An international teacher job interview requires preparation for meeting with the international recruiters specializing in education. If you’re looking for an international teacher job interview, here are some preparation tips and help to get you started.

Why Prepare for the Interview?

Preparing for the interview process will increase your confidence going into the interview.  It will communicate more professionalism during the interview.

A well-prepared candidate not only is more confident on the inside but appears more at ease to the interviewer. It gives off the impression you take this interviewing opportunity seriously.

Depending on when you get the call for an interview, you may only have a few days to prepare. Ideally, you’ll have at least a week (as is courteous for employers) to research the organization, reach out to any contacts you may have already, verify your references, and polish up your portfolio.

Interview Preparation Tips

Strengthen your interviewing techniques and strategies to perform with excellence at your next interview with recruiters or schools.

Professional Appearance

Don’t think this is a cliché; it is a reminder your appearance will form a first impression with recruiters. Recruiters have traveled a long way to find quality teachers. Convey you are a professional education that can do the job with excellence.

Showing you are a top-notch teaching candidate in every aspect is critical, including how you present yourself.

Tone down any makeup, jewelry, or cologne to an unoffending level. Show you are a serious candidate. You don’t want the interviewer to be distracted by your gaudy pinky ring or 80s-pink lipstick.

Grooming comes into play here as well. Your hair should be kept neat and tidy, fingernails clean, and any facial hair under control.

Regardless of gender, if you don’t own a suit, you should go out and buy one or some clothing that will accentuate your professional image. It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed. At the very minimum, a collared shirt and dress slacks are safe bets if you can’t get access to a suit. If you have an iron or steamer you can take with you, do so. Depending on how long your commute to the interview was, you may wrinkle by the time you arrive.

What to Bring

Take a hard copy of your application package, without the cover letter, with you to the interview. Even though your recruiter will likely have one with them, be prepared with additional copies.

Bring a teaching portfolio containing original certificates and references. Many recruiters will want to see your original documents during the interview.

If you have put together an educational portfolio with evidence of your classroom work, bring this to the meeting. Art teachers and music teachers especially may need a portfolio of their work.

Mock Interviews

It is an excellent idea to prepare yourself by doing a mock interview. Try and think of all the questions you have ever been asked in a teaching job interview and make a list. Once you have that list, prepare simple teacher job interview answers.

Don’t be caught unaware of how you will respond in an international teaching job interview. Once you have prepared your answers, sit down with someone and practice answering them. 

During the Interview

If there is anything negative about your experience or qualifications, devise ways to address it in the interview, if needed.

Take the time to address any gaps in employment during your opening “tell me about yourself” elevator pitch.

Questions about what you’ve included in your resume are common, so know your resume inside and out. Prepare solid answers to provide evidence of any skills you listed in your teacher resume.

If you need any help with your job search or preparing for your interview, reach out to Candace today! If you found this article helpful, please comment and share below!

Here is a teacher Job Interview Question About Using Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom — How do you use differentiated instruction? Describe the benefits and a lesson you taught using this method of instruction.

Here is an example of a response:

One of my favorite Language Arts lessons that utilize differentiated instruction is one I wrote for my second-grade class. This lesson is tiered in the process according to readiness.

This lesson is differentiated by ability level and is divided into three groups: below grade level learners, at grade-level learners, and above grade level learners. This lesson centers on teaching students how to identify and solve problems by identifying problems in stories and how the characters solve these problems.

The Tier One group will focus on answering factual questions in a comprehension activity either in a group or by completing a worksheet.

Questions would include: Who is the main character? Describe him; What is his problem? How does he solve the problem?

The Tier Two group will analyze the problem using a three-step approach: identify the problem; Explain the process used to solve the process, and evaluate the process – was it a good solution?

After analyzing the problem, the students discuss the other people who helped the main character overcome his problem. The question then becomes: how important are other people in helping to solve problems? Last, create a bubble map with the main character’s problem in the center; write all the things that happened to him because of his problem in the circles connected to the center bubble.

The Tier Three group will focus on a synthesis activity. Students will answer a multistep problem: The main character had (this) problem; However, another character had faith in him; Why did they have faith in him?

Who else in the story had faith in him and helped him out? List these people. After students complete this question, have them answer further, higher-order thinking questions, such as: write what you think will happen next in the story; make a list of five events that happen as a result of people having faith in the main character; what happens when we have faith in our friends?

While the students are working in their groups, I observe and help out where needed. Once students have completed their questions, I bring all students together to discuss ideas. Because each group has a task to complete that can be an important part of the assessment, bringing everyone together to discuss what they have learned about the main character is a great culminating activity.

We have an abundance of interview tips and strategies on the website. Take the time to click around and find some helpful interviewing questions and answers.

Writing a teacher cover letter (a.k.a. an application letter) requires researching the school. Communicate your personality and passion for teaching to show your authenticity.

Tailor your application letter when applying to different teaching jobs by reading and implementing these cover letter writing tips:

Include Job Specifics

The first paragraph of your cover letter should include important details:

• Which teaching job are you applying for if you know? If you don’t, you could be general in the sense of stating an elementary position.

• What is the teacher or assistant principal job reference number? (If you have one.)

• Where did you hear about the teaching vacancy, if there was a place?

• If it is a mass mailing or blind mailing, the opening statement needs to be very catchy.

Review the other teaching job application letter writing tips with examples to get further ideas.

Do Your Research on the School District or Organization

Show in your letter of introduction you have background information on the school or school district you are applying to.

An education cover letter should be tailored to each school district, if possible. If the school has a website, which most do, this can be a great starting point to find details about how they are unique.

Find out what you can and make a point of explaining why you are specifically interested in working for their school district.

School districts are impressed when you mention some specifics directly related to their school community. Discover something interesting about their extra-curricular programs, team teaching opportunities, mentor teacher programs, computer technology program, or if they have high test scores.

What Value Can You Offer The School Community and Student Academics?

Researching the school or district will make a difference. Explain why your relevant skills and attributes would benefit the school and what kind of contribution you could make.

What you communicate needs to be relevant. If you discover the school is big on music and different languages, mentioning your expertise with musical instruments would be helpful.

Focus on what they are looking for in a teaching applicant – remember it is about what they are looking for, not just about your strengths. Each piece you mention in your cover letter should directly relate to the job advertisement or listing. Pull what you include directly from there.

Presentation of the Information is Everything – First Impressions Count! 

Spelling or grammatical errors are quite simply unacceptable in a cover letter for any teaching job application. Always read the letter carefully numerous times and have it proofread by someone.

Making your application letter concise is paramount. Create a balance between giving enough information without rambling. Don’t go over one page. 

Once completed, your application letter should be printed out using a formal, simple font style to match your resume. Print the document on resume bond paper to ensure it looks and feels professional.

Don’t use bright colored paper with fancy designs on it. White or off-white are the best; anything else may make your application stand out, but for the wrong reason.

Triple check the spelling of the school principal or superintendent’s name and the school or school district. Include your full name and contact details. The letterhead should match the resume with all your contact information. View our cover letter samples.

A cover letter is your first impression of the school district hiring representative. Ensure you make an excellent impact.

Let us create a quality cover letter for the teaching job of your dreams. Creating unique documents to communicate your passion, strengths, and background is our area of expertise. Review our writing and coaching services.

Professional development to learn new teaching methods can be accomplished in various forms, including teaching conferences, teaching classes, virtual/online classes, and self-study. As school districts and states change the way they want their programs to run, many teachers must adapt to these changes.

Teachers are expected to acquire new teaching practices and skills to comply with current programs and learning initiatives. However, to adjust to these changes, teachers must spend a lot of time on their professional development and continuing education outside of their regular daily schedules. So the question is: how do you find a chance to upgrade your teaching or administration job skills?

Why do You Need Professional Development?

Professional development serves to keep teachers informed and provide support when new teaching methods and practices are introduced. The views of learning seem almost constantly to change, and with these changes, teachers are expected to adapt their teaching methods accordingly.

The biggest obstacle to finding time for professional development lies with how others view teachers’ work time. The central people responsible for implementing changes to teaching programs regard teachers as only working when they are teaching students.

They don’t view time for curriculum development, lesson planning, and the like as part of a teacher’s daily schedule. Therefore, it is up to the teachers or other education professionals to fit in time to stay current with their already busy schedules.

When to Develop Yourself

Using the summer for professional development is one solution. It doesn’t allow for any opportunity to implement your new strategies directly into the classroom. Another common way to allocate time for professional development is to hire substitute teachers for a day. Being away for one day won’t give you adequate preparation time to implement your reforms.

Technology may serve as a solution to this problem. Technology helps people make better use of their time. Technology can make it possible for teachers to access instructional resources and use collaborative support outlets whenever they need them. Videoconferencing is also a new and efficient way to access different sites without having to travel.

Seek out webinars and other web-based conferences to attend. These are usually tailored for full-time working individuals and are held on nights and weekends to accommodate teachers’ schedules best. The ability to use current technology will look impressive on your resume.

Why Isn’t There More Time for Professional Development?

As mentioned above, the extra work that goes into fully facilitating a classroom is not factored into teachers’ schedules. It’s not as if teachers show up, after all! General education around the inner workings of running a classroom is sorely needed to shed light on this issue.

A way to help change the public and policymakers’ views is to develop a task force dedicated to informing the public about the importance of professional development and discussing ways of implementing professional development into teachers’ schedules that make sense.

We’d love to hear from you. How do you make time for professional development? Comment and share this article below!

Secure a teaching job easier using these job hunting tips and strategies for new teachers. A job search plan should be effective from the beginning of the career move.

If you have just finished college and have received your education degree or are currently a professional not in the teaching field and want to transition into teaching, then read on.

The process of finding employment in the education field can be an overwhelming task if you are unprepared.

Breaking into Teaching is Not Easy

Quite often, more experienced teachers are automatically invited to continue teaching at the beginning of each school year, leaving those new to the field out of luck. Another reason for job seeker frustration is that available teaching positions may be limited and competitive.

Looking where to look to secure a teaching job will help significantly. There are ways you can make this process a lot less painful by following a few simple guidelines, and before you know it, you will be on your way to a new teaching career!

Talk to Human Resources

If you are a new graduate, visit your local school system’s human resource department or recruiting department and inquire about any possible open positions. If there are currently no available teaching jobs, ask if you can leave your first-year teacher resume if something opens up.

Most teacher interviews take place several months before the actual hiring for the upcoming school year.

Begin as a Substitute

Beginning as a substitute teacher will help you start your career as a full-time teacher. As a supply or substitute teacher, take the time necessary to network with everyone in the school community.

Well-liked, effective substitutes often get hired full-time once they’ve demonstrated their skills to the school.

Building a professional rapport with co-workers and administrators will be essential to secure a teaching job. By creating outstanding working relationships with students, colleagues, and parents, your chances of getting hired as a full-time teacher will significantly increase.

If you think you are a beginning teacher with no experience to include in your resume, think again. Substitute and student teaching experiences are valuable to secure a teaching position in a classroom of your own.

Develop a relationship with the school administrators and demonstrate that you are passionate and enthusiastic about having your own classroom. If you do an excellent job while substituting, you will have more chance of getting a teaching interview if the school administration knows you and wish to be a full-time teacher.

Network

Networking is crucial. Let everyone in your social circle―your family, friends, and colleagues know you are looking for a full-time teaching position. Having genuine casual conversations can lead to further opportunities. Usually, it is easier to get an interview when you are vouched for by word of mouth, especially if you are new to the field.

Many overlooked alternative teaching positions include: tutoring, coaching, training, mentoring, or teaching degree programs.

Do not limit yourself off to just instruction in a traditional school environment. Usually, if you have just started in the teaching profession, an excellent way to get acquainted with the field is in training positions.

There are different benefits to working at a private school and a public school. Research the differences before deciding on what teaching route you will take. 

Do an Internet Search

Search for job postings on the internet. If you enter “teacher jobs” or “teaching jobs,” or “education jobs'” on any job website’s search engine, you will find a huge list of teaching positions.

The drawback to this is that hundreds of other interested teachers are looking at the same available jobs. Narrowing your search online by searching specific teaching areas, for instance, “math teacher,” will narrow your search for that particular job title and make things a little less overwhelming.

Persistence is Key

Entering any new field can feel overwhelming and daunting, but persistence and hard work will guarantee your success. Start with a visually appealing, keyword-rich, accomplishment-based teacher resume and cover letter that showcases what you can bring to the school district.

Prepare for your school administrator job search with these school principal job interview questions and answers to ensure you are in the zone during the meeting.

Ace your next administrator job interview and land a job offer by being fully prepared to communicate the value you can bring to the school community. 

How you answer school principal interview questions will determine if you are short-listed for the educational leadership position. 

Apart from hiring a candidate that can effectively administer the school community, the interviewers also want to see someone who has excellent communication skills and can relate well to other staff members.

The interviewers gain this information from your educational leadership resume or curriculum vitae CV and your verbal responses to interview questions.

If you haven’t written your CV or resume yet, you may wish to review this in-depth post. Choosing the correct curriculum vitae CV or resume format is a critical step to landing interviews.

It would be best if you prepared adequately. Don’t you agree? 

A school principal interview is a different ball game compared to interviews for other school positions. Besides showing that you have an exceptional teaching record, you also have to prove that you would be an effective school leader and can control and manage every situation that may arise under your supervision.

During the interview, there may be inquiries you’ve seen before in past meetings; however, there will be many others you will find more challenging and will require extra preparation to ensure your answers hit the mark.

6 School Principal Job Interview Questions and Answers

What do you consider a  school principal’s most significant pressure?

Answer: I think the most significant pressure that a school administrator facing these days is figuring out how to do more with less. Decreased and a lack of funding is a critical issue facing most principals. Funding is falling at the state, federal, and local levels. Schools need to be innovated and do more with less. The lack of funding translates into having less certified staff, non-certified staff, and fewer educational resources.

Schools are still expected to perform at the same level, if not higher, than before. School administrators are under pressure to stretch their budgets, develop creative ways to obtain and improve resources, and keep their limited staff from burnout.

Part of the role of a school administrator is to be an example for students and employees. How do you feel about this role?

Answer: The school principal serves as the educational leader, responsible for managing the policies, regulations, and procedures to ensure all students are supervised in a safe learning environment that meets the approved curriculum and mission of the school.

As the school’s educational leader, it’s my job to demonstrate and embody the ideals of a learning institution and uphold the highest integrity and leadership skills. People in the school community are always turning to the principal for answers. They also look to them as a model for behavior, leadership, and academics. I am excited at the prospect of taking on this role and feel that my excellent communication skills, dedication, work ethic, and education leadership skills will help me to excel in this environment.

What type(s) of people do you find it most challenging to work with daily or in a one-time project? How do you handle these kinds of individuals?

Answer: I find it most difficult to get along with people who get angry over a situation and then refuse to accept reasonable solutions to a problem. I would refer to them as unreasonable people.

For example, sometimes, parents get angry when a child is held responsible for misbehavior. Nothing will make them happy except for their child to be “let off the hook.” I handle this by remaining calm and polite and pointing out that the school has specific rules and consequences that the student is aware of and cannot show favoritism to one student. I sometimes commiserate with the parents stating that they are justifiably angry, but that they are not mad at me, but with their child for misbehaving and getting into trouble.

What are the educational leadership skills you most need to develop to advance your education career?

Answer: I’ve had considerable experience managing and developing students in their academic careers, but I’ve been more limited in managing and emerging adults.

I believe this job of serving as an Assistant Principal will allow me to work under a master people manager with your school administrator and further develop my employee management skills necessary to lead the school team to success.

How do you involve students in the decision-making process?

Answer: As a high school principal, I would include the students in the decision-making process by holding school elections, working with the student council, allowing students to vote on various issues. Other methods involving students would be promoting a student-written school newspaper that addresses school decisions and encouraging students to attend PTA meetings and school governing board meetings.

Educational Leadership Job Interview Question

6: How would you help teachers and staff improve student achievement?

An example response to interview question #43 from the A+ Principal’s Interview Edge eBook.

Tailor your response by grabbing some ideas from the statements below. Choose ideas the would be productive in the school to which you are applying.

• Establish a school-wide discipline policy and back the teachers on discipline.
• Incorporate a school-wide homework policy that includes required reading and math practice at home for all students daily.
• Monitor test data to determine which areas of the curriculum need to be improved.
• Plan teacher training (in-service) and evaluate its effectiveness.
• Determine which instructional techniques are most active, train the teachers, and implement them in all classrooms.
• Increase time on each task.
• Watch students in classrooms weekly.
• Observe teachers and make specific recommendations for improvement as part of their evaluations.
• Ensure students who need Special Education services receive them.
• Establish a test preparation program.
• Implement high-quality English as a Second Language program.
• Create an after-school tutoring program.
• Reward students for academic success and improved effort.
• Train parents on how to help their children at home and provide the training in the native languages of the parents.
• Provide translators for parents who do not speak English at conferences and meetings. Provide report cards in the language students speak at home.

Other Interviewing Resources for Educational Leaders to Prepare for the Interview

These ten school administrator job interview questions and answers will help you prepare further to ace the interview. 

For more help preparing for administrator, specific interview questions, take a look at A+ Principals’ Interview Edge, which includes 152 school administrator-specific job questions and answers in today’s competitive marketplace.

It’s paramount to be fully prepared, and nothing will have you primed to ace an interview other than knowing the questions and potential responses in advance!

Selecting employment references is an important part of the job search process. Choose references that you are 100% sure have the highest respect for you. Getting their approval is critical.

These are the best people to include in your education application to ensure they communicate honestly and positively about your previous work ethic, skills, or accomplishments.

When looking for a new teaching job, you must have a powerful resume and excellent references to attest to your relevant strengths and accomplishments.

Don’t include employment references on your education resume. Save your list of references for your education interview when you are requested to submit them unless they ask for them in a job posting.

5 Employment Reference Selection Strategies

1. Ask For Employment References’ Permission to List Them

Contact your references first to make sure they are willing to give you an excellent reference. Stick with professional references and only provide personal recommendations if requested.

Know ahead of time that the interviewer may ask you for other employment references within the school where you work.

The building principal, department heads, and lead teachers are excellent choices. The faculty may have a policy where they will only verify work and will not give out references.

2. Request a Written Letter of Recommendation

Once you have these people’s permission to use them as references, try to get them to give you a written reference. If they agree, include their contact information if the person interviewing you has other questions they would like answered.

This list should include any recommendations, awards, or other recognition you received within the school district or organization.

3. Make it Look Professional

Although you may have many personal references from family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers, most employees are more interested in professional references.

They want to talk to the people who hired you and completed a yearly or monthly evaluation of your work performance. It’s wonderful people think highly of you, but the decision-makers prefer to know how well you did your job.

What benefits did you bring to the workplace?

Were there any problems with your work ethic or style?

Have everything prepared in a document that they can easily read. Use the same letterhead, font, and style as your resume and cover letter.

It is great that people think highly of you, but the decision-makers prefer to know how well you did your job, what benefits you brought, and any problems with your work ethic or style.

Have everything prepared in a visually-appealing document that they can easily read. Use the same letterhead as your resume and cover letter. (View our resume and cover letter samples)

After your education job search is successful to send a thank-you note to your references, keeping in touch with them is always a smart idea, in case you need to ask them as a reference in the future or to chat.

4. Reference List Needs to Be Current

Even though you may have landed the teaching job of your dreams, you will want to keep your reference list up to date. Organizations or schools can close, transfer ownership, downsize, so keep your employment references current.

Keep your list handy; you never know when you need it. Develop excellent relationships with other personnel, managers, supervisors, and fellow employees at your next employment. Connect with them next time you are looking for a new career opportunity. 

5. Keep Your Teaching Network Alive

Keep your network of references going. Consider being active via social networking for many reasons. Staying in contact with the people who have agreed to let you use them as a reference will make it easier when your job search begins.

Consider writing a LinkedIn profile to gain knowledge from others and keep in touch.

Try to have a former administrator or supervisor included in your list of references, the higher up the ladder, usually the better. Remain in contact with your references, even if your communication is through email. Reach out to see how they are doing and if they have changed their contact information.

Do not underestimate the value of a list of credible and relevant employment references – they are vital to a successful job search.

A phone interview may seem easier than a regular interview on the surface. The truth is, it can be a bit harder for many reasons. If the conversation is successful, you will secure a second interview, which will more than likely be an in-person meeting.

Phone Interview Tips for Teachers to Land a Second Interview

Having an interview via the phone can happen when you least expect it or scheduled by the school district administrative staff.

Communicating your personality and passion for teaching students without the advantage of face-to-face contact can be challenging for many job seekers. Rely solely on your voice to make a connection with your interviewer(s). Interviewing strategies used in a face-to-face interview will help to some degree.

1. Eliminate ALL distractions.

Ensure you are in a quiet place away from people, TV, pets, or email notifications. If your dog tends to bark a lot, see if you can find a sitter during the interview. Keep 100% focused on the interview meeting.

Find a quiet room in your house away from screaming kids or blaring TVs. You may even have to go out to your garage or car.

No matter where you end up, assure that it’s quiet so you can completely focus on answering your interviewer’s questions. After all, you wouldn’t show up for an interview with distractions, so you should treat a phone interview the same.

If you have it, turn off your “call waiting” feature on your phone; you don’t want to get a beep in the middle of your conversation.

2. Make a conscious effort to be energetic and smile while speaking.

Projecting a voice that is warm and friendly will make a positive impression. One goal of your conversation should be to convey to the interviewer that you are an upbeat and outgoing person.

It sounds crazy, but skilled interviewers can tell when you’re smiling and when you’re not!

Since you don’t have body language and visual cues to project your personality, you may find you have to amplify your energy while speaking on the phone to make up for it.

3. Answer the interview questions uniquely — every word matters.

You are apt to get a lot of scripted questions in a teaching phone interview. Respond uniquely to each question and how it relates to the school or teaching position. Communicate how your set of teaching skills and teaching philosophy will benefit the school community. Know the content of your resume inside and out and speak about all the skills and accomplishments you listed.

As a general rule of thumb, research the school or school district to find out as much about it as possible and “arrive” prepared.

4. Try to make a personal connection with the interviewer.

Doing this is usually harder over the phone but is necessary to make a lasting impression. You are trying to market yourself to the school’s hiring representatives.

Talk about how your teaching skills, unique selling points, and personality will solve problems the school may be facing. Understanding what the school administration is looking for in a new teacher is important.

Communicate how you will fit in with the school’s culture. Attempt to change the interview tone from a question-answer situation to a discussion of the school’s present conditions and what you can bring to the school to improve the community.

5. Be confident and leave the interview with an open invitation to continue talking.

Express your interest in the position and ask what the next step is in the hiring process. Let them know you would enjoy continuing the conversation to get to know the school district better and for them to get to know you better and the value you could bring to their school community.

Don’t underestimate the power of following up via email or phone after the interview. 

If you follow these teacher phone interview steps, likely, you will successfully set yourself apart from the other prospective teachers. If you need help preparing for an interview, including scheduling a mock phone interview, be sure to reach out to Candace today via ph0ne at 1 877 738-8052 or email!

Do you have any phone interview tips? Please be sure to share below in the comment section.

Do you know how to answer this difficult teacher interview question?  Do you know how to use cooperative learning in your classroom?  Please describe how you use it and its benefits.”

It is important that the response you give to the job interview question is truthful, relevant to the position, and shows value to the school district. The following could be a possible answer… or it may provide some ideas for you to tailor your response:

Cooperative learning is an advantageous strategy in that it involves students in established, sustained learning groups or teams. The group work is an integral part of, not an adjunct to, the achievement of the class’s learning goals.

Cooperative learning fosters individual accountability in the context of group interdependence. Students discover information and teach that material to their group and, perhaps, to the class as a whole.

The teacher’s role also changes from lecturer and knowledge-holder to facilitator and guide. Cooperative learning is so effective because it is structured, creates a classroom community, is a sustained approach, enhances students’ communication skills, encourages a growth mindset, balances interdependence with individual accountability, and responds to classroom diversity.

Using cooperative learning strategies such as think-pair-share and the jigsaw technique encourages peer teaching and brainstorming and the open exchanging of ideas. In think-pair-share and other variations, you could pose an open-ended question to the whole class, which the whole class contemplates silently. Then have individuals pair up to discuss and exchange thoughts and ideas. The pairs could share their responses with their team, other pairs, or the whole class.

The jigsaw method has students form groups of five, and each member of the group is assigned some unique material to learn and then teach to their group members. Once assigned their topic, each student assigned the same sub-section work together in a group to decide what is most important and how to teach it. After practice in these “expert” groups, the students re-assemble into their original groups to teach each other.

Once the students have all taught their group members their section, you could open it up to the whole class as a discussion of each section to ensure that all students have learned and retained the correct information.

Please explain how you use cooperative learning in your classroom, giving examples, and tell us why this is a useful strategy. Please comment below on how you would answer this question in a job interview?