Interviews

It’s that time of year when we start thinking about possibly moving schools and looking for a new job or challenge. Teachers usually have to give half a term’s notice before resigning and the job market starts to ramp up from now, ready for next September. It has been over twenty years since I was last interviewed, until this morning¹. I have, however, sat on many, many interview panels, so here’s some advice/horror stories…

• Check what you’re wearing. I interviewed someone who had sunglasses on. To be fair it was a sunny day, but we were, you know, indoors. Halfway through she slid them to the top of her head. A minor improvement, but just take the bloody things off.
• Careful what you claim to be a fan of. I interviewed someone who claimed to be an avid science-fiction reader. Favourite writer Arthur C. Clarke, especially his Foundation series². Oops.
• I asked someone to describe some feedback they’d received and what they did about it. The candidate (a student teacher) said something along the lines of ‘when I was first observed by my tutor, they expressed concerns about safeguarding and allowing me alone in the classroom’³. Jesus, even if that’s true, don’t say it!
• We had unisex loos in one of my schools. A guy who had just been successful was so excited, he followed me into the cubicle. Dude, we’re going to work closely together, but not that close…
• Somebody once said they wanted the students to treat them (the teacher) like their best friend⁴. Christ.
• Don’t wear too tight trousers and then bend over in front of students.
• When you are doing an interview lesson, don’t be put off by the kid who can flip his eyelids completely over so it looks like he doesn’t have them at all⁵.
• When you’re asked to reflect on your interview lesson, don’t say it was great, especially when it categorically wasn’t.
• In a comment completely unrelated to the previous one, don’t swear at the class.

As interviewers, it is really easy to pull apart someone’s answers as it’s a high pressure environment where people say things they don’t necessarily agree with or think through. We have a duty to make the interview a positive experience – after all, you, as a candidate, should be checking whether you actually want to work in this school.

So, if you are the other side of the table and are asking the questions, try to avoid this:

• Castigating someone for taking their jacket off when it’s about 4000 degrees in the interview room.
• Don’t ask stupid questions that are designed to make the candidate think outside the box. My favourite: “If you were a car, what car would you be and why?”⁶
• Don’t ask questions where the answer is either obvious or could lead to trouble. “If I gave you £10,000 right now, what would you do with it.” Whatever you do, don’t say, ‘”Leave this interview and have a few months off.”⁷
• Try really hard not to have a credible bomb threat. That sort of thing tends to put people off.
• Don’t ask why someone wants to work in the school. I mean, it’s a legitimate question, but come on, really? Most people’s truthful answer is “because you are prepared to pay me and I need a job.”

Anyway, what are your interview horror stories? Either as interviewer or interviewee, chuck it in the comments below. If you are enjoying these weekly witterings, please give the blog a like. You have to create an account, but it’s free to do that and then you get the next blog sent directly to your email. Hurrah!

Until next time.

FOOTNOTES

1. I think it went well, thanks for asking. ↩︎
2. This was waaaaaaay back before the tv show. ↩︎
3. She went on to say she had improved her behaviour management, but it really sounded like an untrained shaved monkey would do a better job. ↩︎
4. A bigger red flag than when parents say their child is their best friend. ↩︎
5. This one happened to me. ↩︎
6. A Ferrari, obviously. I said Ford Focus, inexplicably. Somehow I got the job. ↩︎
7. Or go on holiday and blow the lot on beer and loose women. ↩︎