Four Stages of a Teacher Job Interview

When you receive a call for a teacher job interview, it is your chance to obtain the job of your dreams. To ensure a successful interview, you must be well-prepared in order to get the maximum out of this employment opportunity.

Even though every teacher job interview is different, all job interviews follow a definite pattern. There are different stages of a teacher job interview, and you can benefit greatly if you are aware of the stages and prepare accordingly.

The first stage is the introduction stage. This phase is very important because it helps to create a favorable first impression in the mind of the interviewer. In addition, this stage will set the tone for the rest of the interview, so it is important that you do well. This stage doesn't have too many questions; rather, it has more to do with your appearance, confidence, and the way you speak.

As soon as you are led into the interview room, you are under observation and every little detail about you will be noted. Appear calm, confident, and alert. Greet the interviewer(s) with a firm handshake and sit only when you are asked to do so. Maintain an upright posture and eye contact with the interviewer. If you can establish rapport with the interviewer, the next stages will be much easier.

Four Stages of a Teacher Job Interview

The second stage is where your background will be discussed. You can expect questions on your academic background, work experience, accomplishments, and future goals. Apart from knowing more about you, the interviewer is trying to find out if you have the right skills for the teaching position that is available.

When you answer the questions with confidence, your passion for teaching will show through your replies. When asked about your accomplishments, mention them without sounding arrogant. Your answers in this stage should present you as the candidate having the best skills for the position available.

The third stage of the interview is the toughest, and it will determine whether you stand out from the other candidates. In this stage, the interviewer will try to determine whether you are the best candidate available for the job. You can expect a few tough questions like why you should be considered for the post, values you will bring to the school, your philosophies of education and discipline, how you deal with discipline, how you deal with parents, how to improve academic results, and many more.

Make sure you answer these questions honestly. It is a good idea to include teaching specific keywords in your replies. Feel free to include some real life examples from your teaching experience to justify your points of view. If you disagree with interviewer, make sure you can explain why (politely). If you are aware of the school's philosophies on education and discipline, try to align your answers with them. Your answers in this stage will convince the interviewer that you are the candidate who deserves the job.

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The final stage of the interview is the conclusion. In this stage you may ask questions, so make use of this opportunity. You can ask questions about the position available, challenges faced by teachers, the school's philosophies on education and discipline, etc. This will show that you are genuinely interested in the job.

If you are looking for more teaching job interview strategies you have landed on the right website.  We offer an abundance of interviewing tips for teachers to get a job offer.

Knowing the interview questions and their answers can also be pretty helpful as you can well image. We have created two ebooks to do just that, the first is A+ Teachers' Interview Edge and the second is A+ Principals' Interview Edge.