bangkok

The job fair in Bangkok was my second job fair experience. The first one I attended for international schools was in Cambridge, Massachusetts four years ago. After going through many rounds of interviews over Skype and in person, I’ve compiled a list of some of the good ones. I think the best way to prepare for an interview for a teaching job is to spend some time reflecting on what you are truly passionate about as an educator. Make sure to have a few examples in your head of lessons and projects that were successful.

Interview Questions:

What are 3 words that your students would use to describe you? (I got asked this question over and over again!)

What are 3 words your administrators would use to describe you?

What are 3 words your parents (of students) would use to describe you?

What are 3 words your close friends would use to describe you?

How do you use technology in your classroom?

Describe a typical lesson in your classroom. (Going through the step by step overview)

Describe a successful lesson and how you knew it went well.

Why did you want to be a teacher?

What are you strengths/weaknesses as a teacher?

What would your colleagues/administrators say about you?

How do you differentiate your lessons for all the learners in your classroom?

How do you communicate with parents?

What is a difficult situation you faced and how did you deal with it?

If you met your students 20 years from now, what would you want them to remember about you?

Why do you want to teach at __________ (school)?

What do you want to teach__________(grade level) students? What do you like about them?

Why do you want to live in __________ (country)?

What kinds of things do you like to do outside of school?

What kind of extracurriculars would you be interested in being part of?

Describe a difficult student you had and how you handled it.

What are the talents/expertise you can bring to your team?

How do you use assessment in your classroom? Describe how you used the information you gained from an assessment in your instruction.

Why are you leaving your current school?

What did you like the most about your current school?

What was the most difficult thing about your current school?

How do you address the needs of English language learners?

How do you integrate other subjects into your units?

How would you implement the school’s core values into your classroom?

How do you approach classroom discipline?

What are your thoughts on collaboration with other staff?

What is your favorite essential question (UBD model)?

Is there anything else you feel that you want me to know about you, that we haven’t had a chance to talk about. (I think this is a really good question. Sometimes at the end of the interview, you feel like there are things about yourself you haven’t been able to share yet.)

Here are some other good sources for sample teacher interview questions.

100 Teacher Interview Questions

K6 Elementary Interview Questions

Teacher Vision Frequently Asked Interview Questions

Some of the major themes that many schools touched upon were: classroom management, communication with parents, assessment, differentiation, technology, and daily lesson execution. Also, I did prepare a portfolio with sample unit plans, letters of reference, and professional development certificates for the job fair. However, I didn’t end up using it or showing it at any of the interviews! Even though it can be costly to go to one of these job fairs, I would highly recommend it if you are open to going to other countries! 🙂

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This has been a post I’ve been wanting to do for a while, since attending the Search Associates Job Fair in Bangkok, this past January. There were a few important things I learned from this intense, stressful, but rewarding experience.

Tips for a Job Fair

1. Network- I didn’t realize how much a good place to network it is at a job fair. You are there meeting many different head of schools, directors, principals, and other administrators. Be friendly, make conversations with people in the elevator, and be professional! I realized that the administrators network in the international school scene is not as big as I thought. Many administrators move around schools and countries. You never know, but the administrator you interviewed with might be at the next school you want to work at years down. Definitely attend the social at the end of the conference. I don’t like going to these things, but it’s a good time to mingle and meet a lot of people.

2. Be open- Interview with schools that are not necessarily your top choices. You never know! I never wanted to come to Korea, but now I am here and in my fourth year.

3. Research- Really research the school you are interviewing for. Even if you are not that interested, it makes a difference. Have questions you want to ask about the school. It’s always better to make a good impression and get an offer to turn down.

4. Be confident- During the interview, of course you will be nervous, but do the best to seem confident of yourself. Even if you make a mistake or you don’t answer a question well, don’t linger. Just move on! I know many times, I wished I hadn’t said something, but I kept going.

5. Attend presentations- For the schools that you are really interested in, make an effort to go to their presentation. I remember for one school, my friend and I went and sat in the first row. During my interview with them, the administrator mentioned how she liked that we came and sat in the front row during the presentation.

6. Show Gratitude- Make sure to bring a whole bunch of thank you cards. Make an effort to write thank you cards and respond to all the schools that get in contact with you.

Stay tuned for Part 2 on the different type of interview questions asked at the job fair!

Here are some photos from beautiful Bangkok, Thailand!