Teaching Assistant

The interviewer will ask about any difficult situations in your last job, related to work, which were solved by you by amicable means. This will prove to the interviewer whether you have any people skills. Make a list of such occurrences. Consult with a knowledgeable friend, or professor. Preferably someone who's working! Select the best and prepare to present the anecdote briefly, and succinctly.

Once the interviewer is satisfied that you have all the skills needed for a teacher's assistant, they may call you for a couple of more rounds before they finally select you for the job.

► Why do you want to become a teaching assistant?

► What is the role of a TA?

► What will your duties include as a TA?

► What do you feel you can bring to the role?

► Do you have any experience of SEN, Autism or ADHD?

► What do you think is the best thing about being a teaching assistant?

► What's your experience of working with children?

► Do you find it easy to communicate with children?

► Why do you think the role of a teaching assistant is important?

► How could you use your creative skills in the classroom?

► What makes a good lesson plan?

► What do you think the children have learned from you 30-minute lesson exercise?

► How do you respond to children who give a correct answer?

► How do you respond to children who give a partially correct or incorrect answer?

► What is your knowledge of child protection?

► Can a teacher keep a secret with a child relating to child abuse?

► Give an example of when you have had to use your own initiative

► What would you do if a child didn't understand what they were supposed to be doing?

► How do you think children learn best?

► Does learning have to be fun?

► How would you handle noisy and bad behavior at lunchtime?

► What is the difference between the noisy and bad behavior?

► If a child tells you he/she is being harmed by someone from outside school, what would you do?

► How could you support children's reading?

► How would you liaise with class teachers and parents?

► How do you organize your lessons and time?

► What makes a good lesson?

► How do you react to a child who doesn't follow your instructions?

► Give an example of your leadership abilities

► What types of assessment do you use?

► Why you want to be a teaching assistant?

► Why do you think you would be a good teaching assistant?

► What do you think the role of a teaching assistant is?

► What do you think will be the main activities you will do each day as a teaching assistant?

► Why do you think the role of the teaching assistant is important?

► Do you think you would find a teaching assistant role fulfilling? Why?

► What do you think would be the challenges you would face in this role?

► What do you think would be the highlights of the job?

► Why do you want to be a teaching assistant?

► How would you motivate a child with special education needs who doesn't want to participate in the classroom?

► Give an example of a lesson gone wrong and how you reacted to it

► Tell me about a time when you have had to deal with a problem child and what action you took. What was the result?

► When have you had to overcome a challenging situation?

► What would you do if a parent walked up to you in the street and asked questions about their child?

► What would you do if a child swore at you when you walked into school?

► What's your experience of working with children?

► Why do you enjoy working with children?

► What experience could you bring from previous posts to your work at this school?

► Do you find it easy to communicate with children?

► Can you tell us about a time when you effectively worked as part of a team?

► Are you good at organizing yourself and other people?

► Can you tell us about a time you successfully worked with a group of children?

► How do you think you could use your creative skills in the classroom?

► How do you think children learn best?

► How can you encourage reluctant readers?

► Do you have any creative ideas for helping pupils who are struggling with numeracy?

► Do you have any interesting ideas of how we can display children's work?

► How would you feedback to a pupil who gets the right answer?

► How would you respond to a pupil who gave a partially correct answer?

► How would you feedback to a pupil who gave an incorrect answer?

► How would you support a pupil who was struggling with a specific task?

► What activities do you enjoy doing most with children?

► Why do you want to work at this school?

► What experience can you bring to the school?

► What do you know about our school?

► How can you support the provision of extra-curricular activities at our school?

► What do you think about our school ethos and rules?

The teaching assistant is quite near to the students themselves when it comes to age. Therefore, the interviewer will first have to assess whether you can or cannot handle a crowd of students. Again, focus on your ability to work with your previous employer(s). If you have led any youth groups or have any counselor/teaching experience, draw on that.