Education & Teaching Interview Questions & Answers

The interview had several stages first a one to one interview at a centre. This was competency based but also about the company and scanario based situations for example how would you deal with one of the staff if they were racist. Following, this you had to teach the children for 15 minutes.

Why do do you prefer law above teaching?
Do you think Explore learning is expensive?

Slow down responses and think before speak. Also brush up on commercial awarness

The assessment centre was attended by 12 people. It was made up of a competency interview which lasted 15 minutes. This was followed by a pre-prepared presentation about your idea for a community event. Next there was a role play to tell a teacher about the services Explore Learning offers. In addition, there there a numerical test including fractions with questions asking how you would explain the answer to children. Then there was a literacy test which assessed your ability to find grammatical errors. Next, they took us out for lunch at Zizzi. After a lunch we had to write random words on pieces of paper. Then draw out the words and talk about the word for 2 minutes in front of the group. Finally, we had to group task about increasing membership at a gym which we then had to present to a panel who asked questions.

The Interview at the Explore learning center in Woking was wonderful. I was able to learn more information about the company and really got to see how things worked. The center was active whilst the interview was taking place so you were really able to understand how the tutoring worked, and got to talk to some of the children and see what systems they were using. The actual interview consisted of a sales role play which was quite daunting, but they gave me lots of feedback and the opportunity to do the role play again. There was then a few scenario questions based on interacting with parents and children. I was a very fun interview, serious but being in the environment allowed you to relax more. The interview lasted around 2 hours, of which about 45 minutes consisted of talking to the children and helping them out with their work. This consisted of being introduced to one or two children and then left to your own devices, especially as the center was very busy.

The most difficult questions were the ones that asked you how you would deal with children that aren't concentrating and how you would approach situations where the parents wish to take their children out of the program, as customer retention is a big part of the company's policy.

They really like to see personality, so just be yourself. And they are reliant on sales techniques and so I would recommend brushing up on the hard sell in order to push through the sales in the Role Plays.

The assessment center involved a lot of sitting around. There were 12 of us there, and after the initial introduction film and presentation, we were given timetables that told us the times that we would have the two different interviews and the personal task which was a numeracy and literacy sheet. The interviews consisted of a talk about my CV and what skills I had that I could bring to the company and what skills I needed to work on. Whilst the other consisted of a Role Play of talking to a teacher in a school. Again they gave wonderful feedback for the Role Play, which is brilliant information to take further on to other interviews. We then had lunch and got to know the interviewers a bit more, as well as getting to know more about the company and each other. It is not a competitive interview, so the relaxed atmosphere means that some of the pressure is lifted off. Then we were tasked with a group presentation where we were in groups of 6 and had to come up with a 5 point plan to get more members into the gym by the end of the month. This was the only bit of the assessment day that I felt could have been organised or worded differently, as we were given 20 minutes to come up with our plan but when we presented to the interviewers it became clear that they just wanted us to have come to the idea of half price joining fee or the first month half price.

My interview was the first stage in my assessment centre day. It was one on one with a member of their graduate recruitment team. The interview wasn't CV based but was instead based on the competency questions asked during the application process. A lot of the questions were very similar to those asked in the application process. Questions required knowledge of the company and opportunities within it, and demonstrations of the key skills required to be a teacher.

Please give an example of a situation that you have created, which was leading to, or resulted in a negative outcome.

Learn your answers to the competency questions thoroughly as this will give you most of your answers for the interview. Also research Teach first and opportunities they offer. I attended a presentation about them which was also helpful.

The process consisted of; a one on one interview, a group exercise, a review of the exercise, a lesson and a review of the lesson. In between each of the exercises there are plenty of opportunities to talk to other candidates and run through or prepare for the lesson. The subject specific lesson title is e-mailed to you the week before the assessment centre day so you can prepare properly. The lesson is in front of two members of the graduate recruitment who take the role of children in your classroom.

The initial interview was informative. I learnt lots about the centre that I visited. I spoke to the existing Assistant Director about her role and was encouraged to ask questions and find out more. Explore Learning really just wanted to find out more about me; my passions and interests. The sales role play was fun and clear, immediate feedback was given.

The most difficult question was "is this the end for your teaching career, why?"

Be sure to have a good knowledge of the company. Prepare for the sales role play by predicting questions that you might be asked by a potential customer. Enjoy yourself and be confident in your own experience. Get a feel for the company by talking to others as much as possible

The assessment centre comprised of a written task (maths test and English test), a 5 minute presentation, a sales role play, an interview based on my cv and skills and a group activity.

The start of the assessment centre day was a one on one interview, lasting approximately 20 minutes. The interview was based solely on answering questions based on the competencies that Teach First look for in potential teachers such as leadership and resilience. There were also questions to test your knowledge of Teach First's mission statement and your understanding of educational disadvantage.

Describe a situation where you had to persevere over a long period of time to reach a predetermined goal.

Make sure you know the competencies very well as well as why you want to join the leadership development programme. Have a couple of examples prepared for each competency so you can draw on as many as possible in the interview as you will be asked detailed questions.

We were greeted by a graduate recruiter who talked through what we could expect from the day and given an opportunity to talk to the other candidates informally. The interview was first, then a group exercise and then we had to deliver individually a 5 minute lesson (that we had already prepared for) to two graduate recruiters. The group exercise was enjoyable and was a theoretical situation where we discussed who out of our 'students' should be offered an internship with a company linked to the school we were working with. We then individually evaluated the performance of the group and the performance of other individuals in a one to one 'debrief' with a recruiter. The final task of the day was a lesson delivered on a subject we were able to prepare for before the day. This was over very quickly and again there was a self-evaluation exercise afterwards.

Phone interview - brief (20 minutes) but decent questions regarding previous work experience, personal skills and qualities, how much I knew about the company/role, and scenario based questions. You are expected to have thoroughly researched the company and role to answer all questions in a fitting manner (i.e. all with relation to the qualities expected, the vision and values of the company, the requirements for the role). I was contacted within a week to arrange for a centre interview.

Centre interview - starting with a centre tour by the Centre Director, I was given similar personality/experience/skills questions in a private interview with the CD and Assistant Director. Following this was a sales role play, which was performed twice with feedback after each trial. They are looking for your receptiveness and adaptability as well as sales patter, so listen carefully and incorporate elements back in the second time. Lastly there was a period of observed interaction with children, with feedback afterwards. Friendly and professional, I was contacted within 1 working day inviting me to the next Assessment Day.

What would you consider the biggest obstacle you have overcome?

Do your research, really learn about the company and their culture/vision/values to help answer questions. Be confident in understanding the role (not just a teaching or managerial job), and if you have no sales experience make sure you do your research and practice before the interviews. Above all, be honest and genuine and friendly - they promote a supportive and family-like staff culture, so side-eyes and attitude do not go down well.

10-4.30, the day felt longer because of lots of waiting periods while other candidates were interviewed. The area was designed to be friendly and welcoming however, so it was not unpleasant.

Two individual interviews consist of a personal presentation, a sales role play (only once this time), and a skills-abilities interview. These are conducted privately with one interviewer, so no presenting or role playing in front of other candidates or staff. There was a short written task testing basic maths and English skills, and a short group activity in the afternoon designed to assess your team-work, response to other personalities, leadership, and cooperation.

Interviewers are all team members who started as ADs and progressed through the ranks, and most applicants were recent (or soon-to-be) graduates.

The interview process came in 2 parts with the initial interview held at a local Explore learning centre. This interview was very relaxed and short, with the aim of gaining a feel for the candidate and whether they would suit the job role. The second interview is held at a group assessment day within the head office in Guildford. The day is split up into different areas including one to one presentations, role play, numerical and literacy tasks and group assessments.

The group task was the most difficult part of the second interview as it requires a concise group of individuals that are confident to work under time constraints. Many candidates struggled with the role play scenario in both interviews.

Be prepared for role play in both interviews as it requires confidence and an understanding of sales and marketing to the general public. If you are successful and get through to the assessment day, make sure you are able to travel for a whole day to the Guildford centre. Some candidates did book a hotel and stay overnight in preparation of this. Do your research!

The assessment centre was a big, bright and open space. The team offered snacks and refreshments throughout the day and were very friendly. The whole day allowed candidates to feel very relaxed and comfortable throughout the process. The only negative being that it is in Guildford and may be difficult for some candidates to get to.

As a tutor to begin with, my interview process was slightly different. I had a phone interview, where I was asked various scenario questions then after this I was invited straight to the assessment day, where you have 1 to 1 interviews to get to know you, a maths/eng test and finish with a group task.

If you were on a sales event, how would you stay motivated?

Do ensure to prepare and do as much research on the company as possible, especially with the visions and values to show your knowledge of what the company stands for and what they're aiming to achieve!

Very friendly atmosphere in Explore's head office, all the people, whether they have come from different centres or regional managers, are very lovely and make you feel extremely welcomed. The idea is to show your personality, so the whole day is quite laidback and all the different candidates you meet are absolutely lovely.

The interview process was very relaxed and definitely not something that you should be worried about; they are just looking for you to be yourself. I was nervous about the gym membership role-play but the interviewer got into character very well making it easier. Meeting the children was really enjoyable, you almost forget that you're in an interview. Just be sure to chat to them, ask them what they're learning etc.
Overall a great experience!

Which of the Visions and Values do you think is most important?

Just be yourself. They are looking for friendly, confident and approachable people. If you make sure you are well prepared for the interview and the assessment day you'll do absolutely fine. Also try to make sure you have some questions planned in advance to ask them to exemplify your interest in their company/the role.

The assessment centre was a very enjoyable day, totally relaxed but obviously still important. The other candidates were all very friendly, and it definitely helped to know that I wasn't in competition with any of them. We had our individual presentations at different times so there was a fair bit of waiting around and chatting! The maths and English tests were very basic, all below GCSE level. Near the end of the day we were told to write a random word on a piece of paper to give to another candidate who then had to speak about the word for a minute. This was probably the hardest part of the day! Finally, there was a group activity about saving people on a shipwreck. I really enjoyed my day, particularily the lunch at Zizzi's getting to know everybody.

No telephone interview: straight to centre interview.

Greeted by one of the Assistant Directors. Was told to take a seat and was given an Explore Learning brochure to look through. Was briefly shown around the centre. (Make sure you have questions ready as they ask you a lot 'do you have any questions' throughout the tour).

Was then greeted by the centre director and had an interview with them both. They asked me why I applied for the role, what I knew about the role, how i' d be suitable for the role, my best achievement etc. No scenario based questions were given to me at interview.

Then had my role play: this I thought went well and not a lot of feedback was given back rather than to ask more questions to get to know the customer a bit better before you advertise your product (gym membership). Took this on board and after my second attempt was told I had done better and that I had took on board the feedback. That it was good that I got to know the customer more personally the second time round and secured a trial day.

Was given 15 minutes with the children; the AD/CD however didn't really assess me as they weren't in the room whilst I was interacting with the children. I enjoyed this part the most and helped many of the children at their computer desks.

What is your biggest achievement?
What is your hardest achievement?

Prepare questions to ask

Make sure you know the role thoroughly; on my feedback on why I didn't get to assessment stage was because I didn't know enough about the role even though I mentioned the four main parts: management, sales and marketing, customer services and teaching throughout my interview (not sure how I would know about it any more thoroughly when I hadn't started the job yet?)

Didn't get to the assessment centre stage