How to Interview Well for a Teaching Job

Landing a teaching job isn’t luck—it’s structured preparation plus evidence of impact. Your edge comes from (1) a tight portfolio and resume, (2) concise, student-outcome-driven answers, and (3) a practiced demo lesson that shows how you teach, manage the room, and assess learning.

Short answer: Build a compact evidence pack, rehearse answer frameworks that foreground student outcomes, and tailor everything to the school’s stated priorities. The combination projects clarity, confidence, and fit.

Understand What Interviewers Are Looking For

Panels assess three big questions:

1. Safety & engagement: Can you create a calm, purposeful environment?

2. Planning & assessment: Do you design learning that leads to progress?

3. Community fit: Will you strengthen the school’s culture and partnerships?

Translate stakeholders:

• Principal/Head: culture, safeguarding, contribution beyond class.

• Department lead/Coach: pedagogy, curriculum alignment, data use.

• HR/Admin: credentials, logistics, compliance.

Your move: Pull three priorities from the school’s site/newsletters/inspection reports and mirror them in your answers (e.g., literacy push, inclusive practice, parental engagement).

Build Your Foundation: Documents, Portfolio, and Resume

Resume (1–2 pages, impact-first):

• 2–3 line profile (phase/subject, core strengths, one metric).

• Experience with action + outcome bullets (e.g., “Introduced daily retrieval; quiz accuracy up 23% in 8 weeks”).

• Certifications/CPD and skills (SEN strategies, ELL support, safeguarding, LMS tools).

• If abroad: credential equivalencies, language ability, visa status.

Portfolio (15–20 pages max, plus a PDF link):

• Teaching Snapshot (1 page): philosophy + 3 impact bullets.

• 2 model lesson plans (objectives, differentiation, assessment).

• Student work samples (before/after with a 3–4 line commentary).

• Assessment artifacts (trackers, rubrics, feedback examples).

• Parent/community engagement (newsletter excerpt, event slide).

• PD highlights with “change in practice” notes.

Tip: Lead with the highest-impact artifacts—assume the panel skims.

Mastering the Core Interview Skills

Use STAR-L (teacher edition): Situation, Task, Action, Result, Learning.

• Open with an answer-first sentence (“I reduce off-task behavior with explicit routines and positive reinforcement…”), then the STAR-L story.

30–45s Teaching Philosophy:
Student-centered goal → preferred methods → 1-line result.

“Students learn most through guided inquiry and explicit feedback. I pair structured modeling with talk moves and exit tickets, which raised accuracy on multi-step problems by 18% last term.”

Timing: Aim for 60–90s per substantive answer.

Practice: Common Questions and Model Responses

Themes to prep (each with STAR-L):

• Classroom management & routines

• Differentiation & inclusion (ELL/SEN)

• Assessment for learning (AfL), feedback cycles

• Parent partnerships

• Collaboration/PD & curriculum development

• A lesson that failed & your iteration

Example (behavior):

• S: Y7 group w/ rising interruptions (4/week).

• T: Cut disruptions while protecting learning time.

• A: Taught entry routine, posted success criteria, used “two positives before redirect,” logged data; weekly calls to align with home.

• R: Incidents down to 1/week; on-task time +22%; quiz scores +11%.

• L: Routine practice must be re-taught after breaks; added Monday refresh.

Demonstration Lessons and Teaching Samples

Micro-lesson (10–15 min) blueprint:

1. Objective + success criteria (student-friendly).

2. Hook/activate prior knowledge (60–90s).

3. Model (think-aloud, worked example).

4. Guided practice (pairs/whiteboards).

5. Quick formative check (exit ticket/polls).

6. Close: “We learned X; success looks like Y.”

Include visible differentiation: sentence stems, manipulatives/visuals, challenge extension.

If something goes wrong: name it, adapt calmly, and later reference it as evidence of real-world classroom poise.

Classroom Management and Student Outcomes

Proactive systems: entry/exit routines, clear success criteria, transitions, seating plans, call-and-response signals.
Positive culture: ratio of praise to correction (~4:1), choices not ultimatums, restorative follow-ups.
Connect to learning: “Routines reclaimed ~8 minutes per lesson; weekly writing volume rose 15%.”

Technology, Differentiation, and Inclusion

Differentiation (content/process/product):

• Tiered tasks, choice boards, scaffolded texts, flexible grouping.

• Plan using pre-assessment and adjust with mini-checks mid-lesson.

ELL/SEN strategies:

• Visuals, glossaries, dual-coded notes; chunking; sentence frames; multimodal output; co-planning with SENCO and targeted progress monitoring.

EdTech with purpose: formative quizzing (item analysis), collaborative docs for writing, screen recording for feedback. Always link to impact (“reduced marking time 30%, faster feedback loop”).

Cultural Fit, Community, and Parent Communication

Research → alignment: reference a literacy drive, SEL priority, or STEM initiative with a concrete contribution (e.g., reading buddies, math club, family workshops).
Parent partnership framework: evidence + strategy + shared target + follow-up date.
Questions to ask panels: induction/mentoring, class sizes, assessment approach, PD pathways, behavior policy & escalation flow.

Virtual Interviews and Zoom Etiquette

Setup: stable internet, mic test, eye-level camera, neutral background, notes open.
Delivery: look at the camera for key lines, concise answers, screen-share portfolio pages smoothly, ask brief check-ins (“Would you like to see the exit ticket?”).
Backup: phone hotspot, printed resume, PDF portfolio link.

Negotiation, Offers, and International Moves

Evaluate whole package: salary band, prep time, duties beyond teaching, CPD funding, class size, commute. International: visa sponsorship, relocation/housing support, medical, school fees (if relevant), term dates/cost of living.

Negotiate collaboratively: restate enthusiasm + value evidence → request (salary step, PD budget, relocation stipend, reduced extra duty in term 1). Offer alternatives (equipment grant, timetable consideration).

Certification mobility: confirm reciprocity, background checks, timelines. Prepare certified copies early.

After the Interview: Follow-Up and Growth Plan

24-hour thank-you (3 sentences): appreciation → 1 aligned highlight → readiness to provide materials. Attach promised artifacts.

Debrief (20 minutes): 3 wins, 3 improvements → convert to micro-tasks for next interview (e.g., tighten demo timing, stronger data point for ELL story).

When to get coaching: recurring weak demo, fuzzy impact stories, nerves on camera, or complex relocation negotiations.

Putting It All Together: A 6-Week Interview Preparation Roadmap

Week 1 — Documents & Audit

• Update resume; assemble 1-page teaching snapshot; outline portfolio. Identify three school priorities per target.

Week 2 — Stories & Structure

• Draft 8–10 STAR-L stories (behavior, differentiation, assessment, parent comms, PD). Practice answer-first openings.

Week 3 — Demo Lesson

• Build 10–15 min micro-lesson; rehearse twice; refine transitions & exit ticket; prep differentiation artifacts.

Week 4 — Virtual Presence

• Run a full mock Zoom panel; fix tech, framing, pace. Practice screen-sharing the portfolio.

Week 5 — Tailoring & Questions

• Customize two stories to each school’s context. Write 4–6 school-specific questions.

Week 6 — Offers & Mobility Prep

• Draft negotiation scripts; create relocation checklist (docs, credential evaluations, timelines). Final polish of portfolio and follow-up templates.

Conclusion

Great teaching interviews are evidence demonstrations: a compact portfolio, crisp student-outcome stories, and a demo that shows instruction, management, and assessment—cleanly aligned to the school’s priorities. Prepare deliberately, rehearse with feedback, and treat every interaction as proof you will raise outcomes and enrich the community.

Kim

HR Expert, Published Author, Blogger, Future Podcaster

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