Congratulations on the interview. You’re past the first hurdle, and now there’s a day of lessons, tours, panels and small talk between you and the job.
These tips come from both sides of the table: from people who’ve sat nervously in a school reception, and from people who’ve given up a morning of PPA time to watch interview lessons. (A tip in passing: the people watching you would like to enjoy it. Help them.)
Before the day
Know why you want this job
You’ll be asked. For a classroom post, think about your subject and why you went into teaching in the first place. For a promotion, have a reason that isn’t “career progression” or the money, even if both are true.
Know the school
“Why this school?” is the question that catches people out, usually because the honest answer is “you were advertising”. Read the website, the latest Ofsted report and anything recent in the local news. If you know someone who works there, ask them what it’s really like. Find something you genuinely like, whether that’s the pastoral system or a school clearly working hard to improve, and mention it. The panel wants to see you’ve done your homework.
Visit beforehand if they offer. You’ll learn things you can’t get from a website, and panels notice who didn’t bother.
Know your own application
Read it again. Anything you wrote, you might be asked to explain, with an example. And check what the internet says about you. As part of safer recruitment, schools are told to consider an online search of shortlisted candidates, so tidy up anything public you wouldn’t want read out.
Practise out loud
Find a list of common teaching interview questions and answer them aloud, not in your head. Better still, ask a friend or colleague for a mock interview, and ask them to be honest. Make the practice harder than the real thing. Being over-prepared is much nicer than being surprised.
Prepare for the safeguarding question. Every panel asks one, and they’ll want to hear that you know what to do with a concern and who you’d take it to.
Plan a lesson worth watching
If you’re teaching, plan something the pupils will enjoy and the observers will remember. A sensible risk is worth taking. If it doesn’t come off, you’ll get the chance to talk about why in the interview, and a good evaluation of a wobbly lesson can impress more than a safe lesson nobody remembers.
Bring everything you need. Don’t count on the school for printing, glue sticks or a working login for the board. If you can’t bring it, don’t plan around it.
On the day
Arrive on time, not hours early
Late is very hard to recover from, so carry the school’s number in case of the unavoidable. Turning up an hour early is awkward for everyone too. Ten or fifteen minutes is about right.
Dress a notch smarter than you would for teaching, and leave the novelty tie at home.
The interview starts at reception
Everyone you meet has an opinion, and heads do ask the office staff and the pupils who showed you round what they thought. Be friendly and ask questions. Show an interest, and you’ll often pick up something useful to mention later.
Answer the question you were asked
Well-prepared candidates often answer the question they were expecting instead of the one they got. Take a moment to think, and ask for it again if you need to. A short answer that actually answers beats a long one that doesn’t. Where you can, bring it back to pupils and what they learned.
Show, don’t claim
“I’m passionate.” “I’m a team player.” “I’d be an asset to the school.” Why would someone who met you four hours ago believe that? Let them reach those conclusions on their own. Don’t say you’re passionate: talk about your subject so they can hear it. Don’t say you’re a team player: tell them about a time your team got something done and what your part was.
Be honest about what you’re still working on
There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance. When you’re asked about a weakness, pick something real and say what you’re doing about it. If you’re an early career teacher, your induction targets are an honest place to start. Being able to reflect on your own teaching is exactly what they’re hiring for.
Bring ideas without rubbishing theirs
Share your ideas, but remember you’d be joining a team that’s been at this a while. “I’d love to build on…” goes down better than “What I’d change is…”.
Be yourself
Being watched all day makes it hard to relax. But the panel is trying to work out whether you’ll fit in with the people already there, and they can only do that if they see the real you. If the real you isn’t a fit, you’ve dodged a job you’d have been unhappy in.
Ask good questions
Ask things that show you’ve thought about working there. Don’t ask anything the website answers.
Afterwards
You’re allowed to say no
By the end of the day you should know whether you’d take the job. You can withdraw at any stage, and you can turn down an offer. It’s frightening, but ending up in the wrong school is worse. If you’re a strong candidate, they’ll want to persuade you as much as you want to persuade them.
Ask for feedback
If it doesn’t go your way, ask for feedback and use it next time. Asking politely does you no harm with a school you might apply to again.
Good luck.
If the interview is for a step up, Secure Your First Leadership Role: Preparing for Senior Leadership and Be a Successful Subject Leader will help you get ready for the job as well as the interview.
Adapted from an original post by Kathryn Crosweller.