Teaching interview questions

Panels want to know you can build a calm, settled class from day one. They listen for relationships first, clear routines, and what you actually do when things go wrong.

1. How do you build relationships with a new class in the first few weeks?What a good answer covers

   • Specific things you do to learn names, interests and backgrounds
   • How you show ākonga you care about them as people, not just as learners
   • How you connect with whānau early, before there is a problem
   • An example from placement and what changed as a result
2. A student refuses to start work and says it's boring. What do you do?What a good answer covers

   • Stay calm and talk privately rather than in front of the class
   • Find out what sits behind it (too hard, too easy, something at home)
   • Offer a way in: a choice, a smaller first step or a link to their interests
   • Follow up afterwards and adjust the next lesson if the task really was the issue
3. Tell us about a routine you have taught a class. How did you teach it and how did you keep it going?What a good answer covers

   • Name the routine (entry, transitions, packing up, getting attention)
   • How you modelled and practised it, not just explained it
   • How you reinforced it and what you did when it slipped
   • Why the routine mattered for learning time
4. Two students start arguing loudly in the middle of your lesson. Walk us through what you would do.What a good answer covers

   • De-escalate first: calm voice, space, separate if needed
   • Keep the rest of the class working
   • Follow the school's behaviour process and know when to call for support
   • A restorative conversation afterwards so both students can move on
5. What does a positive learning environment look like in your classroom?What a good answer covers

   • Concrete features, not just values words: how students speak to each other, how mistakes are treated
   • How students have a say in class expectations
   • How the physical space supports learning and belonging
   • How you would know it is working
6. Your Year 2 class finds it hard to settle after lunch. What would you try?PrimaryWhat a good answer covers

   • A predictable settling routine (story, breathing, quiet reading, a movement break)
   • Dealing with playground issues before learning starts
   • Adjusting what you schedule straight after lunch
   • Watching for patterns and individual children who need more support
7. You have a Year 10 class with a reputation for being difficult. How would you approach your first lesson with them?SecondaryWhat a good answer covers

   • A clear, confident start: meet them at the door, a seating plan, a planned first task
   • Set expectations briefly and follow through consistently
   • Get to know individuals rather than accepting the class's reputation
   • Ask colleagues and the dean what has worked before
8. How would you use form time (or whānau class) to support the students in your group?SecondaryWhat a good answer covers

   • Regular check-ins so students know someone is looking out for them
   • Tracking attendance, wellbeing and NCEA progress and passing concerns on
   • Building the group as a community over the year
   • Working with deans and whānau when something is wrong

Schools need teachers who plan from what students already know and can show the progress they make. Expect questions about formative assessment, using data and reporting.

1. How do you find out what your students already know before you start a new unit?What a good answer covers

   • A specific pre-assessment method (a quick task, a conversation, a concept map, existing data)
   • How the results changed your planning or grouping
   • Using prior knowledge and experiences from outside school, not only test results
2. Tell us about how you use formative assessment during a lesson.What a good answer covers

   • Name the strategies (questioning, mini whiteboards, exit tasks, observation)
   • Shared learning intentions and success criteria students understand
   • How you change the lesson in the moment based on what you see
   • How students give and use feedback, including peer and self-assessment
3. Halfway through a unit you realise most of the class has not understood a key idea. What do you do?What a good answer covers

   • Admit it and stop to reteach rather than pushing on
   • Try a different approach or representation, not the same explanation louder
   • Check understanding again before moving on
   • Reflect on what to change in your planning next time
4. Walk us through how you plan a lesson.What a good answer covers

   • Start from the learning intention and how you will know students have got there
   • How the lesson connects to the wider unit and the curriculum
   • Planned differentiation for different learners
   • Leaving room to adjust based on how the lesson goes
5. How would you report a child's progress and achievement to their whānau, including when the news is not what they hoped?PrimaryWhat a good answer covers

   • Plain language with specific examples of the child's work
   • Lead with strengths and progress, then be honest about next steps
   • Practical ways whānau can help at home
   • Inviting their view of the child and keeping the conversation going
6. You are taking a Year 2 reading group. How do you decide what each child needs next?PrimaryWhat a good answer covers

   • Use of running records or observations of reading behaviour
   • Matching texts and teaching points to what each child is ready for
   • Keeping groups flexible as children progress
   • Recording progress so it informs the next session
7. How would you prepare students for an NCEA internal assessment, and what is your part in moderation?SecondaryWhat a good answer covers

   • Teaching to the standard and its criteria without coaching to the task
   • Clear conditions, authenticity checks and following school assessment policy
   • Marking against the standard and taking part in internal moderation (check marking)
   • Using department exemplars and moderation feedback to improve
8. Your Year 11 tracking shows a group of students at risk of not gaining enough credits. What do you do?SecondaryWhat a good answer covers

   • Look closely at the data to see which standards and why
   • Talk to the students and their whānau early
   • Work with the head of department and deans on support and further assessment opportunities within the rules
   • Adjust your teaching, not only the assessment timetable

Every New Zealand school has obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and panels want to hear how that shows up in your classroom. Real examples matter more than knowing the right words.

1. What does Te Tiriti o Waitangi mean for you as a classroom teacher?What a good answer covers

   • Partnership, protection and participation in practical classroom terms
   • Specific things you do, not just a definition
   • Where you are still learning and how
2. How do you support ākonga Māori to succeed as Māori?What a good answer covers

   • High expectations alongside valuing identity, language and culture
   • Building relationships with students and their whānau
   • Bringing te ao Māori into learning meaningfully, not as decoration
   • Frameworks you can refer to, such as Tātaiako
3. How would you support Pacific learners in your class?What a good answer covers

   • Recognising the different Pacific cultures and languages in your class rather than grouping them as one
   • Relationships with families and the wider community
   • Using students' languages and experiences as strengths in learning
   • Tapasā as a framework you can refer to
4. How do you make sure you pronounce students' names correctly?What a good answer covers

   • Asking the student or whānau and practising, not guessing
   • Why it matters for identity and belonging
   • How you keep improving your te reo Māori pronunciation more widely
5. How would you bring the local area and its history into your teaching?What a good answer covers

   • Finding out about local iwi and hapū, places and stories through the school and community
   • An example of a local context you have used or would use
   • Connecting it to the school's local curriculum
   • Following local protocols and not presenting stories that are not yours to tell
6. A whānau has not come to any school events this year. How would you build a connection with them?What a good answer covers

   • Avoid assumptions about why
   • Reach out in ways that suit the family (phone call, a quick positive message, meeting somewhere else)
   • Start with good news about their child
   • Use colleagues or community connections where helpful
7. Give an example of how you have used te reo Māori and tikanga in your classroom routines.PrimaryWhat a good answer covers

   • Specific practices (karakia, waiata, greetings, instructions, class tikanga)
   • How you made it part of daily learning rather than a one-off
   • How you checked you were doing it correctly
8. How would you make your subject relevant and culturally responsive for Māori and Pacific students at senior level?SecondaryWhat a good answer covers

   • Contexts and examples from students' lives and communities
   • Choosing or adapting assessment contexts where the standard allows
   • Mātauranga Māori connections in your subject, approached with care
   • Tracking whether these students are achieving and acting on it

Every class includes learners with different needs, so panels want to know you plan for all of them. They also want to see you work well with the people who support those learners.

1. How would you support a neurodiverse learner, for example a student with ADHD or autism, in your class?What a good answer covers

   • Get to know the individual rather than working from a label
   • Practical adjustments (clear routines, visual supports, movement, predictable transitions)
   • Working with whānau, the SENCO or learning support coordinator and any plan in place
   • Checking whether the adjustments are helping
2. How do you plan lessons so they work for a wide range of learners?What a good answer covers

   • Planning for variability from the start, for example using Universal Design for Learning
   • Multiple ways to access content and show understanding
   • A concrete example from placement
   • Keeping high expectations for everyone
3. You have a teacher aide working in your class for part of the week. How would you work with them?What a good answer covers

   • Share plans and goals ahead of time so they know their role
   • Make sure the student still gets teacher time, not just aide time
   • Value their knowledge of the student
   • Regular, brief check-ins on how things are going
4. How would you extend a student who finishes everything quickly and is clearly ahead of the class?What a good answer covers

   • Depth and challenge rather than more of the same work
   • Open tasks, higher-level thinking and student interests
   • Identifying gifted learners, including those who are underachieving
   • Any school programmes and support you would draw on
5. A new student arrives with very little English. What would you do in their first weeks?What a good answer covers

   • A warm welcome and a buddy, ideally one who shares their language
   • Visuals, modelling and key vocabulary so they can join in
   • Valuing their first language as a strength
   • Working with the school's ESOL support and the family
6. You are worried about a student's learning but they have not been identified as needing support. What would you do?What a good answer covers

   • Gather evidence: observations, work samples, assessment data
   • Talk to the student and their whānau
   • Follow the school's process with the SENCO or learning support coordinator
   • Make reasonable adjustments while you wait
7. How would you include a child with high needs in whole-class activities in a junior classroom?PrimaryWhat a good answer covers

   • Adapting the activity so the child takes part alongside peers
   • Building understanding and friendships with classmates
   • Planning with the teacher aide, specialists and whānau
8. A student in your Year 12 class has special assessment conditions. How do you make sure they are in place?SecondaryWhat a good answer covers

   • Knowing which students have approved conditions and what they are
   • Providing them for internal assessments, not only exams
   • Working with the school's learning support staff on arrangements
   • Using similar supports in everyday learning where appropriate

Beginning teachers work in teams and are supported by a mentor, so panels look for people who share, take feedback well and reflect honestly. They want to know you will keep growing.

1. Tell us about a time you received critical feedback on your teaching. What did you do with it?What a good answer covers

   • A real example from placement, including what the feedback was
   • How you responded at the time
   • What you changed and what happened as a result
2. How do you reflect on your practice?What a good answer covers

   • A specific habit or tool (a journal, student voice, recording a lesson, inquiry questions)
   • How reflection led to a change in your teaching
   • Links to the Standards for the Teaching Profession
3. What support would you want from a mentor teacher in your first year?What a good answer covers

   • Specific areas you want to grow in
   • How you would make the most of observations and meetings
   • Being open about what you find hard
   • Awareness of the induction and mentoring process towards full certification
4. You disagree with a colleague about how to handle something. How do you deal with it?What a good answer covers

   • Raise it privately and respectfully
   • Listen to their view and focus on what is best for students
   • Know when to involve a senior colleague
   • Keep the professional relationship intact
5. What does Our Code, Our Standards mean for you day to day?What a good answer covers

   • Our Code as commitments to learners, whānau, the profession and society
   • An example of professional behaviour it shapes (boundaries, confidentiality, online conduct)
   • Seeing the Standards as a guide for growth, not just a checklist
6. How would you contribute to a syndicate or team that plans together?PrimaryWhat a good answer covers

   • Sharing resources and ideas, not only taking them
   • Doing your share of planning on time
   • Bringing fresh ideas while respecting how the team works
   • Using team moderation of student work to check your judgements
7. How would you work with your department, including teachers with far more experience than you?SecondaryWhat a good answer covers

   • Learning from experienced colleagues and asking questions
   • Contributing to shared units, resources and moderation
   • Offering what you bring, such as new ideas from study
8. What area of your teaching do you most want to develop in the next two years, and how?What a good answer covers

   • An honest, specific area
   • Concrete steps (observing others, professional learning, an inquiry)
   • How you would know you had improved

Panels want to know who you are, why you applied to this school and how you would fit. Doing your homework on the school shows here more than anywhere else.

1. Tell us about yourself.What a good answer covers

   • A short, relevant story: your background and why you teach
   • One or two strengths with evidence from placement
   • A link to this school and this role
   • Keep it to around two minutes
2. Why do you want to work at our school?What a good answer covers

   • Specific things you have learned about the school (values, programmes, community, review reports)
   • How those connect to your own values and practice
   • What you hope to contribute and to learn
3. What are your strengths and what are you still working on?What a good answer covers

   • A strength that matters for this role, with an example
   • A real area for growth, not a disguised strength
   • What you are already doing about it
4. What would you bring to the wider life of the school?What a good answer covers

   • Specific interests or skills (sport, music, kapa haka, cultural groups, clubs, trips)
   • Realistic commitment for a first-year teacher
   • How it helps build relationships with students
5. Do you have any questions for us?What a good answer covers

   • One or two genuine questions prepared in advance
   • Questions about induction, mentoring and how beginning teachers are supported
   • Something that shows you have researched the school
6. Our school values are on our website. Which one means the most to you and how would it show in your classroom?What a good answer covers

   • Name the value correctly
   • A concrete example of how it would look in practice
   • A link to something you have done on placement
7. Why primary teaching, and which year levels do you feel most suited to?PrimaryWhat a good answer covers

   • A genuine reason for choosing primary
   • Placement experience across year levels
   • Openness to teaching wherever the school needs you
8. Which subjects can you teach, and how would you feel about teaching outside your main subject?SecondaryWhat a good answer covers

   • Your main and second subjects and the levels you can teach
   • Willingness to teach a junior class outside your specialty
   • How you would prepare and get support