With a confident manner, positive attitude and willing to learn & develop you can go through training to become a teacher at school in England.
One choice is employment based School Direct route, an initial teacher training program where you work and gain a school direct PGCE qualification & QTS as a trainee teacher on school placements & university educational learning. Training is conducted over one academic year, mostly at school and days at university on theory of education.
Two options
School salaried direct primary or secondary program where you work in a school and paid a wage as an unqualified teacher & train at the same time. (Open to people changing career with an undergraduate degree in related subject).
School tuition fee where you train as a teacher at school without any payment and pay tuition fees yourself. (Graduates with a degree and no work experience option).
One benefit of training through school lead teacher training is the option of salary combined with a course that can lead to a permanent job offer as you’re already working at the school and proving yourself as a suitable teacher.
Going direct with a school either option you can choose primary salaried teaching 5-11 or secondary salaried sector 11-18 year olds or choose to pay fees yourself.
School direct interview questions & answers
Why do you want to be a school teacher?
This question is personal to you. Ideas include an inspiration from my past was a teacher who was seen as making positive long lasting changes for students future, life time career option with advancement opportunities.
Provide an example when you worked as a team?
One idea is to choose an example from present or past work experience as this is related to working together in the same place or company, especially on a daily basis.
You are showing you’re a team player that can work together with people towards a common goal for task completion, meeting student learning objectives, school duties and smooth running of the department.
Primary teachers work more closely with teaching assistants thus a good idea to mention I am patient, helpful, being proactive, give clear and accurate instructions to the people I work with.
The goal is working together to complete all tasks & meet objectives efficiently within a specified time limit while being cooperative, respectful, motivated and helpful to others.
How would you deal with work & teaching life balance?
A full time school teaching career consumes a lot of a teachers time during the academic year in the UK. Being an organised person helps a lot, you would priorities tasks, efficient use of time while thinking positive.
I would get myself in a routine with a flexible schedule that could change if something unforeseen comes up.
My teaching career would come first and my home life & leisure time would be allocated around my work tasks. Getting enough sleep, rest, time away to enjoy life as well as being rested for the school day & week ahead is important.
What would you do if a pupil in class told you that bullies have been picking on her/him on the way to school and at school?
This directly relates to a safeguarding question and is serious enough to be passed directly to school management as soon as possible. You’ll follow school procedure and report the conversation to the senior leadership person responsible for pupil safeguarding.
What is a teacher’s role in the community?
Teachers are role models; provide guidance on education, manners and how to act appropriately. Further, as a school teacher at primary or secondary you set a good example and you are always a point of contact to show interest in a pupil’s life or future goals.
Importantly, you provide learning to children that they’ll use in life personally for a future work career so they can think critically for themselves and be independent.
You as a teacher help shape what goes on in the community encouraging pupils to develop and strive to become what they want to be.
What is your experience working with children?
Good idea getting at least some experience where children are in the work place, club or sports. One option is a temporary teaching assistant or learning support job in education giving you experience in the classroom.
How would you accommodate learning for all pupils in a mixed ability class ensuring it’s challenging enough?
Provide extended questions and tasks for more able pupils empathising not all students require attempting them.
See this page for teacher training interview questions
Why do you want to teach secondary or primary children and what makes you suitable?
How do you priorities and organise tasks that require completed and on time?
Behavioural management
How will you be an effective/good teacher?
How do you manage stress under challenging conditions?
Some questions will be standard and others specifically for secondary or primary training. Also consider teacher training interview questions will vary from school and training provider.
School direct interview & process
Each provider from a consortium to a primary & secondary school has a school direct interview process they follow for prospective new trainee teachers, generally in 2 distinctive parts:
School assessment & visit
- Meeting with the training provider coordinator and headteacher.
- Mini lesson up to 30 minutes you deliver with a topic you are given before the interview day. (Possibly in front of a class of children).
- Shown around the school.
One to one formal interview
- Panel interview with the subject head of department & training coordinator at least that will access you personality, potential to succeed and how clear, accurate & way you communicate.
- Formal question and answer part of the formal interview.
- Subject knowledge test consisting of a GCSE level questions paper for secondary with school direct primary numeracy & literacy test.
You’re interview will start as you as you enter the school grounds and will finish when you leave the school premises. They observe you while waiting, during directed tasks you are asked to complete and during lunch, possible in the schools canteen.
Teacher training school based interview is now fairly demanding and long day with you completing multiple tasks from spelling, maths and written test to presentation or mini teach & formal interview.
Expect being at the school for a good part of the day.