Teaching Interviews 1 Year Later… Interview Prep
It has officially been one year since I went through the interview process and was offered a position at my dream school only a 10 minute drive from our farm! This was also the same school where I completed two of my hour student teaching placements so I felt very comfortable with both the students and staff. My husband was offered a job in the same division (15 mins down the road from my school) two weeks later and our grad, wedding, and 8 months of teaching later we are in May again…. can someone say busy year!?
With the school year coming to a close my Facebook, Twitter, and texts are full of teacher friends posting jobs in their division and/or looking for their first positions. Is it just me or do teachers attract other teacher friends? As such, I wanted to share some of the resources I put together when I was looking for my job:
WEBSITES/ARTICLES/VIDEOS To Help Prepare
The Best Advice for New Teachers (Article) – Larry Ferlazzo is an AMAZING edublogger that has multiple lists of resources
that I recommend you check out. He’s put together a great list of websites that
offer advice for new teachers and people preparing to be teachers.
– http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2012/04/23/the-best-advice-for-new-teachers/
The Rookie Teacher (Website)
– This website has a variety of great blog posts about everything to do with
being a “Rookie Teacher” including subject specific information,
curriculum, professional development and interviews.
– http://therookieteacher.ca/
The Hired Teacher (Website)*
– I found this website very useful and it had many examples of
interview questions provided by new teachers who had just gone through
the interview process.
* Unfortunately, this link now says that this website domain is now pending
renewal. I am still included it as part of this list in hopes that they renew
because it had some very good resources.
– http://hiredteacher.ca/
What Do Principal’s Look For When They Hire (Article)
– Peter Jory has written a great article on his blog, “I Have an Opinion About
Learning”. Being a principal himself, I value Mr. Jory’s opinion and think he
provides some great insight on what administration looks for during the hiring
process.
– https://fishbowlteaching.com//2012/02/what-do-principals-look-for-when-they.html
How to Find Your Dream Teaching Job (Article)
– Heather Wolpert-Gawron at Edutopia has written an 8 Step List on
how to find your dream teaching job which includes everything from
targeting certain schools to the actual interview itself.
– http://www.edutopia.org/school-employment-finding-teaching-job
Apply to Education (Database)
– Apply to Education is an online database that school divisions and private
companies use to post teaching positions. I check this website weekly to see
what sorts of jobs our area has available.
– You can search through jobs from any area without having to become a
member of the website!
– https://www.applytoeducation.com/
Interview Questions (PDF)
– Although not teaching-specific I’m including a list of interview questions
from my university’s Career Planning & Placement Office. Most of them are
very general so they could be a good starting base for any interview.
– http://www.brandonu.ca/careerplanning/files/2010/07/Interview-Questions-20082.pdf
EduEdge (Website)
– EduEdge is an entire website devoted to preparing future teachers for the
interview and hiring process. They have several great articles, blog posts,
workshops and resources all designed to help you get a job.
– I’ve selected a few of the best articles and added them to this list.
– http://theeduedge.com/
Advice to New Graduates About to Enter the Teaching Profession (Article)
– David Andrade has put together some great points on his blog,
“Educational Technology Guy”. He touches on everything from
staying organized, to asking for help to copyright concerns.
– At the end of the article he also includes some more great resources for
new teachers.
– http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.ca/2012/04/advice-to-new-college-graduates-about.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+EducationalTechnologyGuy+%28Educational+Technology+Guy%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
First Day of School by Harry Wong (Book)
– During my first student teaching placement by principal at “S-School”
lent me this book stating that, “It was a fantastic resource to use
throughout your teaching career”. Since then I have also seen it
praised in many of the edublogs I follow. I definitely recommend it
to any teacher, new or experienced.
Student Teacher, Temporary Teacher or Substitute Teacher? What to do if a Teaching Job is Rumoured to be Available at Your School (Article)
– This article by EduEdge (also on this list) offers some great advice on
how to get your foot in the door and start building yourself a teaching career.
– http://theeduedge.com/student-teacher-temporary-teacher-or-substitute-teacher-what-to-do-if-a-teaching-job-is-rumored-to-be-available-in-your-school/
Top Strategies for Selecting References for a Teaching Interview (Article)
– This article by EduEdge (also on this list) offers some pointers on how to
pick appropriate references for your teaching application. Who should be
a reference? Do you pick different references depending on the school?
– http://theeduedge.com/top-strategies-for-selecting-references-for-a-teacher-interview/
131 Tips for New Teachers (Presentation)
– Richard Byrne included a free slide presentation on his blog, “Free
Technology for Teachers” that highlights 131 tips for new teachers.
– http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/09/131-tips-for-new-teachers.html
A Principal’s Reflections (Blog)
– A school administrator’s blog.
– A great blog to read and see how an administrator interprets different
aspects of education.
– http://esheninger.blogspot.com/
Interview Questions Forum on A to Z Teacher Stuff (Forum)
– What an amazing resource! This teacher forum is filled with lists of interview
questions teachers were asked when they went for their interviews.
The lists are divided by year and I recommend going through all of them!
– There are some really tricky questions I hadn’t heard before.
– http://forums.atozteacherstuff.com/forumdisplay.php?f=84
How to Ace Your Interview for a Teaching Position (Article)
– This article lists the top 3 skills that are important for showing you are capable
of preparing students for 21st Century society including internet presence,
blogs and portfolios.
– Scott Ziegler has worked as a teacher, school administrator and then district
administrator.
– http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/07/how-to-ace-your-interview-for-teaching.html
Teacher Interview Portfolios: Top 5 “Must-haves” and “Should-haves” (Article)
– From EduEdge, this article reviews the top 5 “must-have” things to include
in a professional teaching portfolio as well as the top 5 “should-have” things. There
are some great tips about those things that you may be on the fence about including.
– http://theeduedge.com/top-five-must-haves-top-five-could-haves-your-teacher-interview-portfolio/
Applicants Should Ask Good Questions During Job Interviews (Article & Video)
– This article and video reviews how to ask questions during a job interview that
effectively communicate a positive image of you as an employee. Would you think
to ask, “What do the most successful applicants for this job have in common?”
– Definitely a must read/watch before your next interview!
– http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/122460/applicants-should-ask-good-questions-during-job-interviews
Substitute Teacher Interview Questions (Article)
– This website has a list of almost 20 interview questions that could work for either
a Substitute Teacher or a Classroom Teacher!
– Thanks to Jonathon at Architect Interview Questions for letting me know about this
website (I’ve added his blog to this list too!)
– http://teacherinterviewquestions.info/substitute-teacher-interview-questions
Architect Interview Questions (Blog)
– Jonathon has put together some AMAZING posts that list potential interview
questions for any type of teacher! He has resources divided by specific classroom
subjects, different classroom positions and much more.
– http://architectinterviewquestions.blogspot.ca/
Learning to Learn: 10 Essential Skills for Teachers (Article)
– It can be easy to get overwhelmed when teaching and this article does a great job
of summarizing 10 skills that all teachers should keep in mind, no matter what stage
they are at in their career.
– This list covers everything from differentiation and content to time management and
passion.
– http://novanews19.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/learning-to-learn-10-essential-skills-for-teachers/
Teaching Happily Ever After: How to Get a Teaching Job (Article)
– Mrs. Cross just recently went through the interview process and has summarized
some tips from her own experiences.
– She shares some great ideas of unique portfolio options using Facebook Timeline
and Prezi which could be great for those of us who want to showcase their techie
side!
– https://fishbowlteaching.com//2012/04/how-to-get-teaching-job-getting-started.html
New Teacher 1st Year YouTube Channel (Videos)
– This YouTube Channel is just getting started up but promises to deliver
helpful teaching tips, explain different strategies, share inspirational videos
and be a great resource for teachers when they start out!
– This channel is monitored by Lisa Dabbs who also organizes the #ntchat
on Twitter so I trust that this channel will soon be full of great ideas 🙂
– http://www.youtube.com/user/NewTeacher1stYear
The New Look Teacher Interview (Article)
– Greg Miller is a principal at an early-years school in Alberta and has
made a list of new questions that he would ask teachers. I like that he
moves past the traditional questions (which he lists at the start of the
article) like “describe your philosophy of teaching” and, instead,
asks questions like “have you built a PLN?”.
– This is a great resource of questions to look at before heading into
your next interview!
– http://gregmillerprincipal.com/2013/05/17/the-new-look-teacher-interview/
SAMPLE QUESTIONS To Prepare/Practice
1 ) What are three words that best describe who you are as a teacher? What are three words that do not describe you?
2 ) How do students describe you?
3 ) What do you know about our school/division goals?
4 ) How do you define student engagement? What does it look like in your classroom?
5 ) How do you differentiate your instruction?
6 ) What is Backwards-by-Design planning? Show me a unit in which you’ve utilized this approach.
7 ) How do you motivate reluctant learners?
8 ) Describe your understanding of assessment for learning, as learning, and of learning.
9 ) Describe the three MB Report Card Categories, what type of assessment would fit in with
10 ) How do you infuse technology into your teaching?
11 ) What impact does an interruption to internet access or technology have on student learning?
12 ) What do you do if a student outright refuses to do their work?
13 ) What do you do to set up a respectful & accepting classroom environment?
14 ) What is the role of the parent/guardian in your classroom?
15 ) How do you establish communication with parents?
16 ) What extracurricular activities are you interested in?
17 ) What leadership role would you be willing to take on?