Imagine receiving a call for an invitation for an interview from your dream school for your most desired position, that is preschool teacher. It is surely a one-of-a-kind opportunity that you don’t want to miss and are determined to excel at.
The initial step to securing your dream position is preparing yourself for an interview. It is the core step that either secures you a position or lets it slip away from your hands. So hold tight and get ready as this post brings you the selected questions and the best way to answer them with a sample answer to help you prepare yourself for the preschool teacher interview.
These questions are not only helpful for potential teachers preparing for an interview, rather they are also helpful for interviewers to thoroughly assess the potential teachers. So, let’s delve into the preschool teacher interview questions and answers and crack your dream interview.
Interview questions and answers for preschool teachers
Some important and often asked preschool teacher interview questions and answers are-
1. What motivated you to become a preschool teacher?
This is a straightforward question that requires a comprehensive answer. Here, the interviewer typically assesses your inspirations and how dedicated you are to the profession.
Things to include in your answer-
- Passion and dedication to teaching
- Keen on positively influencing young kid’s development.
- Empathy and support for children
Example,
“I have a deep passion for teaching, especially early childhood education, where I can be around kids and nurture young minds. I find teaching preschoolers and young kids in general rewarding and fulfilling. Fostering a love of learning in kids and developing a positive environment for their growth is incredibly joyful for me and keeps me motivated to teach preschoolers.”
2. Share your educational background and experience as a preschool teacher.
This is the best opportunity to highlight your skills and credibility as a preschool teacher. The interviewer already has your resume, so ensure not to repeat things written there, rather add a unique component by stating your accomplishments and reasons.
Things to include in your answer-
- Level of education and highlight your experience, irrespective of how small or large
- Will to grow and develop as a teacher to benefit kids
Example,
“I have a degree of Master of Art in Early Childhood Education from the University of Cambridge and I am a certified childcare professional with an experience of over ten years. I have an internship experience under a senior preschool teacher and then I worked as a preschool teacher for 4 years at a local school, followed by working as a preschool teacher at a national school for the last six years. I have experience handling various roles and responsibilities of being a preschool teacher and I am currently looking for a new adventure to further refine my skills and gain new experiences. “
3. What are some of your strengths and weaknesses as a preschool teacher?
Here, the interviewer is trying to assess your self-awareness and how good you are for the school and its culture. You can frame answers to the questions in two ways, first, state your weaknesses and then, your strengths to end your answer on a positive note, or, second, state your strengths and then, your weaknesses followed by how you will improve and work upon those weaknesses.
Things to include-
- Your strengths and how they have helped you in your profession.
- Your weaknesses and how you have turned them into strengths.
- Evidences of both in your teaching profession
Example,
“I always believe my patience is my biggest strength, and indeed when working with preschoolers, it is one of the requirements. Additionally, I am empathetic, can build deep connections with my students, and can provide them with a safe and growing environment. However, sometimes I feel I struggle in encouraging kids to maintain a routine in the classroom. To overcome this, I implement easy and small routine activities and end each activity with a reward and a reason behind those routines. Rewards keep them motivated and reason helps them understand the values behind the routine tasks.”
4. Why are you interested in this role? What do you think your duties here will be? Does that align with your interest?
It is a tricky question where the interviewer will try to assess your knowledge of the role in general and how well-researched you are with the position you have applied for. Try to be specific while answering and support your answer with relevant experiences and accomplishments.
Things to include-
- Roles and responsibilities of the position and how well you are equipped to deal with them.
- Provide a glimpse of how the duties will benefit you in your career and future goals.
Example,
“My deep passion for teaching and the school’s culture and philosophy intrigued me to apply for this role. The innovative approaches to instill behavioral and educational skills in children through various activities and lessons, and making kids engage in extracurricular activities to develop soft skills is a great way to make little kids competent. I strongly believe both soft skills and hard skills are necessary to succeed in life, which this school follows, hence, I applied for the role.”
5. What do you think are the necessary skills for being a preschool teacher? Do you have those skills?
Again a tricky question that will assess your passion for teaching. Include soft skills and hard skills in your answer that you think are necessary for preschool teaching and that you possess. Support your answer with the relevant areas where you have applied those skills.
Things to include-
- Why are the mentioned skills in educators necessary for early childhood education?
- How your knowledge base and skills have helped you facilitate kids’ development.
Example,
“Many skills are necessary to be a preschool teacher and some of those skills are patience, effective communication skills, flexibility, listening skills, compassion, adaptability, and attentiveness. From my years of experience, I can say, I am good at these skills and I am continuously working on refining them ”
6. What teaching approaches do you use in your classroom?
These questions will highlight if your teaching methods and philosophies match that of the school’s culture and philosophy. Try to be clear as well as flexible while answering the question. Mold your answer with your experiences and how different approaches help in achieving better results.
Things to include-
- Mention how the approaches have helped you in the classroom
- State your flexibility in changing your approach as per the kid’s requirements.
Example,
“Major approaches that I have always used in my classrooms and which I find highly useful are a combination of inquiry-based learning, discovery-based learning, and play- techniques. I find these super effective in reinforcing the holistic development of kids while stimulating their brains to make them academically competent. I also have experience employing Reggio Emilia activities and the Montessori teaching approach in my classroom and I find it amazing to develop positive behavioral changes in kids. However, I am always open to adapting to new approaches as required by kids.”
7. What does your classroom look like on a regular day? What activities do you implement in your classroom to make it more interesting and creative?
The question will help the interviewer assess how well you manage your class and instill necessary skills in kids. You can mention the activities and goals you prepare and implement in class and bring the interviewer’s attention to your organizational skills.
Things to include
- Clearly state what philosophies you instill in your class.
- State an activity or two that you usually conduct in the classroom
Example,
“I always encourage my kids to be physically active and be as curious as possible. A regular day in my classroom would involve communication among kids and peer activities to foster teamwork. Additionally, I prefer unique and varied activities in my classroom to meet the needs of all kids and keep kids engaged in interesting and novel activities. It will help kids grow academically and develop soft skills.”
8. How do you make your lesson plan more interesting and effective?
Here the interviewer is assessing your knowledge about lesson plans and how well you develop the lesson plans for kids. While stating your familiarity with lesson plans, mention how an effective lesson plan is developed to cater to the diverse needs of the kids.
Things to include-
- Previous lesson plans developed
- How those have benefitted the kids
Example,
“I find lesson plans great to foster academic, social, and mental abilities in kids. In my previous job, I developed various lesson plans that were suitable for kids with different learning levels and kept kids captivated and organized. I like to use preschool checklists to ensure I don’t miss anything in my lesson plans and also add engaging activities that are unique and brain-stimulating to keep children interested in learning. Additionally, I use colorful patterns and attractive visuals to retain the kid’s attention and develop curiosity in them.”
9. What according to you is success? How do you track the progress and success of the preschoolers?
Success is a subjective concept, hence, try to be as authentic and genuine as possible. Additionally, mention the techniques you use to assess the success of students in your classroom. It could be grades, behavioral improvements, skills development, etc.
Things to include-
- Your technique to assess and track success in kids
- How that benefits you clearly understanding kids and their needs.
Examples,
“I believe success is when my kids feel happy at the end of the day and content with their learning. They should feel they have learned something new and their curiosity has been satiated. That’s what success is to me. To keep track of the progress of success in my students, I typically use preschool behavior chart templates, look at their behavioral progress, and keep records in it. Additionally, weekly tests give me an overview of their academic progress. However, I understand every school has its own system which they prefer to follow.”
10. How do you handle the diverse needs of kids in your classroom?
It is a tricky question where the interviewer is trying to assess your flexibility in dealing with kids with diverse backgrounds and needs. Highlight your experiences working with kids with diverse needs and state the best approaches to deal with them and cater to all their requirements.
Things to include-
- Customized instructions and teaching approaches
- Support your answer with the experiences and how successful you were previously.
Example,
“First, I believe it’s important to understand every child. What are their strengths, and weaknesses, how well do they learn in group settings, which teaching approach is most appropriate, and so on. Once I have a general idea of the needs of every child in my classroom, I prepare my lessons and ensure to employ customized instruction plans for kids who require additional attention. From my previous experience, I can say a combination of teaching approaches work best in diverse settings. For instance, I used to implement technology and regular lessons both to ensure kids not only learn but also practice enough to comprehend and retain it will.”
11. What are some of the challenges you face with teaching preschoolers?
This could be a challenging question to answer since the interviewer is trying to probe into your weaknesses and your approach to challenges. While stating your challenges, be sure to add how you overcome them or are planning to overcome them.
Things to include-
- How did you overcome the challenges?
- What you learned from the challenges that helped you refine your professional skills
Example,
“One of the major challenges that I faced in my initial teaching years was to develop communication skills in my kids. While some kids are easy to communicate with, some take time to open up and communicate. In these kinds of situations, I prefer small steps. Instead of grilling kids for quick results, I prefer to be patient and give them the needed space. Meanwhile, I motivate them and reward them for their progress. On a side note, it helped me understand how every kid is different and learns things at their own pace.”
12. How do you deal with the mistakes on your part?
Again, this is a challenging and tricky question that needs to be thoroughly answered. Here, be genuine and first give a glimpse into your mistake then how you corrected it, and finally what you learned from it.
Things to include-
- State how you deal with and correct your mistake
- Mention your approach to mistakes, that is, what you learned from those
Example,
“Sometimes, mistakes are just inevitable, however, I see them as an opportunity to learn and grow. Whenever I make any mistake, I prefer to analyze it with a calm mindset and think of an effective way to deal with it. However, if I end up making some big mistake which can be problematic for others, I immediately prefer to talk to my seniors for better guidance and take full responsibility for it.”
13. Why should we hire you for this role?
This is a broad question that you can use to state your achievements and your uniqueness. Perform research on the school or organization you have applied for and be specific in your answer. Mention what interests you about the school and demonstrate the expertise and knowledge that makes you a perfect fit for the role.
Things to include-
- State your achievements and passions for teaching
- The reason behind applying to that specific school or organization
Example,
“You should hire me because my commitment to teaching and developing a strong foundation for kid’s growth is a crucial requirement for being a preschool teacher. Additionally, my experience makes me a perfect fit for the role and I am capable of fostering positive changes in kids and providing them a better learning experience. I have a record of instilling creativity and curiosity in my classroom, which I believe are the foundation of healthy development.”
14. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Here, the interviewer is trying to assess your long-term goals and if they align with the school or organization’s vision. It will further represent your passion for the role and how willing you are to improve and grow in your profession.
Things to include-
- State your goals and motivation behind those goals
- Show how those goals are aligned with the company’s mission
- Show your zeal to develop and grow.
Example,
“In the next five years, I see myself still surrounded by little kids and taking care of their diverse needs. However, with time, I want to be more developed as a person and a teacher and be capable of more advanced work. I would love to be in a managerial position in the coming future to bring more positivity and growth in the school’s culture and kid’s curriculum.”
15. How do you cope with your stress and keep yourself motivated in this challenging career?
This is an opportunity to showcase how well you deal with challenging situations and effectively reach their solutions. The interviewer, here, will try to assess your approach to challenges and how you maintain your calm in tough situations.
Things to include-
- How do you view challenges? Opportunity to grow or as a setback.
- Your approach to dealing with immediate stressful situations
Example,
“I prefer patience and calmness to deal with challenging situations. When I am in control of my impulses, I decide and act better. Additionally, to keep myself stress-free, I constantly practice meditation and deep breathing. These help me to stay rooted and calm, even in the toughest situations.”
Key takeaways
- Be authentic and honest in your answers. While answering, highlight your unique self and what makes you better than others.
- Don’t undersell yourself. State your accomplishments proudly and confidently.
- Demonstrate your soft skills such as communication skills, empathy, etc., through your behavior in the interview.
- Thoroughly research the position and the school you are going to the interview for. It will represent your dedication to the position.
Conclusion
To conclude, the above-mentioned questions and their answers are a great means for potential preschool teachers to prepare themselves for an interview and crack it successfully. These questions and their answers will help you understand the core of answering and how to effectively formulate the answers to convey your points to the interviewer clearly. Ensure to add a personal touch to your answers and represent your unique personality through your answers to differentiate yourself from other interviewees.
I am Sehjal Goel, a psychology student, and a writer. I am currently pursuing my Masters’s from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Child psychology has always fascinated me and I have a deep interest in learning about disabilities in children and spreading awareness regarding the same. My other areas of interest are neuropsychology and cognitive psychology. Connect me on Linkedin