Interviews

This is the crucial event that all of your job seeking efforts have led up to. Never turn down an interview, even if it involves travel and expense for you or is for a position you are virtually certain you don't want. Interviews help you clarify your own values. You learn a tremendous amount from them, and the experience is invaluable. Treat all interviews with enthusiasm and respect. You need to do several mock interviews before the real thing. These should be done with fellow students, family members, and, best of all, with people who resemble potential employers, teachers or administrators. Take advice but also trust your judgment. Video and audio taping mock interviews is a good idea (I did it, and it helped me). Write up questions that you are likely to be asked and get practice answering them until you can do so directly, clearly and simply. The subject of the interview is you. You are the expert on that topic and know more than anyone else present (parents do not usually attend interviews). Thus you should be confident and knowledgeable. Dress up, but be sure that you still look like a teacher. Interact personally with the interviewers. Use their names, tell them they asked a good question, learn about their interests/values/ideas. Throughout the interview it is best to give shorter answers that directly respond to the question asked and then offer to say more if they would like you to explain further. Be able to use specific examples from intern or other teaching experiences. They may not remember what is on your resume, even the big obvious things, so don't hesitate to repeat the resume: "As I mention on my resume, I have..."

If a question stumps you, remake the question into something you can answer: "What I hear you asking is... And to this I think... Did I answer your question?" Bring handouts to the interview to demonstrate different kinds of teaching you can do. When a question might tie to these handout say, "I brought something along that might help me show you what I mean..." Bring up your portfolio //before// they ask to see it. In this way you are also taking some responsibility for determining the way the interview will proceed-if you have also shown you can listen well, this strategy makes you look like the kind of confident teacher they will want to hire.

The interview is a very important time to use professional English teaching language. Know your stuff, both in theory and practice! Review your course books before the interview. During the interview talk about a book you have read, an article in the //English Journal// or //Rethinking Schools// and explain how you modified and ran with the idea in some part of your intern teaching.

Have three or four "success" stories from your intern teaching ready to tell (and perhaps illustrate with samples of student work). You might be asked for an example of how you worked with a student different from yourself, how you overcame and managed to reach a resistant learner, how you got along with a difficult colleague, etc.

Have clearly thought out ideas about what you want to teach, both individual lessons and whole units. Be able to talk enthusiastically and in detail about specific works of literature relevant to the teaching assignment. When asked how you would teach something be sure to first set forward your goals and objectives, address the need to investigate students' prior knowledge, and discuss appropriate ways to evaluate and assess what your students have learned. Bring up literary works that are in the canon and works that are not in the canon, showing your interest, knowledge, and skill with both.

You are very likely to be asked the grammar question. The right answer is, "In the context of student's own writing." Then explain how the teaching of grammar fits into a process writing approach and depends on an authentic assessment of each student's writing and skill development. Talk about the importance of good writing skills and segue into the need for developing voice, cultural literacy, critical thinking, etc.

You may be asked about a personal challenge, interest, or experience; have some answers ready. Be able to talk about why you decided to go into teaching and where you see yourself five years down the road (earning a master's degree, active in the professional organization, etc.).

You will be asked, in one form or another, a question about classroom discipline. The key pieces of the right answer include: 1) I emphasis prevention rather than reaction-good lessons with relevant content are less likely to lead to discipline issues in the first place-if discipline issues arise it is a clue to reexamine the way I have structured the lesson-I notice things quickly and adjust/react before they build; 2) I attempt to assess if the student understands the assignment, knows what s/he is supposed to be doing, sees why the assignment is meaningful; 3) A simple set of classroom rules that is clearly understood is helpful; 4) I almost always try to take care of discipline issues myself by talking with students privately rather than sending them to the vice principal; 5) If a discipline issue persists good communication with parents and vice principals is, of course, important.

You will be asked: "Do you have any further questions?" This is a crucial opportunity to impress your interviewers. I suggest two types of questions: 1) What kind of direction do you see your department (to a department chair) / school (to a principal) / district (to a central office administrator) going in? What kind of new teachers are you looking for? This question not only shows that you care about what they care about, it also provides you with very valuable information-information you would obviously like to have as early in the interview process as possible! (Nonetheless, all schools want to see themselves as moving in positive directions, as being professional current, as being more student-centered, as attracting energetic new teachers.) 2) I would like to continue to attend English teacher conferences, will there be support for my own professional development? Is there support for graduate courses I might take? What kinds of professional development opportunities might there be? Another question that is a big hit with potential employers is, "do you offer some type of mentor program for incoming teachers?" This question also illustrates that you want to grow and develop as a teacher while also letting them know that you want to fit in and be a part of their community.

Expressing interest in extracurricular activities or specialized courses is a good idea. If you coach, fine, but English teachers can do just as well if they will work on the student paper, yearbook, creative writing magazine, speech or debate team, coach drama, direct plays, become involved with student government, etc. By the way, if your first job assignment does not have exactly the classes you most want to teach, don't fret about it. Once you are in a school it is usually possible to begin to change your responsibilities and move toward the specific courses you want. Often classes that you didn't think would be your favorite turn out to be great experiences.

Don't be surprised if you are asked to write something before or after the interview; bring an erasable pen and perhaps a small spelling dictionary. You may be asked to model or demonstrate your teaching with the interview committee or with actual students. In general, the more hoops they have you go through, the more interviews and the more carefully they follow-up with references, the better off you will be when you work for them. A district that does a careful job hiring is a district with its priorities in the right place.

After the interview send a warm, personal, and correctly-spelled thank-you note. If all goes well you are likely to be called back for a second interview. If there are new people you may have to repeat a few things from the first interview because it is sometimes hard for interviewers to keep all the facts about each candidate straight. Try to learn about the culture of the school and the interests of your future colleagues. Second interviews are typically more relaxed, yet it is important to continue to be confident and professional. If you are taken to meet the superintendent that's a good sign-get him (always men, alas) talking about the future directions of the district.

Never bring up salary or benefits until after the offer is made. If they start talking salary, listen carefully for a few minutes, then interrupt or comment that you are more interested in talking about how they view teaching, about what the students or your colleagues would be like, etc.

If your interview does not lead to an offer, call the interviewer back and ask if s/he would be willing to share with you what they saw as the strengths and weaknesses of your application and interview. They may be able to give you useful advice and even leads on other jobs.