Common interview questions for substitute teachers.

If you’re considering becoming a substitute teacher or have an upcoming interview for a substitute teacher job, it’s never too early to begin preparing for your interview. A well-prepared candidate will grab the attention of the interviewer well above those who aren’t prepared. 

As the expert in education recruitment, Kelly Education works with hundreds of school districts throughout the county to place substitute teachers in schools. We help qualified candidates think about and prepare to apply for substitute teaching jobs. 

Nailing the interview helps secure a substitute teaching position. Below are interview tips, example questions, and more to help you achieve success. 

Types of interview questions.

To become a substitute teacher, you will likely interview with the school district or job placement partner. When you go in for your interview for a substitute teaching position, expect to talk with someone from human resources, a recruiter, the school principal, or the vice principal. 

It’s common for interviewers to ask questions specific to your work history and to get to know you better. Examples of these types of questions include: 

• Share a summary of your work experience. 

• Tell me a little bit about yourself. 

• What type of transferable skills do you have to work in a school setting? 

It’s also standard practice to be asked situational questions during an interview. Situational questions focus on how you think you’d react in a specific scenario. This helps to highlight your behavior, skills, knowledge, and experience. 

Example interview questions.

Below is a list of common questions you might be asked during a substitute teacher interview. No single interviewer will ask all these questions! You want to be prepared for each—just in case! 

• Do you consider yourself to be a role model? 

• Talk about a favorite teacher or substitute teacher. 

• What might you do if a teacher didn’t leave a lesson plan or you could not follow what the lesson plan is asking?  

• Talk about a time when you had to provide structure and routine. 

• How would you handle a student who challenged your authority in class? 

• Do you feel comfortable handling a situation where a student seems to be upset or there’s a misunderstanding between students? 

• Are you interested in working with students with special needs or exceptional students? 

• Are you willing to follow a professional or business casual dress code? 

• What strategies do you use when teaching students with diverse learning needs? 

• Are there any subjects you’re not comfortable teaching? 

These are just a few sample questions meant to help you think about substitute teacher jobs and what questions might pop up. To come up with other possible questions, put yourself in the school district’s place. What else might they want to know about how you’d act in a situation or the work you’ll be doing while leading a classroom? 

It’s also helpful to closely review the substitute teacher job description. As you review it, consider what questions the employer might ask you based on the substitute teacher duties, responsibilities, and required qualifications listed. 

How to answer common substitute teacher interview questions.

First, always answer interview questions honestly and authentically. Interviewers are trained to know when you’re not being genuine. You don’t want to get caught in a lie that could jeopardize your candidacy or employment. 

When you provide answers, the goal is to help the interviewer visualize your ability to succeed in the role. A great approach to do this is to use the STAR method to develop your responses, particularly for behavioral interview questions. 

STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Results. Here’s how you apply the formula when answering questions: 

• Situation: Set the scene and provide pertinent details about the situation. 

• Task: Explain your task or what you were asked to do. 

• Action: Describe the specific actions or steps you took to address the task and situation. 

• Results: Share the results or outcome of your actions. 

Here’s an example of how you might answer the following questions using the STAR method: 

Interview question: Tell me about a challenge you’ve had as a substitute teacher and how you dealt with it. 

Example answer: 

• Situation: Once, I was assigned to teach a high school English class due to a last-minute emergency the teacher had. 

• Task: When I arrived, there wasn’t a detailed lesson plan available for the class, and I had less than 90 minutes to create one. 

• Action: To resolve the issue, I took some time to quickly review the teacher’s plans and notes from the day before and a couple of days prior. I identified what had been covered and where he’d left off. From there, I reviewed the textbook chapter the class had been reviewing. Based on the information I gathered, I developed an outline for the day. 

• Result: Fortunately, what I had developed kept the students for each period engaged, and I left what I’d developed for the teacher to review when he returned the next day. 

Tips to prepare for your interview.

As your interview gets closer, prepare as much as possible to nail it and shine. 

Before the interview. 

The day before the interview, practice answering the above interview questions out loud with a friend or someone you can trust to give you honest feedback. You don’t want to script your responses, as you might come across as inauthentic or robotic. However, you do want to practice so you have an idea of how you’d like to respond once you’re sitting across from the interviewer. 

The day before the interview. 

The night before the interview, have your interview outfit laid out and prepared so all you need do is put it on the next day. Also, be sure you know where to go for the interview and account for traffic to ensure you’re on time. 

Another excellent idea is to prepare an emergency kit to take with you on the day of your interview. This should include items like deodorant, tissues, hairspray, makeup for necessary touchups, and close pins in the unfortunate event of a tear or button popping off. Also, have a small water bottle with you to quench your thirst if needed. 

The day of the interview. 

On the day of the interview, consider the following tips to keep yourself calm and put together: 

• Breathe slowly. Slow breathing helps to calm down our system by letting our brains know we’re okay. If you begin to feel nerves or sweaty palms coming on, remind yourself to breathe in slowly through your nose and out slowly through your mouth. One way to help you do this is to breathe in slowly to four counts, hold for four counts, breathe out slowly for four counts, hold for four counts, and repeat a few times until you feel calmer. 

• Go to the restroom right before. There’s nothing like having to go to the bathroom right in the middle of an interview. So, right before your interview is scheduled to start, take a moment to go to the restroom. 

• Do a double check in the mirror. While you’re in the restroom, take a moment to check your face and your clothing (front and back) in the mirror. Wipe away any noticeable sweat with a tissue and make sure your clothing is buttoned and zipped up appropriately, your shirt is tucked in, and your skirt or dress is pulled down. 

Remember, feeling a little nervous on the day of your interview is natural. Use the tips above to help, and keep in mind that you made it to the interview because the hiring team felt you had the qualifications to be there – they want you to succeed. Trust that you’ve got what it takes to land one of the many substitute teacher jobs out there! 

Work with Kelly Education!

You now have tips and examples questions to help you nail your interview for a substitute teaching job. Visit our website to get more substitute teacher career advice. 

Ready to apply to become a substitute teacher? Fill out our brief interest form, and one of our recruiters will contact you to answer your questions about our substitute teacher jobs near you! 

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