Are you looking for a teaching position? Let us help you with your resume, interview questions and job openings.
CREATING A RESUME FOR A TEACHING POSITION
While there is not one way to draft your resume, there are some best practices to help your resume stand out from others. It is important to have a classic, error free, professional resume that highlights your relevant experience and your accomplishments.
You should try to keep your resume to one page, written in an easily read professional font (Ariel, Calibri, Garamond, and Times New Roman are popular choices).
Key elements on a resume include: your contact information, education, experience, and certifications. If you are a certified teacher or enrolled in a certification program, be sure to note this. List your experience in reverse chronological order, providing accurate information. If you are a recent college graduate, you can focus on academic and extra-curricular experience and any jobs held during college. If you have more extensive work experience, you may need to condense the academic portion of your resume and give more attention to your professional accomplishments.
If you have never worked in the field of education or with children, do not assume that your experiences are not relevant. Instead, think about the key skills of teachers, such as planning, working cooperatively, and tracking progress toward goals, and be sure to highlight your experience in these domains.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO BECOME A TEACHER
The interview is an opportunity for you to go beyond your resume and demonstrate you are right person for the teaching position. Regardless of the question asked or your response, you want to communicate your strong enthusiasm for teaching and your dedication to the profession. Answer questions honestly and to the best of your ability.
Below are some questions to help you prepare for your interview:
- What is your educational background?
- List five adjectives that describe yourself.
- What is one of your weaknesses, and how are you working to improve it?
- When did you decide to become a teacher, and why did you choose this field?
- What personal strengths do you find especially helpful in your teaching?
- What do you like most about teaching as a career?
- What is your least favorite aspect of teaching?
- What is your philosophy of education?
- Describe your teaching style.
- How do you structure your time to manage all of the duties associated with teaching?
- What do you think is the greatest challenge facing students today?
- What is the most difficult aspect of teaching today?
- What are the qualities of an excellent teacher?
- What is your approach to classroom management?
- Describe your best professional development experience.
- Describe your ideal lesson.
- Describe your planning process for a major project or unit.
- What plans do you have for the integration of technology in your own classroom?
- How have and will you address your students’ different learning styles?
- How do you modify your teaching to reach students who are struggling to perform at grade level?
- How do you provide support for students with exceptional ability?
- If most of the students in your class failed an assignment, test, or project, how would you respond?
- What do you want students to remember about your class?
- What steps would you follow to deal with a student who displays consistent behavioral problems in your classroom?
- What could a visitor to your class expect to see?
- Why should you be hired for this position?
Some career coaches advise job seekers to set up a mock interview with a friend or family member acting as the interviewer, and film themselves. Smart phones and tablets have made this task easier. When you watch yourself, take a moment to adjust to seeing yourself on camera and hearing your recorded voice, but try to be objective. Look for distracting mannerisms; verbal “crutches,” such as saying “um” or “like;” and check to see if you are making good eye contact with the interviewer.
OPEN TEACHING POSITIONS
Each school district will post job openings to their district website, typically under the Human Resource tab.
Additionally, some districts also post to state-wide websites to find a wider audience for their job openings. Below are some helpful links to state-wide job listings:
