How to prepare for a teacher interview

England's National Careers Service lists the tasks of a secondary school teacher and a primary school teacher. They include:

• preparing materials and setting up the classroom
• planning and teaching lessons, including to small groups
• marking work and talking to parents and carers about progress
• managing the work of teaching assistants
• following safeguarding procedures
• running trips, clubs or revision classes

The US profile for secondary school teachers adds setting clear goals for each lesson. It also lists adapting your teaching to students' different needs.

The rules on who can teach vary by country, and sometimes by state. Some examples:

• England: qualified teacher status (QTS) is a legal requirement to teach in maintained schools. Academies, free schools and private schools can hire teachers without it, but many still use it to judge candidates.
• Australia: you must register with the teacher registration authority of your state or territory.
• US: check the rules with the education department of the state where you want to teach.
• New Zealand: the Teaching Council says every teacher must be registered and hold a current practising certificate. The application includes police vetting.

Expect a background check too. The UK profiles list enhanced background checks. Never claim a qualification or registration you don't hold.

The National Careers Service lists skills that an interview can test:

• knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
• creating the best conditions for learning
• patience, and staying calm in stressful situations
• leadership, and being flexible and open to change
• clear spoken communication
• working well with others

New Zealand's profile adds being responsible and organised. O*NET lists optimism, empathy and stress tolerance among the work styles.

Each school runs its own process. You may face some of these:

• A teaching task. England's Teaching Vacancies service says you may be asked to teach a short interview lesson. In further education, it's often called a micro-teach.
• A panel interview with school leaders about your teaching, behaviour and safeguarding.
• Questions about safeguarding, because following safeguarding procedures is part of the job.
• A tour, or time with staff and students. Treat every talk as part of the interview.

The service says the lesson helps the panel see how you plan and teach, engage learners and check their understanding.

Teaching Vacancies gathered tips from experienced teachers. They include:

• Ask about the class, including any learners with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Keep the lesson simple. Build in checks on progress, and end with a review of learning.
• Check what equipment the school has. Many won't let you use a USB stick, so agree how to send files.
• Use clear slides with contrasting colours, an easy font and little text.
• Plan activities for learners with different needs.
• Bring three copies of your plan, resources and slides for the panel, plus spare board pens.
• Watch the time, and change the plan if it isn't working.

These are themes, with sample wording. Real questions vary by school.

• Behaviour: "How would you handle a student who keeps disrupting the lesson?"
• Different needs: "How do you plan for students working at different levels?"
• Assessment: "How do you know if students have understood?"
• Safeguarding: "What would you do if a student told you something worrying?"
• Parents and carers: "Tell me about a difficult talk with a parent."
• Reflection: "Tell me about a lesson that went badly. What did you change?"

Answer "tell me about a time" questions with STAR: the situation, your task, the actions you took and the result. For safeguarding, say you would follow the school's procedure and report it straight away.

1. Read the job ad, the school's website and any recent reports on the school.
2. Ask for the lesson details: topic, age group, class size, length and needs.
3. Plan the lesson, then practise it with a timer.
4. Prepare six to eight STAR stories: progress, behaviour, a parent, a colleague and a lesson you improved.
5. Bring proof of your registration or qualifications, and any ID they ask for.
6. Prepare questions, such as how new teachers are supported.

Our free STAR answer planner helps you shape each story before the day.

Here is a made-up answer for a made-up person. Use it to see the shape of a strong answer, then tell your own true story.

Daniel found the cause before acting, involved the family and measured progress. The result has numbers.

Written by Seal the Offer from these pages, last checked on 1 November 2026. Rules change, so check the employer's own page and the job ad before you apply.

• Secondary school teacher · National Careers Service (England)
• Primary school teacher · National Careers Service (England)
• Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education · O*NET OnLine, US Department of Labor
• Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · O*NET OnLine, US Department of Labor
• Qualified teacher status (QTS): qualify to teach in England · Department for Education (UK)
• Australia's education system · Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership
• Register to teach · Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand
• Secondary school teacher · Tahatū, Tertiary Education Commission (NZ)
• Prepare for a teaching interview lesson · Teaching Vacancies, Department for Education (UK)