Quick Index:

• Typical Interview Questions for K-12 Positions
• Questions for Candidates to Ask at Job Interviews for K-12 Teaching Positions
• Typical Interview Questions for K-12 Administrative Positions
• Negative Factors observed During Job Intervews
• Illegal Pre-employment Inquiries

TYPICAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR K-12 POSITIONS

• Tell me about your background.
• Take a few minutes to give a brief sketch of your academic history, professional experience, and specific qualifications as they pertain to this job.
• Why are you interested in a position with our district?
• Why do you think you would like this particular job?
• What qualifications do you have that make you feel that you will be successful in your field?
• What jobs have you held?  Why did you leave them?
• What are your special strengths?  Weaknesses?
• What do you think is the most important contribution you can make to students?  To education?
• What is your philosophy of education?
• How do you provide for individual differences within your classroom?
• How would you motivate a lazy student?
• What kind of relationship do you want with your students?
• What hobbies and/or interests do you have that might help you as a teacher in a classroom?
• What do you want to be doing five years from now?
• What do you know about our school?  About our city?
• What do you think should and can be done to improve communication between teachers and students? Teachers and parents?  Teachers and administrators?
• Describe your idea of testing.
• What works best for you in classroom control?
• Why did you decide on a career in education?
• What do you anticipate as being the most satisfying aspect of teaching?

QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES TO ASK AT JOB INTERVIEWS FOR K-12 TEACHING POSITIONS

In your interview with K-12 school district administrators, it is very important that you learn as much as possible about the school, district, and community in which you might be employed.  You should be prepared to ask about concerns and issues related to your employment that are of interest to you.

The following are topics about which job applicants typically have questions.

DISTRICT

• Type of district (elementary, high school, or unit)
• History and development of the district
• Recent trends in district enrollment (stable, increasing, decreasing)
• Unique characteristics of the district
• Characteristics of the student population and community
• Size of the district (number of elementary, junior high/middle, and high schools)
• Central office administrators and their roles
• Grades included at each level of education

CURRICULUM

• Courses in the curriculum in your discipline and their content, sequence, pre-requisites, and status as electives or required courses
• Typical schedule of courses in the curriculum (first and/or second semester courses)
• Textbook and supplementary materials, how recent they were adopted, and district adoption procedures
• Availability of technology for classroom use
• New and/or innovative curriculum developments in your discipline in recent years
• Curriculum developments currently being planned

STUDENTS

• Type and size of student body in the school in which a position is available
• Typical class size
• Procedures for student placement (i.e., homogeneous, tracked)
• Characteristics of entering and exiting students (i.e., number or percentage who are enrolled in vocational and college preparatory curricula and the number or percentage who enroll in college upon graduation)

INSTRUCTIONAL ASSIGNMENT

• Reason why the position is available (enrollment increase, retirement, resignation, etc.)
• Number and type of teaching preparations (i.e., self-contained classes or team taught classes)
• Other instructional assignments (i.e., coaching)
• Methods and frequency of teaching evaluation
• Availability of summer employment
• Assignments on department, school, district committees
• Duties in the supervision/sponsorship of student activities
• Starting and ending dates of employment
• Contract length (i.e., 9, 10, 11, or 12 months)

FACULTY

• Number of administrators in the building and their responsibilities
• Size of the faculty within departments and the building
• Number of new teachers hired each year
• Special interests and/or expertise of faculty

STUDENT SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES

• Student clubs, organizations, and sports
• Counseling and guidance personnel and services
• Social worker, school nurse, librarian, and other support staff and their roles

COMMUNITY

• Community support for education
• Involvement of parents and other community members in the school program
• Recreational and other facilities in the community
• Demographic information about community residents
• Cost of living and housing in the community

SALARY AND FRINGE BENEFITS

• District salary schedule
• Reimbursement policies for graduate study
• District requirements for continuing professional education
• Vacation and sick leave, personal leave, and other leave policies
• Substitute teacher procedures
• Payroll schedule
• Medical insurance

PERSONNEL SELECTION PROCEDURES

• Number and type of interviews that job candidates can expect
• Individuals involved in the preliminary screening of candidates, interviews, and the final selection (personnel director, building principal, department head, or other)

OTHER

• District requirements for residency of staff

FINAL SUGGESTIONS

Be certain to read your employment contract carefully before signing it.

You might want to visit the district while classes are in session and visit the department and building in which you might be working.  If at all possible, try to meet the department head and/or building principal by whom you would be supervised.

TYPICAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR K-12 ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS

• Describe your teaching experiences and your involvement with teachers.
• What are your career goals and timelines?
• Just finishing up your degree, do you see this position as just a jumping-off point or would you be satisfied in sticking with it for a while?
• After reading the job description, why are you interested in this job?
• If you had an ideal situation, how would you like to divide your time in a position like this one?  What do you feel are the priorities of this position?
• How would you develop a good relationship with the staff?
• How would you develop a supervisory relationship with a teacher who has 25 years of experience and sees you as having relatively little experience?
• Describe your administrative style.  Do you feel you are more authoritarian or laissez-faire?
• How flexible are you in enforcing policies and rules?  How much do you stick by the rules?
• What do you feel your relationship should be like with the superintendent?  With the board?
• How would you handle a decision made from higher up that was against your personal/professional philosophy?
• What role do you feel parents should play in education, and how would you develop that?
• How would you handle criticisms made to the board about a teacher under your supervision?
• How well do you accept criticism?  Failure?  Defeat?
• What model(s) of teacher supervision and evaluation would you follow?
• What is your philosophy surrounding student discipline?
• What would your response be to racial confrontations?
• How do you feel about living in this district?

NEGATIVE FACTORS OBSERVED DURING JOB INTERVIEWS

ILLEGAL PRE-EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES

In pre-employment interviews or other communications with potential employers, you have rights to protect you from being asked questions that might be used to discriminate against you for non-job related reasons. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education serve to ensure compliance with these acts and provide information about your legal rights.

These acts are as follows;

• The Equal Pay Act of 1963 as amended by the Education Amendment of 1972.
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
• Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended by the Rehabilitation Act of 1974.
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 as amended, 1978.
• Illinois Human Rights Act of 1979.
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 and the EEOC Education, Technical Assistance and Training Revolving Fund Act of 1992.
• Executive Order 11246 as amended by 11375, 12086, and 11478.
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The following are items of information that employers may not inquire about in pre-employment discussions, communications, or interviews with job applicants and information that may not be required on application forms. Your job resumes, vitas, and application forms need not contain this information.

• Marital Status and Social or Living Arrangements
• Spouse's profession
• Race, religion, or national origin: Any inquiries about place of birth, native language, or club affiliations are generally impermissible.
• Age:  Age may only be asked to establish that you are of age to work
• Financial information
• Information regarding bankruptcy, car or home ownership, credit rating, social security, or bank accounts may not be requested.
• Arrests:  You need not provide information about past arrests, but you may be asked to provide information about criminal convictions.  Criminal background checks are now required.
• Height and weight:  Questions about height and weight may be asked only if they are necessary requirements for the performance of a job.
• Pregnancy status and childbearing plans
• Number and ages of children:  Also illegal to request is information about day care provisions of children.
• Foreign citizenship: You may be asked if you are a U.S. citizen, if you intend to remain permanently in the U.S., if you are not a citizen, or if visa or immigration status prohibits you from becoming lawfully employed.
• Academic degrees:  Information about earned academic degrees may not be required unless they are required for the job.
• Military service and discharge information
• Social activities:  Information may not be requested regarding membership in social clubs, religious groups, non-professional organizations, or other non-job related groups.
• Handicaps:  You are not required to disclose information about a handicap you may have. However, you may be invited to indicate this information voluntarily for affirmative action purposes.