The International Schools Review Forum

Hello,

I feel sure this topic has been covered, but I can't search the forum any related threads as the words are "too common" and therefore, ignored in the search.

I'm going into a second round of interviews with a few schools starting tomorrow, and I am just curious about the sorts of questions to be prepared to answer. My first interview with each of the schools seemed to go well, but there is one school in particular I'd like to nail down in this round. The more I can prepare, the better I'll feel.

Any other advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Some of the less common ones I have received were to talk extensively about a Masters thesis I had completed a decade earlier, being asked what my priorities would be during the dedicated collaboration given that there are no shared preps in the department, and to define Language Arts (for a Modern Languages department job). None of these were totally weird questions, just less common ones. Obviously common ones would be things like how you would handle X situation, strengths and weaknesses as a teacher, talking about units you have taught or other things on your resume, philosophies on technology, assessments, classroom management, etc. One common question is "when I walk into your classroom, what do I see?" There are a lot more, but these are some to get you started.

Good luck!

Some of the common questions are:

1) How do you differentiate between various levels of language acquisition?
2) How does language acquisition effect your lesson planing and design?
3) What do you see as the role of technology in the classroom and how do you implement it?
4) What do you approach the balance of classical studies and 21st century competencies?
5) What is your teaching philosophy and approach (inquiry, brain based, student centered, teacher centered, collaborative, PBL)?
6) Describe a situation that required you to rapidly adapt, how did you react, and how did you resolve it?
7) What are your personal interests outside of education?

The trick int he second interview is not to approach it as a Q&A but as a fluid conversation between colleagues. Start off with a a brief story and move into one of the big topics above using description, explanation and outcome, then elicit a contribution (not response, this isnt a Q&A), reengage, and then move into another topic. Repeat until they ask you a pointed question or they are happy with the discussion.

You may have already been asked these - they're common enough for me - but still...

How do you approach teaching lower ability and special educational needs students, as well as gifted and talented pupils?
Where do you see yourself in "X" number of years?
What are the main problems you run into during lessons or exams?
How do you deal with difficult parents?
How do you feel you'd acclimatize to the local area/culture?
Do you have a favorite area of your subject to teach?

Assuming the role is in a country where English is an Additional Language (or in a heavily non-English language ethnic area), and you're teaching in English, you'll probably be asked how you deal with varying degrees of language proficiency, and how you ensure learning through a language barrier. Understanding definitions of words, and that sort of thing.

If you have a partner...

What does your partner do?
Would they be looking for work?