Teaching Assistant Interview Preparation Guide

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The teaching assistant is quite near to the students themselves when it comes to age. Therefore, the interviewer will first have to assess whether you can or cannot handle a crowd of students. Again, focus on your ability to work with your previous employer(s). If you have led any youth groups or have any counselor/teaching experience, draw on that.

► Why do you want to work at this school?
► What experience can you bring to the school?
► What do you know about our school?
► How can you support the provision of extra-curricular activities at our school?
► What do you think about our school ethos and rules?

► How do you think children learn best?
► How can you encourage reluctant readers?
► Do you have any creative ideas for helping pupils who are struggling with numeracy?
► Do you have any interesting ideas of how we can display children's work?
► How would you feedback to a pupil who gets the right answer?
► How would you respond to a pupil who gave a partially correct answer?
► How would you feedback to a pupil who gave an incorrect answer?
► How would you support a pupil who was struggling with a specific task?
► What activities do you enjoy doing most with children?

► How could you support pupils reading?
► How can you tell whether children have learnt something during the task they've just completed?
► Does learning have to be fun?
► How can we try and engage a demotivated pupil?
► What ideas can we try to help a pupil who is struggling compared to their peers?
► Do you have specific knowledge in any area for example a second language or a love of maths - if so how could you use it in the classroom?
► How can we assess what pupils have learnt?
► Is it important to assess learning? Why?
► What makes a good lesson?
► How can we stretch our most gifted and talented learners?

► Do you think you would be able to effectively communicate with parents?
► How would you manage conflict with colleagues or parents?
► What would you do if a pupil was disruptive in class?
► How would you respond if a pupil didn't do as you asked them to?
► Tell us about a time when you were with a group of children and something went wrong, how did you remedy the situation?
► What would you do if a child complained they were bored?
► What would you do if a child didn't understand what they were supposed to be doing?
► What would you do if two children were constantly talking and giggling and disrupting the class?
► A group of pupils are angry and upset following a playground dispute. It's affecting the lesson, what would you do?
► Tell us about a time you had to use your own initiative to rescue a difficult situation?

► What's your experience of working with children?
► Why do you enjoy working with children?
► What experience could you bring from previous posts to your work at this school?
► Do you find it easy to communicate with children?
► Can you tell us about a time when you effectively worked as part of a team?
► Are you good at organizing yourself and other people?
► Can you tell us about a time you successfully worked with a group of children?
► How do you think you could use your creative skills in the classroom?

► Why you want to be a teaching assistant?
► Why do you think you would be a good teaching assistant?
► What do you think the role of a teaching assistant is?
► What do you think will be the main activities you will do each day as a teaching assistant?
► Why do you think the role of the teaching assistant is important?
► Do you think you would find a teaching assistant role fulfilling? Why?
► What do you think would be the challenges you would face in this role?
► What do you think would be the highlights of the job?
► Why do you want to be a teaching assistant?

► How would you motivate a child with special education needs who doesn't want to participate in the classroom?
► Give an example of a lesson gone wrong and how you reacted to it
► Tell me about a time when you have had to deal with a problem child and what action you took. What was the result?
► When have you had to overcome a challenging situation?
► What would you do if a parent walked up to you in the street and asked questions about their child?
► What would you do if a child swore at you when you walked into school?

► How would you handle noisy and bad behavior at lunchtime?
► What is the difference between the noisy and bad behavior?
► If a child tells you he/she is being harmed by someone from outside school, what would you do?
► How could you support children's reading?
► How would you liaise with class teachers and parents?
► How do you organize your lessons and time?
► What makes a good lesson?
► How do you react to a child who doesn't follow your instructions?
► Give an example of your leadership abilities
► What types of assessment do you use?

► What makes a good lesson plan?
► What do you think the children have learned from you 30-minute lesson exercise?
► How do you respond to children who give a correct answer?
► How do you respond to children who give a partially correct or incorrect answer?
► What is your knowledge of child protection?
► Can a teacher keep a secret with a child relating to child abuse?
► Give an example of when you have had to use your own initiative
► What would you do if a child didn't understand what they were supposed to be doing?
► How do you think children learn best?
► Does learning have to be fun?

► Why do you want to become a teaching assistant?
► What is the role of a TA?
► What will your duties include as a TA?
► What do you feel you can bring to the role?
► Do you have any experience of SEN, Autism or ADHD?
► What do you think is the best thing about being a teaching assistant?
► What's your experience of working with children?
► Do you find it easy to communicate with children?
► Why do you think the role of a teaching assistant is important?
► How could you use your creative skills in the classroom?

The interviewer will ask about any difficult situations in your last job, related to work, which were solved by you by amicable means. This will prove to the interviewer whether you have any people skills. Make a list of such occurrences. Consult with a knowledgeable friend, or professor. Preferably someone who's working! Select the best and prepare to present the anecdote briefly, and succinctly.
Once the interviewer is satisfied that you have all the skills needed for a teacher's assistant, they may call you for a couple of more rounds before they finally select you for the job.

To gauge your seriousness of the individual, the interviewer may ask why you are actually seeking the job.
Therefore, the interviewer will first begin to gauge whether the individual is actually serious about the job or not. This can be asked via the simple question:
Why do you need the job? or why should we give you a job? Express your interest in the field of education, and your expectation to persevere for at least a semester. You may want to include your financial needs, but do not over emphasize this.

The interviewer may ask about your previous job experience and your knowledge. This will enable the interviewer to understand your basic professional background and whether you would be able to handle the job or not. Although your experience may not be directly related, focus on your ability to follow directions, get tasks done quickly, attention to detail, etc.; skills required in any job.

The interviewer(s) is looking for a well-organised person who can act as a teacher's aide. A successful candidate should be able to illustrate their organisational skills, based upon teaching experience or otherwise.

While teaching assistants don't make the lessons, they do provide invaluable help to prepare them, and a successful candidate for an assistant teaching job is one interested in the role of a teacher and prepared to support them 100%.

This question may be best answered with the SAR technique. Try to remember a similar situation when a bored child was amused in a stimulating, educational and non-disruptive way.

Helping teachers prepare for lessons by, for example, putting out equipment before a lesson starts or photocopying papers; listening to children reading and reporting back to the teacher should any issues arise; and helping children who need extra help in literacy or numeracy. A teaching assistant is there to support a teacher in the classroom.

Any interviewee can expect to answer a number of questions about the school, so learning a bit about the place beforehand is vital. Prior to the interview, find out as much as possible about the school's extracurricular activities, Ofsted results, what type of backgrounds the children come from, etc. so that the answer provided is well-informed.

► Keep in touch with your course instructor during the term.
► Make sure your instructor has your email address and telephone number.
► Be on time for all meetings with your instructor.
► Be prepared for and attend your assigned tutorial section and office hours.
► Promptly return marked assignments as required by the instructor.

Under the supervision of the course instructor (faculty or contract instructor ), you may be assigned duties related to marking, tutorial attendance and participation, office hours and similar duties depending on your particular assignment.

There is no need to contact the School, your application will be kept on file and you may be selected if the schedule is revised. Please continue to check the online TA assignment list daily for revisions.

Yes, the School reserves the right to cancel any course tutorial section or replace or reassign teaching assistants for any reason, at any time prior to the third scheduled class, in which case your "Assignment of Duties" contract is thereby ended.

► Fully funded graduate students
► Q-year Math & Stats students
► Undergraduates in Math & Stats
► Undergraduates in other departments

There may be many changes to the assignments for the first two weeks.
It is your responsibility to check the list daily to confirm that your assignment has not been changed or cancelled.