Far from being something to fear, an interview is your chance to shine and secure yourself a job. In teaching, you often get the chance to show you know your craft by teaching a sample lesson too.
The trick to conquering the nerves is to prepare properly and be confident in your ability to win over the interviewer. Yes, that’s easily said but how do you prepare? What exactly should you do to prepare and what tips can give you the confidence you need to succeed once the interview begins?
We’ve picked some of the best suggestions from the experts to help you along the way:
Do your homework on the school
One of the great advantages you have as a teaching candidate is that there is a lot of information out there about schools. This enables you to get a full picture of what the school is good at and what it is looking to improve. Find all this data, study it and use it to your advantage. Knowledge is power.
As the TES puts it: 'Prepare yourself; know the job description inside out, research the school by looking at their Ofsted reports, their school results, their CVA score, the school website and prospectus. If you are offered the opportunity to visit the school beforehand, do. This will give you a chance to experience the school's dynamics, speak to the children and staff and get an idea of the sort of candidate the school is looking for.'
Stand out with a strong lesson
Put plenty of thought into your interview lesson. Use the data above to focus on elements that the school places great value on, for example, and make sure you’re aware of what makes an outstanding lesson. Also, consider doing something that will stand out from the crowd. People will forgive you for slight issues if you’ve been brave and done something creative with the children. Also, keep your cool and have a backup plan in place. You won’t, after all, be familiar with the children you teach.
Frances Child from King Edwards Consortium PGCE & School Direct in Birmingham advises: “Be prepared for nothing to go right – kids will come in late and disrupt you, the equipment won’t work and it’ll be raining just as you’re about to start your brilliant games lesson. Whatever happens, just get on with it.” Your ability to handle any issues will say much about your temperament.
Take your own resources
Guardian blogger Orla Douglas makes an important point about the need to have all of the resources you need for your sample lesson to hand. You won’t know the state of the school supplies and shouldn’t assume that they’ll have the things you need or be able to offer you the time to print sheets or resources.
Orla recommends not relying on the school’s technology either, saying: “Be prepared to start the lesson immediately, you may not get any preparation time. Many times I have gone in wanting to project a picture of a primary source, only to find that I'm expected to start the lesson at a moment's notice. Print out what you need instead.”
Be up to date with education news and issues
You want to show that you’re a switched on candidate with a good grasp of what’s required in the profession in the modern day – and that’s true if you’re an NQT or switching to a new school. One way to do that is to keep up to date with the latest policy announcements and industry news. This will help you to ask relevant questions and ensure you impress during ‘informal discussions’ that, as Target Jobs points out, are part of the day.