If you haven’t started your portfolio, you should.  While it’s not a requirement to have one, at least not yet, teacher portfolios are a wonderful resource for you. Not only at an interview, but it will help you in your teaching career.  Saving and organizing documents from each year of teaching will help you to reflect on your student’s (and your) accomplishments.  And a portfolio will help you to stay on track to achieve your goals.

Remember, Teacher Portfolios are NOT JUST FOR INTERVIEWS!  They should be a part of your teaching career.  You should take a little time each year, (or more often would be even better) to update your portfolio.  Your portfolio will become a document you can be proud of.  And it will help should you decide to go for another teacher interview.

Getting That Teaching Job Will Require A Little Homework

There are Common Teacher Interview Questions you can expect to be asked.  You can find sample questions all over the internet.  Get a good list and start practicing.  After you have the answers in your head, it’s a good idea to rehearse your answers out loud.  Then find a friend to ask you the questions.  When you’re in the actual interview, you’ll be glad you did.

There are several topics that are common in teacher interviews.

Topics include:

General Teaching Questions, such as “Tell us a little about yourself,” and “What age/grade do you enjoy working with the most?  Why?”

Management and Discipline Questions. “What kinds of consequences are appropriate for misbehavior in your classroom?” and “What would you do if you do if a student was not handing in homework on a regular basis?”

Assessments, Standardized Tests and Meeting Standards. “How do you prepare students for standardized tests or state tests?” and “Describe how you might assess a student’s higher-order thinking skills.”

Are you ready for those?  You’d better be.  These are some, but not all of the topics that will be discussed in the teacher interview.

Substitute Teaching Can Help You Develop You Classroom Style Until You Get A Full Time Job

There are many websites that list teaching jobs. Each state varies in how they distribute that information. Do a quick search for your area and you should have no problem finding the current listings.

Sometimes it can be very easy to get the sub job. But more and more the schools are cutting their budgets and, as more people in other fields are being laid off, you find more competition for the few remaining spots. So, as with any job you’re trying to get, you need to stand out as someone the school must have on their call list.

When you interview for a teaching job, or a substitute teaching job, be professional in your manor and your appearance. Take the interview seriously, even if the position doesn’t pay very much.

Most importantly, make sure the school has the correct contact information for you, and that you follow up after the interview or demo lesson. Send a thank you note/email as soon as you get home. And, if you don’t get the job, be sure to ask why. You need that feedback to improve your performance for the next interview.

Teaching Job Interview

Anyone that has been through the teacher interview process probably has a good idea about the process.  But if this is your first go-round, or if you haven’t interviewed in a while, you may stand out like a sore thumb.  You need to act with confidence.  The interviewers will watch your body language. Will you shift in your seat? Will you look around the room (hoping to find the right answer to their questions)? It’s not a formal thing. Observing those types of things is just human nature.

If you need help preparing for your next teaching interview, you can try www.teacherjobinterview.info as a good place to help you focus your efforts and prepare for an interview. There’s a free sample download you can get right away!  It includes some Common Teacher Interview Questions and advice on how to answer them.

The interviewers are hoping you will do well. They want to find a good teacher.  They will give you every opportunity to do well. But don’t make it hard on them. Be prepared and be confident.  Make them glad they are interviewing you!

Wear a smile when you walk into the room! You should rehearse your entrance at home. But don’t look rehearsed!  (Yeah, it’s hard!  But it’s not impossible.)  While it’s not likely you’ll ever be comfortable walking into an interview, you need to be comfortable “acting like yourself.”

As a teacher you do, or you will do, a form of public speaking.  Every day. You will need to show that you have the confidence, and the ability, to articulate your thoughts. Go ahead, tell them you’re nervous.  They’ll get it. But be done with it and don’t use that as an excuse.

Teacher Interviews are not always fun.  Someone is evaluating you. They’re trying to choose between you and someone else.  Maybe a lot of other someones.  But if you want a teaching job, it’s something you’re going to go through.

You should be prepared for the interview.  That’s your best strategy.  That will help with the nerves when it’s time to start answering the questions.

Don’t look for shortcuts.  Spend the time to prepare.  The effort will pay you back with increased confidence when you get the call for the interview!

To help you focus your efforts, please visit www.teacherjobinterview.info. While you’re there, get the FREE sample download!

Raise Your Hand If You Want A New Teaching Job!