Teacher Interview Questions Are More Predictable Than You Think
by Amanda Melsby — March 3, 2024
“If you were a tree, what type would you be?” Search the internet for “unusual job interview questions” and you’ll find a few. The possibility exists in every interview for one or two questions from left field (though I doubt you’ll get the tree question). However, I’ve conducted interviews for over ten years as a school administrator, and let me assure you that teacher interview questions are surprisingly predictable.
I want to share with you how the majority of teacher interview questions are created. Then, I’ll give a few tips on how you might use that information to prepare for your next teacher interview.
Most teacher interview questions cover five main topics.
- Building a classroom culture that supports student learning
- Maintaining an effective learning environment
- Planning and preparing learning experiences
- Organizing subject matter for student understanding
- Demonstrating professionalism in the community
These five topics are roughly the same used by individual states as their professional teaching standards. These also happen to be the same standards upon which teachers are evaluated.
*Slight variations exist from state to state. Check with your state department of education or your professional organization for the exact standards.
Essentially, these five topics encompass the job of being a teacher.
A typical interview consists of 8-10 questions over about thirty minutes. The majority of your interview will cover these five main topics. Keep in mind that you will likely get a couple of questions that don’t fall within the five categories. One notable example is the “Tell Us About Yourself” question which is almost always the first question of your interview.
Now that you know most teacher interview questions cover five topics, you have a foundation with which to prepare. It also allows you more flexibility in your response. For example, maybe you didn’t practice the exact question they asked in the interview. If you practice for a similar question within the same topic, you can draw from that information to craft a thoughtful response.
Let’s take it a step further. The topic descriptors are used to create specific questions asked of candidates.
Within each topic are descriptors. The descriptors are often very similar to the questions in your interview. *Again, note that the descriptors for your school or state will vary slightly.
Here’s an example for Topic #1:
The descriptors can easily be converted into questions. Here are the descriptors for all five topics.
Teacher Interview Topics and Descriptors
1. Building a classroom culture that supports student learning
- Builds relationships with students
- Interacts positively with students
- Supports positive interactions among students
- Cultivates a sense of belonging
2. Maintaining an effective learning environment
- Communicates expectations of student behavior
- Creates a mutually respectful environment
- Creates a physical environment that supports learning
- Promotes high standards for group work
- Establishes and employs classroom routines and procedures
3. Plans and prepares learning experiences
- Demonstrates content expertise
- Demonstrates pedagogical understanding
- Plans coherent instruction
- Designs and analyzes student assessments
4. Organizes subject matter for student understanding
- Utilizes a variety of appropriately challenging learning activities
- Creates an academically rigorous environment
- Checks for understanding to monitor student learning
- Engages students in learning with rich learning experiences
5. Demonstrates professionalism in the community
- Is a highly qualified practitioner
- Engaged in reflective practice and self-assessment
- Contributes to school community and culture
- Engaged with families and the community
- Committed to professional growth and development
Interview Preparation Tip: For each main topic, identify 3-5 strong talking points.
Here’s the thing: There are potentially hundreds of teacher interview questions. That means it’s impossible to predict exactly what questions will come your way in a teacher interview.
But you know that most of the questions will be about the five main topics.
To keep your interview prep simple yet effective, one option is to plan out 3-5 strong talking points for each of the main topics.
For example, you will very likely be asked about how you maintain an effective learning environment. You can’t predict the exact question, but if you’ve prepared 3-5 talking points with examples, you can adapt to fit the question. In some cases, the descriptors can become your talking points.
Pro tip #1: Include specific examples to provide more detail and depth to each interview answer.
If you have student-teaching experience, think about specific instances that support your talking points. Always choose examples that show you and your students in a positive light.
Pro tip #2: As you create talking points, align them as much as possible with the school.
What do I mean by “align” your talking points?
Take a look at the school’s website and the job description. Perhaps the school emphasizes a certain type of academic program like STEM or project-based learning. Is the position academically specialized, such as GATE, honors, EL, or SPED? If so, create talking points that match the school’s academic philosophy.
Another example is a school focused on community building. They are proud of their robust behavior support system. The job description mentions restorative practices. If you see something like this, adapt your talking points when asked about “building the classroom environment” and “maintaining an effective classroom environment”.
Final interview preparation thoughts:
We hope this article helped to demystify, as much as possible, the interview process. Most interview questions come from five main categories. Be fully prepared, with examples ready, to confidently talk about each category.
A friendly reminder: A little research of the school goes a long way. The more you can show that you understand the needs of the school and that you are the candidate who can meet those needs, the better you will position yourself as the most highly qualified candidate.
Access the FREE Mid-Year Classroom Management Guide
Amanda Melsby has been a professional educator for 20 years. She taught English before working as an assistant principal and later as a high school principal. Amanda holds an Ed.D. in Educational Practice and Leadership and is currently a dean of teaching and learning.