Teacher Interviews Pt 1

In a previous blog post, we took a look at some generic preparation that can be taken in seeking a position in the education field, specifically that of a teacher. After doing the initial leg work discussed and then submitting your resume, you are now ready to prepare for what you might expect during the interview process. Interviews can be a stressful situation for some people, but if you prepare a bit before the day arrives, you should be able to comfortably knock it out of the ball park.

One of the most common questions interviewers ask, and this applies to pretty much all career fields, is the traditional "what do you see as your weaknesses." Many of us fall back on the common, but overused "I tend to be a perfectionist." Not only does this sound cliche', but it also can be considered a negative in that you are unable to complete a task successfully and move on. A perfectionist is never happy, and is always tweaking, which shows a lack of direction to get to the desired end result. Plus, a perfectionist may be viewed as someone who has the potential to look down upon their peers for producing what they may consider sub-par results.

Just make sure you do not list as a weakness something that is directly related to the position being applied for. If you are interviewing for a teacher position, do not say your weakness is anything like lack of patience, social or communication skills (which is hopefully never the case for a teacher) or being able to keep your cool with students. You wouldn't want to say your weakness is anything that is directly related to the subject you may be seeking to teach, obviously.

Whatever weakness you state, you can hopefully state it as being something you have had issues with in the near past that you have been actively working to rectify. Use this opportunity to make what may be a negative into a positive, and present yourself in a positive light by it. One example found on an education interview tip site was to twist something like "I have a difficult time organizing my day," into "there are so many creative activities I plan for my students and class time is limited. It is difficult to incorporate all of the activities that I would like my students to learn from. Over time, I have realized to prioritize what lessons are the most important to enhance my student learning. I now realize that I can't do everything I would like to." That puts the positive spin on it that you need.

Look for more tips to come in future posts on the topic.

Jeff McCormack resides in Virginia Beach, VA. where he works as a web designer by day. In his off time he is a husband, father, mail order book store manager, and an avid musician who is active in two local bands. He is also a lover of books, having a large personal library and squeezes in as much reading as often as he can. Aside from being a freelance writer for this Education Jobsite blog, he also seeks to assist in career choices and information by contributing to other Nexxt blog sites.