InterviewTeacher interview questions with answers
A school interview usually has two parts: a conversation with the principal or a panel, and a demonstration lesson. The panel wants to know whether children will learn from you, whether you can keep a class in order kindly, and whether you will be a helpful member of staff.
What interviewers look for
- Sound subject knowledge at the level you will teach.
- A clear, lively way of explaining.
- Patience and fairness with children.
- Willingness to take part in school life beyond the classroom.
12 questions with model answers
1. Why did you choose teaching?
I found during my own school years that I understood a topic best when I explained it to classmates. During teaching practice, when a child who had been stuck on fractions finally got it and smiled, I knew this was the work I wanted. I like the subject, and I like children, and teaching is where the two meet.
2. How do you plan a lesson?
I start from what the children should be able to do at the end. Then I plan how to open the lesson with something they already know, the main explanation with an activity or example, some practice, and a short check at the end such as three questions. I note what materials I need and how much time each part will take. After the class I note what worked and what did not.
3. How do you help a weak student without holding back the rest?
First I try to find where exactly the difficulty is; often it is a gap from an earlier class. I give that child smaller steps and extra practice, seat him near a helpful classmate, and spend five minutes with him while others do written work. I praise small progress. If needed I speak to the parents about a little practice at home.
4. How do you maintain discipline in class?
Mostly by keeping children busy and interested, since restlessness begins when they have nothing to do. I set three or four simple rules at the start of the year and apply them the same way to everyone. I correct quietly and privately where I can, and I never humiliate a child. Corporal punishment has no place in a classroom.
5. How would you deal with an upset parent?
I would listen fully and calmly, without becoming defensive. I would show the child's notebooks and my records, so that we talk about facts. Then I would agree with the parent on what the school will do and what can be done at home, and fix a date to review. If the matter is beyond me, I would involve the coordinator or the principal.
6. How do you make your subject interesting?
By linking it to things children see every day and letting them do something, not only listen. For science I use simple experiments with low-cost materials; for a lesson on evaporation, wet handkerchiefs dried in sun and shade. I ask questions that have more than one answer and let children explain to each other.
7. How do you use technology in teaching?
As a help, not a replacement. I use the smart board for diagrams and short videos that I could not show otherwise, and a shared sheet to record marks. I avoid reading from slides. If the power fails, the lesson should still work with chalk and talk.
8. How do you assess whether students have understood?
Through small checks all the time, not only tests: questions in class, a two minute written answer, looking at notebooks, asking a child to explain to the class. Tests tell me at the end; these tell me while there is still time to re-teach.
9. What would you do if a student asked a question you could not answer?
I would say that it is a good question and that I am not sure, and promise to find out. I would look it up and answer in the next class, or ask the child to find out too and compare. Children respect honesty more than a bluff.
10. How do you handle a class with very different levels?
I plan the main lesson for the middle, with an extra challenge ready for those who finish early and support for those who need it. Group work with mixed levels helps, as stronger children learn by explaining. I vary the questions so that every child can answer something.
11. What other responsibilities can you take in school?
I can help with the science exhibition and quiz, and I am comfortable anchoring functions. In my present school I am a class teacher and house in-charge. I am happy to take whatever duties the school assigns.
12. Tips for the demonstration lesson.
Choose a small topic and teach one idea well. Begin with a question or an object that catches attention. Write neatly on the board, speak to the whole room, use children's names if you learn them, and involve at least three or four of them. Keep to the time given, and end with a quick recap and one question for homework.
Model answers are examples. Use your own experience and figures, and for anything that changes (rates, limits, rules) check the official source before the interview.
How to prepare
- Revise the syllabus of the classes you are applying for; panels ask subject questions.
- Prepare one demonstration lesson fully, with a teaching aid, and rehearse it against the clock.
- Read about the school: its board, its activities, its values.
- Carry your certificates, eligibility test result and any lesson plans or teaching aids you have made.
Do not forget the common questions
Every one of these interviews also includes the general questions. Prepare them too:
Other jobs
Guides
Model answers are examples. They show the shape of a good answer, reviewed in November 2026. Use your own facts: an answer copied word for word will not survive a follow-up question. Employers differ, and nothing here promises selection. Names in the examples are invented.