Teacher Interview Questions And Answers: How To Prepare

In this guide we’ll share some of the most common teacher interview questions and answers you need to prepare for.

But first, well done if you’ve received an invitation to interview. You’ve cleared the first hurdle and now it’s time to prepare for the next one!

There has been a record number of teachers in England’s schools in recent years, but at the same time it’s well documented that there’s a shortage of skilled staff for many subjects. In the top 10 subjects needing a recruitment drive you’ll find everything from business studies, with only 16% of the target achieved, to modern languages (34%) and computing (36%).

Give yourself the best chance of success and help fill the teacher shortage by preparing well for any interviews you secure.

Here are some of the most common teacher interview questions, why they’ll ask you them and how to give a good answer.

#1 Why do you want to teach at our school?

The interviewer wants to know that you would feel enthusiastic about working there and would fit in well at the school.

If you’re not yet that familiar with the school, do some research to prepare a rough answer for this question.

Find out about the school’s values, goals, initiatives, standards, pupils and so on to inform your response.

#2 Why teaching?

A broader question but again, the interviewer wants to make sure you’re in teaching for the right reasons. They may also word this as something like ‘tell me about yourself’ or an equivalent question.

Make sure that your answer isn’t too general or vague, don’t just say that you ‘always wanted’ to be a teacher and leave it at that.

Convey your enthusiasm and motivation for the profession – use a specific example from the past that helps demonstrate why teaching is your ultimate career priority over others.

#3 How do you manage challenges at work?

All teachers know that some days – or weeks, or terms – can be very difficult, so the interviewer needs to know how you will cope at their school when the going gets tough.

Give a specific example of a tough situation you have faced, how you handled it and what you learned from the experience. If you’re a new teacher it’s fine to use an example from your PGCE or NQT year.

To share your example succinctly and concisely, consider using the STAR method – explain the Situation, Task, Action you took and the Result. For more ideas on how to answer this, read these guides:

• Tell Me How You Handled A Difficult Situation Example Answers For Interviews
• How Do You Work Under Pressure? Example Answer For Interviews

#4 What behaviour management techniques have you used?

More specifically, one of the most common challenges at school that’s fairly unique to teaching involves managing the behaviour of a disruptive pupil or classroom.

The interviewer wants to see how prepared you are for this scenario, especially given that some pupils will try to see what they can get away with when there’s a new teacher.

Use examples to support your answer and again, the STAR method may help frame your response.

#5 Tell us how you handled a safeguarding issue at school

A crucial requirement, the interviewer needs to know that you fully understand teachers’ responsibilities in terms of safeguarding.

This could be worded as a question about keeping children safe. Refamiliarise yourself with safeguarding policies – if available, read the policy at the school you’re applying to.

If you have a relevant example to share from your career, use it in your answer. If not, describe how you would hypothetically handle a safeguarding issue at school.

#6 How do you ensure that all pupils progress?

There may also be a discussion about equal opportunities, teaching mixed-ability students, or special education.

As class sizes vary between schools, the interviewer wants to analyse how prepared you are to tailor your teaching style to individual learners in a group setting.

Again, the best answer here will involve specific examples. If you don’t have any to share, demonstrate that you understand the best practices and theory involved.

#7 Evaluate a lesson you have just taught

This is a particularly likely question if your assessment involves a trial lesson. 

The key is to analyse it – highlight the positive outcomes but also be honest about anything that didn’t go well or any areas for improvement you’ve identified. You could also talk about what you would do differently in the next lesson.

On a relevant topic, recently we answered the common query – what qualifications do I need to be a teaching assistant?

#8 Describe your best or ideal lesson

This helps show the interviewer that you have a vision for ideal outcomes and a plan in place to achieve it.

Things may not go according to this plan but particularly in an interview, it’s important to show you’re aiming high:

• The question may ask you to imagine an ideal lesson or describe the best one you have ever taught.
• Either way, use relevant examples from your career to outline what the perfect lesson should achieve in your view.

#9 What qualities do pupils look for in a great teacher?

Here the interviewer will analyse your ability to see lessons from the pupils’ perspectives – and specifically, the students at the school you’re applying to.

So where possible, match your strengths as a teacher to specific details from the job advert, or information you have discovered about the student demographics, and so on.

Again, if you can share a relevant example from your teaching experience so far, that will help back up your response.

#10 Give examples of how you have improved learning outcomes

Here the interviewer is taking things a step further. You may have a proven track record of teaching lessons, but what were the end results?

Show that you have a results-oriented mindset and try to be specific when giving your answer.

Aim to describe the status quo before some of your work and the results afterwards, along with the reasons why you achieved this positive change.

#11 What are your weaknesses?

Another classic interview question but one that’s not unique to teaching. The interviewer wants to explore your self-evaluation abilities and how you approach career progress.

There are three traps to avoid here, so make sure you:

1. Don’t say you’re not sure, or have no weaknesses
2. Don’t answer with a cliche e.g saying you’re a perfectionist
3. Never raise a red flag e.g. saying you’re sometimes late

Instead, think of a weakness that isn’t a deal-breaker and is also something you’re actively working on. As always, aim to share an example to support your response.

We also have videos to help you prepare for several common interview questions – including:

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• Why did you leave your last job?

#12 Is there anything you would like to ask us?

Often asked at the end of interviews, asking a question or two at this stage helps confirm to the interviewer that you’re still interested in the open position.

Not only is this a common question for teacher interviews… It’s a favourite for many types of jobs across industries.

For more, here are our top 10 common interview questions in general and how to answer them.

Final thoughts: Teaching interview questions and answers UK

We hope this article helps you to prepare for a wide range of teaching interview questions and now here is some more general advice:

• Confirm your attendance
• Try to work out who will be present in the interview
• Plan your journey to the interview – don’t let there be any risk of lateness!
• Think about what to wear

After the interview, it’s a waiting game to hear back… Hopefully the school won’t keep you hanging around for long!

Find out how long it takes to hear back after an interview and also, how to tell if an interview went well.

Haven’t had an interview yet, or need to line up some more? You need an outstanding CV that does justice to your teaching career so far. For a broad overview of the principles, here’s how to write a teacher’s CV.

But if you need some help writing a CV that opens doors or are struggling to make time to create a great one, we can help.

We offer a professional CV writing service that has received thousands of 5-star reviews. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.