Teacher Head Interview Questions And Answers

In the past, the headmaster or headmistress was often the owner of the school or a member of the owning family, and the position often remained in the family for many generations.

A head teacher (also known as school principal, headteacher, headmaster, headmistress or the head, sometimes informally in Scots, the Heidi or heedie) is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school.

Some head teachers still retain some teaching responsibility, other than in very small schools, most of their duties are managerial and pastoral.

I'd like to hear about: animated discussions, students clearly making progress as evidenced in oral and written contributions. High quality visual displays of students' work showing progress. High levels of engagement. Behavior that supports learning.

Whatever the subject, I expect to hear things like: to improve skills and independent learning; to encourage team work; to gain a qualification; for enjoyment (very important, rarely mentioned); to enhance other subjects; to develop literacy, numeracy and ICT skills; to improve career prospects; self discipline; memory development; to encourage life-long learning in that subject. The list goes on…

This allows candidates to give a theoretical answer - one that anyone who swotted up could give you - balanced with a personal reflection that shows how effective they are.

This is one of my favorite questions (it's based on a question my National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) coach used to ask me) because it gets candidates to think about their contribution to the school organisation and their team spirit. If I'm interviewing for a senior leader I would follow this up with: what would you want them to say about you in three years time? This way I can get a sense of where they want to develop as leaders.

We want to see clear indications that candidates have done background work about our school and can talk about why the way we work appeals to them. We'd always want candidates to have visited the school so they should be able to flesh this out with specific examples of what they thought based on their visit.

Liking young people. Fairness. Consistency. Sense of humour. Passion for their subject. Good at explaining new concepts/ideas. Able to make the topic or subject relevant. Able to make everyone feel comfortable and confident about contributing.

This is great as it enables candidates to sell themselves and really tell us what they are about.

Head teachers require an academic degree and professional experience. Make sure to provide detailed facts with references, as these will probably be checked.

The interviewer definitely wants to know your strengths to determine whether you used them in your daily life or, more importantly, in classroom scenarios. Make sure to back up your answer with an example.

This question is aimed at finding out how you would handle delicate situations with teachers, students, or students' parents. Therefore, your answer to these questions should be logical and well thought-out.

Teaching consists of many aspects - the written word, values, and directing the students to be practical and thinking individuals. The answer should refer to your teaching methods and approach, and human values that a head teacher can impart to the teachers and students.

I am sure many of you have participated in team-teaching and realize the benefits of this strategy. The interviewer who asks this question wants to discover, if you are flexible, enjoy working in a team environment, have experience in this area, and what your viewpoints are on the subject.

Your response could include something that may have been a challenge in the past, which you have taken steps to rectify. It is important to be truthful, they will be testing your honesty. In addition, they will be checking to see if you provide a weakness that is critical to success in the position. For example, the interview will likely end quickly if you answer you have a difficult time management the classroom. The key to answering the question is to turn a negative into a positive.

For obvious reasons everyone will have a different answer; it will depend on your teaching style, grade interviewing for, and past experiences. The interviewer will be looking to see if you have a plan, you know how to implement it, and if you think that discipline is an important part of the position. What I have found from coaching clients is they fail to provide a clear action plan that can be backed up with examples. Also it is important to find out what is the philosophy of the school or district, this will give you some additional information.

► Do you understand what traits contribute to the success of a principal. As a teacher, what traits do you value most.
► Your response may indicate or suggest possible conflicts with the current principal.

Responses to this question may include:
It is important that a successful principal...

► Has a vision and a plan to reach that vision...combined with the ability to bring faculty members together to form a cooperative team and motivate them to reach district goals and objectives.
► Be visible... the principal's presence should be evident on a continual basis. He or she must be easily accessible to both students and teachers.
► has a great sense of humor, and can relate well to a diverse group of individuals.
► Genuinely cares about the students, teachers, parents, and the district.

► I have always been successful with getting parents involved in the classroom, how active are parents at this school or within the school district?

► I am well-versed at integrating computer technology into the classroom, what kind of resources does the school have available?

► Do teachers work in teams? If so, how is this organized?

► I consider myself a life-long learner, what professional development opportunities will be available?

► What is the student/teacher ratio?

► I have been instrumental in developing new programs in previous positions I have held. Will the school be implementing any new programs this year, or require input to develop programs already in place?

► Will the school be addressing any major issues this year?

► If you are new to the industry you may ask, "Is there a mentor teacher program available?"

► When do you hope to reach a decision as to who the successful candidate will be, or what is the next step in the hiring process?

In this category you should expect questions exploring your training and your understanding of best practice, governance and targets.

The interviewer will ask questions based on your experience as shown on your CV.

This relates to key skills required such as your ability to have good time management, to work in or manage a team, to demonstrate effective communication, classroom management skills, lesson planning etc.

Your reasons for applying or for choosing your subjects and how well you can manage classroom behavior and difficult pupils.
For Head Teacher positions, you should expect questions exploring your leadership skills, your ability to motivate and develop your staff, your capacity to build relationships and your financial and operational management skills.
Expect 3-4 questions on each area along with questions relating to your understanding of issues facing the Education Sector and targets as they impact on your school, college or academy.

► Do a safety check at the beginning of each lesson.
► Ensure tool cupboards etc are fully stocked.
► Put in place subject/room managers who supervise the rooms/programs.
► Close the rooms down at the end of each term (3 to 5 days) to allow maintenance to be completed. Get the students involved in repairing equipment etc. Sand benches down and coat in a finish - tung oil is very good. Reward them for this, radio on, BBQ.
► Set up a system where equipment to be repaired or replaced is listed on a whiteboard or similar.
► Do a safety/room check at the end of each lesson.

► Don't rush in.
► Listen to staff to see what they want.
► Entice staff that are keen for change to come on board.
► Model the change if possible.
► Put time limits on requirements, i.e. programs.
► Survey kids about what they like in the classes.
► Establish routines for faculty meetings etc.