Education & Teaching Interview Questions & Answers

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.

The interview was conducted in a very friendly manner, in the formal and prestigious setting of the University of Portsmouth's Business School. The interview lasted approximately 45 minutes and was split between the panel asking a few short answer questions and then asking the interviewee to elaborate and describe some previous experience and skills.

What makes you stand out from the other applicants? - Hard to judge the calibre of other applicants and therefore hard to pick which strength of yours best highlights what distinguishes you from them

Preparation is critical. The feedback I received from my succesful interview was that the panel were impressed and struck by how targeted and in depth my research of the role and my supervisors had been prior to the interview. It is easy to state that you are passionate about a role, the people you want to be working alongside, and the institution, but it is very easy for this to come across as predictable and uninspiring unless you have put the effort in to obtain the knowledge to back up your claims.

There was no assessment centre.

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.

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 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.

Phone interview.
Book for a date and time chosen by you which is great. Questions were to get to know you and the impact you would have in a centre.

Centre interview
With 2 of the explore team. Included a tour of the centre and interacting with the children. Also a role play which you prepare for.

All questions were to be expected. One that took more thought was "how would your friends describe your leadership style?"

Make sure you do your research. Every member of the Explore Learning team are passionate about the company so make sure you show your passion too! Let your personality shine through and just enjoy it.

The assessment centre was really relaxed and friendly, they really did make me feel comfortable right away! There is lots of time to relax and meet the other candidates, also tea and coffee was available throughout the day. Every candidate had an individual timetable for each activity.
There were many tasks throughout the day including: a third interview, a presentation, a role play, a maths and literacy exercise and a group task. They also took us all out for lunch which was lovely! They give you information about the assessment day well in advance so don't worry, there is plenty of time to prepare for the role play and the presentation.
All in all, the whole day was handled brilliantly and I think every candidate felt at ease throughout it.

The initial interview was good. I personally left with the thought that I did not get the job. But that was more my worry and because I really couldn't read my interviewers. Apart from that, the process went smoothly and they made you feel comfortable and the environment is friendly. I also enjoyed the chance to interact with the children during the interview.

The most difficult question I was asked was during my interview on the assessment day. It was my scenario question, which I ended up getting wrong.

My advice to anyone interested in applying is to make sure you do your research into the company and the role you are applying for. Make sure that you show your passion and enthusiasm of the job, but make sure that it is real and genuine. Also be confident in yourself.

You have an idea of what tasks you're going to be doing before you go, but you still don't know what to expect with the people and the other candidates. However, it turned out to be a great day. The interviewers were super friendly and we as candidates were friends by the end of the day. Certain tasks that we had to perform made us more nervous than others and it varied for each person. However, you get it done and you realise you made yourself worry for nothing.

Centre interivew-

I was interviewed by the Centre Director and Assistant Director who sat me down and asking some standard interview questions- 'how would you feel being in charge of a team?', 'which of these duties jump out to you as things you'd excel at?'.
We then did a role play where I had to stop the AD and promote a gym and try to get him booked in for a free trial day. The idea was to ask as many questions and get to know them as well as possible to tailor the gym membership to their likes.

"Give an example of a time you overcame a challenge at work"

Do some prep about the company for the role play- not so much stats or figures but enough to feel confident.

Maybe revisit BBC Bitesize for a little maths refresher if it's been a while.

Show them your personality and passion for the job.

Lovely vibe! A very happy team of about six who introduced themselves.
There were nine candidates who had travelled to Guildford from as far afield as Leicester. We were forewarned that we would have to prepare a presentation about ourselves and do another role play , a numeracy test, a literacy test, another standard interview and a group activity.
Numeracy and literacy tests- After a half an hour welcome presentation from the team, my schedule sent me and one other girl to complete our tests while the others were doing different tasks in different rooms. We weren't supervised and the tests were straightforward. Sort of year 7/8 standard maths- percentages, decimals etc, probability etc. The English was highlighting mistakes on a passage of writing and correcting it. Then a 'where' or 'wear', 'their' or 'they're' selection of questions.

Presentation- referred to as a 'personal compass' : where have you come from; where are you going; what makes you happy; what makes you great. Very straightforward- they just want to see your communication skills in action. I put lots of photos of me mucking around in there as they said they were keen to see some personality! This and the role play were done with just one interviewer present.

Role play- This time you're pretending to stop a mum in a shopping centre and promote Explore Learning as an employee. The idea of this seemed to freak a lot of people out but it's nowhere near as bad as it seems. Just be smiley and friendly and get to know the 'mum'. Also done with just one interviewer present.

I then had a half an hour break while other candidates came and went to their different appointments. We had a chance to chat and have a laugh- it was a relaxed atmosphere where we all agreed it had been a while since we thought about year 8 maths.

I then had another interview with a different member of the Careers team which was your run of the mill interview. I talked about my background, education, what I'd thought of the day so far, what did I think I'd excel at in the job or find difficult, and some scenario questions- whatever it is, customer/families/kids come first!

Lastly the nine of us were split in to two groups and asked to create a presentation together about how to bump membership in an Explore centre. They just want to see how you cooperate as a team and what role you play in a group dynamic.

During the breaks I imagine they continue to assess subtly and keep an eye on what you're like while 'off duty'. As long as you are a confident speaker and enthusiastic- they'll like you.

The online application was very straightforward. After about 24 hours I received an email inviting me to attend an interview at a centre. I was asked for a list of five centres that would be convenient for me and a list of dates over the following two weeks. About a week later I attended the centre interview. The staff were very welcoming and friendly. They gave me a tour of the centre and then we sat down to have a discussion about the company, the role and my skills/experiences. They asked a number of questions (including scenario-based ones). After this we carried out a role-play task where I was required to initiate and lead a conversation, in which the goal was to sell a gym membership and try to secure a free trial. I was nervous for this, but you are given a chance to repeat it after receiving feedback from one of the interviewers. This was very helpful. It is important to really get to know the customer. At the end of the interview I was given the opportunity to work with some of the children. I loved this!

A couple of days later I received a phone call and an email inviting me to the assessment day in Guildford (4 days later).

The questions were to be expected (leadership, challenges at work, scenario-based questions etc.)

Make sure you research the company, its vision and its values. Try to be concise in your answers/responses. They want to see your personality, so try to be relaxed and just be you! Read through the information that they send you prior to your interviews and make sure you listen to the feedback. They want you to do well!

The day started at 9:30am and was at the company's head office in Guildford. There were ten other candidates who were all lovely and we all received packs with our timetable for the day.

The team kicked off the day with a presentation about Explore and the AD role. This was informative and lasted about 30 minutes. The interviewers all introduced themselves to us.

Prior to the assessment day we were informed that we needed to prepare a five minute presentation about how our skills/experiences would contribute to the company's visions. This was presented to two interviewers. After this, it was the "role-play" task, where I had to try to sell Explore to a customer in a shopping centre. This time I was only asked to carry out the role-play once. I was given a chance to reflect before they gave me feedback. This was all very helpful. Make sure you really get to know the customer.

I had a one-to-one interview with a member of the recruitment team which was very relaxed. There were a number of "normal" interview questions, scenario-based questions and a discussion about logistics.

Next was a basic maths and English test. No preparation was needed.

Finally, we were split in to groups and asked to complete a group task. They are looking to see how well you work in a team.

Overall, it was a great day. Remember you are not "competing" against other candidates as everyone will have different start dates and locations in mind. This made the environment very positive and friendly.

Enjoy it!

I did not have a telephone interview and I got invited to the Centre Interview. They started off with a tour of the centre and explaining the role of an AD on a daily basis. Then we had an interview with competency questions (a situation with a difficult customer, leadership) and 'why explore learning?" and a general conversation about the role. Then we had the gym role play, which they made me feel very relaxed about and they give you immediate feedback to then do it again. Definitely listen to the feedback and take it on board! Then I had time to work with the children where they will also give you feedback too.

Describe a time where an experience was stressful or de-motivated you.

The day was very relaxed and non-competitive. First met the candidates and had a chance to get to them before the day started. Had a presentation about the history of EL and whats important to the company. Then, our days were all scheduled differently so you would all do things at different times. It involved an interview (scenario-based questions and logistics), presentation (how you can contribute to the 4 visions- drawing on competences and experiences), role play (with a parent at a RMU in a shopping centre), maths and english test (perhaps brush up on basic maths) and then a group activity (action plan to get member numbers up).