Interview tips for education students
How to impress the interviewer:
Demonstrate your passion for teaching. Address major issues in your subject. For example, “My passion is literature and writing. I believe that written communication can withstand challenges from technology and indeed can be enhanced by it.” Give specific examples to demonstrate.
Show enthusiasm. Know about the features and activities of the particular school you are applying for.
Clearly articulate your teaching philosophy. Think about your role and what you would like to achieve through it... For example, “I see my role as a teacher as one through which I can assist students to develop their communication skills and interests creatively to achieve personal and social goals.”
Show awareness of major issues and your efforts at best practice. For example, “My placements provided me many opportunities to design units of work across Key Learning Areas, such as the Environmental project done with Year 9 at St Bob’s. I learned how content can be made meaningful and relevant, and can bring together disciplines to cater for different learning styles and purposes.
Demonstrate self awareness. Make some personal statements that show self-awareness and thoughtfulness about the role and your suitability for it. For example, “I bring a sense of fun and enjoyment from learning. I am hard-working and try to see the big picture into which my efforts can be contextualised.”
Turn negatives into positives. Acknowledge, for example, that you have spent most of your time studying and working and so have neglected outside activities but that you are looking forward to establishing a balance in your life.
Anticipate questions:
Consider your responses to the following sample interview questions:
- What motivated you to become a teacher?
- What have you got to offer this school?
- Tell us about your values and the philosophy that underpins your teaching.
- How would you describe your teaching style?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses in teaching? Give us an example of something that worked well for you. In what areas do you need to improve? How will you do so?
- Tell us about the most frustrating thing that happened to you as a student teacher? How did you manage it? What was the result?
- What are your ideas about assessing learning? What do you see as the role of testing?
- What makes you a good teacher?
- What issues do you see affecting education today?
- What kind of relationship do you want with your students?
- Tell us about a time when you had a difficult time controlling a class. What did you? What was the result?
How to use portfolios in interviews:
- Make sure your portfolio shows a good range of capabilities and articulates and demonstrate your educational philosophy.
- Include examples of how your practice reflects your philosophy. For example, a visual representation or a piece of work by a student.
- Consider the most workable format for taking to interviews and a logical and engaging organisation. Some options include loose-leaf folder, scrapbook, CD-ROM, lap-top, box of index cards, photo album, artist’s folio, accordion file, poster, brochure, box with several compartments.
- Think about the relevance of the material to the specific position/subject/age group/school.
- You must be able to justify your selections and speak about them with confidence. Justifications should use the language of reflection such as, "This item shows growth because...", "I love this item because…", "I want to keep this item because…."
- Highlight the skills, knowledge and values items demonstrate and how they show your successes, creativity, innovation and initiative.
