Do you have an elementary teacher job interview scheduled at your dream school? We know you've got the skills, passion, and heart to be an amazing teacher for your students, but even teachers with years of experience still get the jitters when it comes time to interview! Teachers often turn to our fantastic and supportive Facebook Group for advice on how to perform their best during the big Q&A. Show the interview committee what you know by following the tips below!

Before The Interview

We have a whole blog post dedicated to top Teacher Interview Tips and Advice. Two of the most important tips teachers come back to time and time again when preparing for an interview:

• Practice, Practice Practice! Practice writing out your answers ahead of time. Review and verbalize your answers often, or practice with a trusted friend or colleague.
• Do Your Homework: Find out as much as you can about the school where you are interviewing. What reading and math curriculums do they use? What is their school behavior policy? Are there any special programs that make this school stand out from others? What is the school mission statement? Educate yourself on the facts of the school, and incorporate that information into your responses to distinguish yourself from other candidates.

45 Teacher Interview Questions

We've rounded up some common (and not so common!) teacher interview questions. Most of these questions come directly from members of our Facebook community – who better to trust than your fellow teachers!

1. What do you consider your weakness? How can you work to improve your weakness?
2. How would your coworkers describe you?
3. What resources and learning approaches would you use to guide an ELL/ESL student?
4. How do you deal with disruptive behaviors in the classroom?
5. What formative and summative assessments do you use in the classroom?
6. What was the last professional book you read?
7. How would you describe your classroom management style?
8. How would you challenge/differentiate for your higher/struggling students?
9. What is your stance on technology in your classroom? Give an example of how you would use it.
10. What is one of your teaching strengths?
11. What would your colleagues say about you?
12. What do you know about the Science of Reading?
13. If I walked into your classroom during reading, what would your structured literacy lesson look like?
14. Describe your familiarity with the RTI/MTSS process. (Response to intervention, Multi-tiered system of supports)
15. What is your opinion on state standardized testing?
16. How would you handle a challenging student?
17. Explain a time you’ve had a disagreement with a coworker and how you handled that situation.
18. How do you plan for instruction?
19. Describe your classroom management style.
20. How do you support a student with behavior issues?
21. What 3 adjectives describe you?
22. Give an example of a time a lesson did not go as planned. What happened, and what would you do differently if you were to reteach it?
23. How much student growth should I see in your class in a school year?
24. What would you bring to this school, related to extracurriculars?
25. What do you do with student data?
26. Why do you want to work at this school?
27. How do you handle discussing current events with differing perspectives?
28. How do you track student growth?
29. What types of engagement strategies do you implement?
30. What approach do you take to literacy instruction?
31. If we walked into your classroom during small group instruction, what would we see?
32. If we walked in during whole group instruction, what would we see?
33. How do you incorporate SEL?
34. What are three characteristics of an effective teacher?
35. How do you handle weekly news communication?
36. How often do you communicate with parents?
37. What do you do when you continually have less than spectacular behaviors? (Talking, shouting out)
38. List 3 qualities a good teammate provides.
39. How do you build a relationship with your students?
40. Describe how you would create a classroom environment that is equitable and inclusive.
41. What are you good at?
42. How would you resolve a parent/teacher conflict?
43. What are you currently reading?
44. What trainings have you attended in the past that you found helpful for your teaching practice?
45. Have you had experience with trauma-informed teaching?

Questions to Ask During a Teacher Interview

You've reached the end of your interview. The committee asks, “Do you have any questions for us?” Don't go blank! Veteran teachers suggest having at least two questions prepared to ask the interviewer about the position. Here are some suggestions:

• Is there anything that might hold you back from offering the position that I can address now?
• What is your favorite thing about working at this school?
• Do you have a teacher mentorship program for new hires?
• Besides regular classroom responsibilities, are there any other additional jobs teachers are expected to take on at this school? (hosting an afterschool club, completing professional development hours, etc).
• What is one thing you would change about the job/school if you could?

Take time to review this list of common teacher interview questions. You've got this! Once you land the job, come back and check out these helpful blog posts: