Here is the big moment you have been waiting for after many years of studies and commitment- finding an employment that will pay for your living expenses and help you realize your personal dreams.
You have been searching for jobs on numerous school or consortium websites such as this one and on job fairs, filled out applications, written resumes and cover letters, gotten rejected, until finally you get this email notification that you have been invited to an interview for a teaching position you aspire to get.
Now what?
Don't get me wrong, it is never a guarantee, but at least you have gotten to the next step in a sequence of actions you need to undertake in order to get the job you want. The world has acknowledged you, your efforts, it has recognized that you and your skills are potentially valuable to the society and therefore is giving you a chance to prove that value.
How to prepare for this crucial step in the process?
First, learn more about the school or school district you have been invited to interview with. Search on the Internet for information. When you go to the interview you will want to have a sense of where you might get to work at- look specifically for the philosophy and culture of the place.
Then prepare for the interview questions. I personally used the sample interview questions below, wrote down the answers to them, then practiced numerous times how I would answer the questions, visualizing the interview. Here are some sample questions that you could use to prepare for the interview for you dream teaching position:
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
THEORY and PHILOSOPHY
1. Why do you want to be a teacher? What has drawn you to education?
2. Why are you seeking a teaching certificate at this level (elementary or secondary, specialist, endorsement) and in this subject area?
3. Explain your philosophy for teaching (...your subject matter...).
4. What is the role of the teacher?
5. State your philosophy on classroom management. What are the key elements in maintaining good discipline in the classroom?
6. Explain the theory behind (... a method or trend; i.e. Project-based Education, Open Education, Outcome-based education, Hunter/direct lesson design, interdisciplinary teaming, ...) and tell how what you have learned from this book or article will influence your teaching.
7. What was the most recent professional article, blog or book that you have read? Tell us about it and how it will influence your teaching.
GRADING and ASSESSMENT
8. What might the grades in your grade book look like? What is the role of grades in your classroom?
9. What would you do if, at the end of a marking period, a student who barely made an effort was earning a B, while another student who was trying really hard was still earning a D? What grades would you give each student? Explain why?
10. Explain the difference between assessment and testing (or between formative and summative assessment). Can you assess without testing?
11. What are areas that you plan to assess and how?
TEACHING ALL LEARNERS
12. How do you individualize instruction within your program? How can you accommodate the needs of all learners?
13. Do you believe that all students can learn? Explain. (React to the statement: All students can learn.)
CURRICULUM and PEDAGOGY
14. Summarize the national and state standards in your subject area in terms that a parent or other person not familiar with your field could understand. Explain the impact of these standards on your curriculum and lesson design.
15. What kinds of technology are you accustomed to using? What kinds of technology would you like to have available to you in the classroom or nearby in the school? How would you use this equipment to improve students' learning? To what extend would you need to modify your teaching should no technology be available to you?
16. What do you enjoy most about teaching your subject matter?
17. Have you ever created your own original lesson plan that you are proud of? What was it?
18. What might we see if we walked into your classroom while you were teaching?
19. Teach an impromptu mini-lesson or 5-minute segment of your most recent/favorite lesson.
20. Describe a typical lesson or class period. How would this lesson be different if offered during a blocked (non-blocked) class period?
21. How do you motivate students?
22. About what percentage of the time you use your target language to conduct lessons during a typical class period? How do you feel about speaking the world language all the time?
23. Where do you get your ideas from?
24. What are the steps you would take in a certain situation (student cheating, student sleeping in class, etc.)
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
25. Describe you student teaching/previous teaching experience. What was the most important thing that you learned?
26. What are your greatest strengths as a classroom teacher?
27. Identify a weakness that you have as a classroom teacher?
28. What are your long-term goals? What would you like to be doing five years from today?
29. What has been one of the most successful experiences that you have had as a classroom teacher?
30. What has been one of your biggest disappointments as a teacher?
31. What is your minor or second major? How do you feel about teaching this subject?
32. What extra-curricular or enrichment activities would you be interested in offering to our students? How will you get involved in extra-curricular activities?
33. Describe yourself with three adjectives.
34. Describe your most memorable teacher and what makes this teacher memorable to you?
35. How would you contribute in your own special and unique way to our department?
36. What do you like the best about the culture of the language you teach?
37. How do you feel if you missed a deadline?
38. How would you handle a difficult parent?
39. What would you do if a supervisor were critical to you?
40. Give us an example of a conflict you had with a student and how you resolved it?
41. Explain what your idea of teamwork is in a world language department?
EQUITY, DIVERSITY and INCLUSION
42. What are some techniques you use to teach in a culturally responsive way?
43. What role models for non-traditional students (e.g. female students, LGBTQ+ students, Indigenous students, students of color, and students with disabilities) do you include in your teaching and how?
44. What have you done to enhance you knowledge and skills related to diversity? How have you demonstrated what you have learned?
45. What does it mean for you to have a commitment to diversity and inclusion? How do you see yourself demonstrating it in your role as a teacher?
46. How does your experience and background prepared you to be effective in an environment that values awareness of inclusion and respect for diversity?
QUESTIONS to the INTERVIEWERS
The interviewers might ask what questions you have for them. Here are some examples you could use:
1. Do you have a written language curriculum?
2. Are there opportunities to take students outside of the country?
3. What type of professional development opportunities are supported by the district?
4. What is the structure of the world language program?
5. Do you have a cap on enrollment in language programs?
6. What technologies do you have available?
This is all for now. Please, feel free to add questions that you have been asked or encountered during an interview that might be useful to include.
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Good luck to all with the interviewing process!
