Teacher Interview Questions and Answers
The role of a teacher remains unchanged in the society and teachers are looked up as molders of the young minds who grow up to become good citizens of the nation. The fast development that the world is witnessing with the advancements of science and technology has made the role of a teacher much challenging.
Educational institutes look for teachers with not only a good command on the subject but also the ones who have a positive attitude to learn and share the knowledge on a continuous basis. Interviewers would try to understand the various skills the person possesses and assess whether the interviewee would be a right fit to their institution.
“Tell about yourself” would be the first question to break the ice and get into further discussion. Here are some of the questions other that can be asked in a interview for the position of a teacher.
1.What qualities in you made you choose teaching as a profession?
Education is the key for the development of the society and teaching is profession where a continuous learning and sharing of knowledge happens. Personally am a very enthusiastic learner and a good communicator with a strong zeal to do contribute to the society. Hence chose this profession to enlighten the young minds and drive them for a better life.
2.How many years of experience do you possess in teaching and what are your competencies?
I possess X years of experience in teaching subjects like X, X, X and X.
My main competencies are in handling students with different intellectual capabilities and designing a customized model of teaching for each class. At the same time, I can enthuse the students towards the subject by giving them practical overview of the concepts.
And, I hold a track record of teaching students who have then always scored above 60% of marks.
3.Why are you looking for a change from your current institution?
I have been working with the current institution for the last X years and it has always been a learning experience all the while. But feel that I am entering the comfort zone and hence change is a must to ensure there is some professional development.
Looking for a new and challenging work environment where enhancing my existing skills is a must.
4.Every teacher will have a different style in teaching. What is your style?
Demonstrative style of teaching is what I follow where it involves lot of preparation for the class. Text books collate all the information and put it at one place for the students and hence the role of a teacher is to explain the concepts in a way that students understand and remember. Organising practical sessions and showing the videos pertaining to the subject helps students better.
5.In your opinion what do students look for in their teacher?
Students look at their teachers as role models and person who can guide them better for a bright future. As a role model the teacher should infuse positive attitudes towards life and encourage them to be good citizens contributing to the nation and society.
6.Each and every child is special and gifted differently. How do you identify those hidden talents?
Yes, the fact that each child is blessed differently and a teacher is the best person to identify the hidden talents and encourage them to pursue those special skills. Different classroom activities like essay writing, elocution, painting and role plays help in identifying children with special talents in writing, oratory, acting and artistic skills . Also the sports and cultural events bring out their leadership & team working skills.
7.What are the challenges for teachers in handling the modern day students?
The role of teachers is becoming very challenging these days. Especially with both parents working and the time they spend with the children for their studies is drastically coming down. Also the expectations of the parents on their children both in studies and extra-curricular activities are very high. All this becomes a great challenge for the teachers in giving individual attention to each child rather than just delivering the lesson.
Also the improving technology and communications are giving children a great exposure to the happening around the world and tinge of innocence is completely missing. Children are able to get any sort of information in a click of mouse on the internet. Hence the teachers are facing a great challenge in handling students in the current day. Teachers need to really pull up their socks and improve their knowledge and not just rely on the text books.
8.How do you use technology in driving the interest of the students?
Use of technology is inevitable both to gain hands on knowledge using internet and using PPT’s and video clippings for delivering the class room sessions.
9.Good Communication skills are a must for a teacher. How do you comprehend this?
A good teacher must be a good communicator. Without good communication skills one cannot get the students attention however knowledgeable the person might be. Obviously what matters is the output or the delivery and no one would count on the time spent on preparation or the years of experience gained.
10.What techniques do you follow to ensure active participation of the students in the class?
Communication should always be two way. The teacher delivering the lesson and students listening to it is an old style; the teachers today need to be facilitators. Simple techniques like giving small assignments on the subject, conducting quiz competitions and making presentations on the topics helps students to gain interest on the subject.
