Feb 7th, 2010
6 Things You Should NOT Do During Teaching Job Interviews
Teacher job interviews are not the same as your typical job interview. Although they follow the same guidelines, the usual questions that would be admissible during a normal interview are not the same during a teaching job interview. Here are 6 pitfalls to avoid if you want to have the best chances of landing your teaching job.
Asking how much will you get paid.
Under normal job circumstances, this is a very viable question, however, during a teacher interview, there’s nothing worse than asking this upfront. If you are offered the job, then you will get to discuss your salary, which is usually predetermined by how many years you have been teaching, and how many years of education you have.
Saying to you have a hard time making kids behave.
This is almost tantamount to telling the principle to expect many children from whom you are teaching to be sent to the principle’s office. Principles are usually looking for low-maintenance teachers which know how to properly discipline a child. Make sure they know that you can properly discipline a child.
NEVER emphasize your weakness or say “I don’t know.”
You have to come off as a confident and qualified teacher. Not having an answer to a question makes you look like you are unsure of yourself, and as a teacher, you should be ready to answer any question that may get thrown your way. Always make sure you come off as positive and leave a positive indelible impression on the panel.
Have an “acceptable” appearance.
This should go without saying, but if you have any tattoos, cover them up; if you have a hairstyle that expresses yourself, but looks a little funky, change it. You should have a clean-cut appearance and very well-mannered to make sure you come off as a person who would have a great influence on a child. Make sure you look professional in your appearance.
Tell them that you would like to work there because of the location.
Never give them the notion that you only want to work here because it is close to home or it will reduce your overall commute time. You need to let them know that you are interested in the school because you like the people whom work and the overall work environment, but never give them the notion or let them know that you are only interested in working there because it’s “convenient” to you.
Never let them know or more so, show them your frustration on your endless job search.
We all know that it can be a strenuous and otherwise very frustrating going on interview after interview, but you do not want to let the panel know that you have been on numerous teaching job interviews or show your frustration in doing so. This may make you seem desperate and make them wonder why everyone else has turned you down thus far.
It’s important that you have a thorough plan of action when going into a teaching job interview. While there are more things you should know about teaching job interviews, there are also much more things you should be cognizant of.
You need to know how to properly format resumes, construct thank you, cover and follow-up letters. You also need to know exactly what to expect throughout each of the interviews you will be put through.
To find out all the information you need to know about teaching job interviews and how to write cover letters, and all the questions you need to know during the actual interview, click here.
