English Teacher

I am sure many of you have participated in team-teaching and realize the benefits of this strategy. The interviewer who asks this question wants to discover, if you are flexible, enjoy working in a team environment, have experience in this area, and what your viewpoints are on the subject.

This question will probably be asked. Now, if you researched the district/school and found out what they are looking for in a candidate, you will be able to focus your response on that information, keeping in mind it is important to tell the truth. With every response you must show your VALUE to the district. This will also give them an idea on how you view your talents and skills as a teacher. Perception is critical... you must be able to confidently discuss your skills using a convincing approach.

Your response could include something that may have been a challenge in the past, which you have taken steps to rectify. It is important to be truthful, they will be testing your honesty. In addition, they will be checking to see if you provide a weakness that is critical to success in the position. For example, the interview will likely end quickly if you answer you have a difficult time management the classroom. The key to answering the question is to turn a negative into a positive.

Your preparation and research is imperative to successfully answer this question. Provide a few reasons why you're interested in the school or district, and what in particular sparked your interest. What is your personal experience with the school or district? What do you know about its student body, faculty members, industry reputation, community involvement, educational goals and objectives, upcoming initiatives, demographics, or extracurricular activities? This information will help you to accurately respond to the above question. The word accurate is important -- don't answer the questions by using old information.

It is important that a successful principal:

☛ Has a vision and a plan to reach that vision...combined with the ability to bring faculty members together to form a cooperative team and motivate them to reach district goals and objectives.

☛ Be visible... the principal's presence should be evident on a continual basis. He or she must be easily accessible to both students and teachers.

☛ Has a great sense of humor, and can relate well to a diverse group of individuals.

☛ Genuinely cares about the students, teachers, parents, and the district.

Liking young people. Fairness. Consistency. Sense of humour. Passion for their subject. Good at explaining new concepts/ideas. Able to make the topic or subject relevant. Able to make everyone feel comfortable and confident about contributing.

This is great as it enables candidates to sell themselves and really tell us what they are about.

☛ I consider myself hardworking/ reliable/ dependable/ helpful/ outgoing/ organised/ honest/ cooperative.

☛ I'm a team-player/ an experienced team-leader/ a seasoned (experienced) professional/ a dedicated worker.

☛ I'm good at dealing with people/ handling stress.

☛ I pay attention to details.

☛ I understand my customers' needs.

☛ I learn quickly and take pride in my work.

☛ I love challenges and getting the job done.

☛ I graduated in IT from the University of XYZ.

☛ I hold a master's degree (MA)/ a bachelor's degree (BA) in Modern Languages from the University of XYZ.

☛ I took a one year accounting training program at ABC College.

☛ I haven't done any formal training for this job, but I have worked in similar positions and have ten years of experience in this field.

☛ I was laid off/ made redundant, because the company relocated/ downsized/ needed to cut costs.

☛ I resigned from my previous position, because I didn't have enough room to grow with my employers.

☛ I wanted to focus on finding a job that is nearer to home/that represents new challenges/ where I can grow professionally/that helps me advance my career.

I'd like to hear about: animated discussions, students clearly making progress as evidenced in oral and written contributions. High quality visual displays of students' work showing progress. High levels of engagement. Behavior that supports learning.

This allows candidates to give a theoretical answer - one that anyone who swotted up could give you - balanced with a personal reflection that shows how effective they are.

This is one of my favorite questions (it's based on a question my National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) coach used to ask me) because it gets candidates to think about their contribution to the school organisation and their team spirit. If I'm interviewing for a senior leader I would follow this up with: what would you want them to say about you in three years time? This way I can get a sense of where they want to develop as leaders.

A candidate may have made a grand statement in their letter, but not gone into details about 'how' or the impact it had.

There are standardized assessments at almost every grade level. Be sure you know the names of the tests. Talk about your experiences preparing students. You'll get bonus points if you know and describe the format of the test because that will prove your familiarity.

This question will come up at almost every elementary school interview. It's fairly common in the middle school and high school as well. You might have a weekly parent newsletter that you send home each week. For grades 3 and up, you may require students to have an assignment book that has to be signed each night. This way, parents know what assignments are given and when projects are due. When there are discipline problems you call home and talk to parents. It's important to have an open-door policy and invite parents to share their concerns at any time.