Questions You Should Ask During a Teacher Job Interview

Teachers are masters of preparation, and interviewing should be no different than teaching. The following is a list of tips you can use to ask meaningful questions during your interview:

Brainstorm ahead of time

Compose a list of potential questions prior to your interview, but keep an open mind. Maintain enough flexibility to tailor your questions in response to information you might learn during the interview. 

Avoid the obvious

Make sure to incorporate research into your interview question preparations. If the school or district has a website or social media accounts, check those out while you’re brainstorming. The last thing you want to do is ask a question the website has already answered. Instead, you want your interviewer to feel like you’re genuinely interested in the organization and have taken the time to read up on it. 

Focus on the school

Avoid asking questions that focus on what the job can offer you, such as salary, vacation time, and benefits. If you’re offered the job, you’ll have plenty of time to inquire about those details. Instead, use the interview as an opportunity to determine whether the school is a good fit for you based on more fundamental factors like culture or curriculum. 

Keep your questions diverse

Choose questions that cover a variety of topics. Focusing heavily on a particular area will stand out to an interviewer, and not necessarily in a good way. For example, if most of your questions relate to parent involvement, the employer might think you’ve had issues with parents in the past. Additionally, a broad range of questions shows you’re interested in knowing about the school as a whole. 

Show your interest

Piggybacking on a couple of previously mentioned tips, you can usually find salient information about a school and its district on its webpage. Look for sections about the mission statement, educational philosophies, and objectives. Spend time online reading over these key concepts, and compose a couple of questions that invite the interviewer to elaborate on their philosophies. You’d be surprised at how often employers interview candidates who know nothing about the organization they’re applying to work for. Showing genuine interest will help you stand out in all the best ways. 

Learn more: Discover real interview questions asked for thousands of job titles

Jobs in education are particularly multifaceted, so there are doubtlessly several areas or topics you’re interested in knowing more about. Below are some major areas of interest and examples of questions you can ask your interviewer. 

Learn more: Questions About Teaching to Help You Prepare for a Winning Interview

About the job

Ask about the specific position you’re interviewing for:

• What does a typical day look like for a teacher in this position? This is a great way to learn about the general expectations of teachers at the school without making it weird. The answer you get will likely give you some insight into district nonnegotiables, expectations regarding behavior, even lunch breaks — the way the school does things in a general sense. 
• Why is this position open? You could get countless answers to this question, most of which might not be significant. However, if the previous teacher worked at the school for 30 years and only left because they retired, for example, you can probably infer that it’s a good place to work. On the flip side, if the position is new, you’ll want to ask some follow-up questions regarding the support available to a new hire in a brand-new role. 

About support

The quality of administrative support available to teachers at the school can be a major deciding factor. We all have different working needs, so this is an important area to learn about before starting a new job. 

• Does the district support continuing education for faculty? Do you encourage teachers to pursue graduate degrees? Continuing education benefits both employees and employers by facilitating skill enhancement, keeping teachers challenged and engaged, empowering them to adapt more easily to changing workplace demands, and more. For many, this kind of support is the difference between feeling valued and expendable at work. Others prioritize the possibility of advancement within an organization, and continuing education is often a way for teachers to work in that direction. 
• Is there a mentoring program in place for new teachers? A mentor can be a great source of advice and encouragement. Partnering with a seasoned teacher at a new school can also help expedite the acclimation and socialization process. 

About the classroom

From class size to technology, you’ll want to learn how the school sets up its classes. 

• What kinds of technology do you provide the students in your classrooms? Technology has many common and beneficial uses in a classroom, such as smartboards, desktops, projectors, and gamification products. It’s also worth asking about providing your own technologies, if something specific isn’t available. 
• How many students are in an average class? What is the teacher/student ratio? Studies have shown that smaller classes result in better student performance and engagement in all areas, cultivate better teacher/student relationships, and allow for more customized instruction. The smaller the class size, the more collaborative students tend to be, the longer teachers tend to stick around, and the more in-depth subjects can be explored. 

About the school

Asking questions about the school is a great opportunity to find out what the school and district value, what might need improvement, and how it handles bullying, among many other important topics.  

• What are some goals for the school or district this year? This will give you major insight into what the school and district place value in. Answers you get could be anything from, “Implementing a yearlong health curriculum with a focus on wellness” to “Establishing strategies for districtwide collaboration.” 
• What areas do you feel the school could use improvements in? The answer to this question will also give you insight into what the school prioritizes and how dedicated the district is to doing the best by its students and staff. Some of the most common issues schools face include bullying, parent involvement, technology, classroom size, and poverty. 

About discipline

Disciplinary action in schools is always a hot topic. Here are a couple of questions you can ask to understand how the school and district handle behavioral and other issues. 

• What types of discipline plans or programs do you implement? How successful are they? A school’s discipline plan should clearly outline the administrator’s, teacher’s, parent’s, and student’s responsibilities. It should also implement guidance that enables students to make appropriate decisions in a supportive climate. 
• What types of anti-bullying measures do the school and district have in place? Policies alone aren’t always enough. Many schools implement activities to educate students about bullying, such as presentations, discussions, advancing social and emotional learning (SEL), or taking steps toward building a positive school climate. The hiring manager might have already addressed this topic when talking about more general discipline plans. 

About the community

Each community and its level of school involvement is unique. Use these questions to learn about the level of parent engagement at the school or how the community engages with its schools and vice versa. 

• Does the school have an active PTA or PTO? Parental involvement has been shown to have a significant impact on a child’s experience and achievement at school. When successful, PTAs and PTOs provide parents and teachers with a venue for exchanging views and working together. 
• Does the school receive much support from the community? Schools with high levels of community support often have increased student achievement and attendance, better grades, and fewer behavioral issues. Johns Hopkins University defines six types of integral community involvement with schools: parenting, communicating, learning at home, volunteering, decision-making, and community collaboration. Ideally, all of these are well integrated and offer a vast range of school, community, and family activities. 

Go into your next job interview for a teaching position armed with these thoughtful questions. If you’ve had a memorable interview experience with a company or school, share it here.