Job Interview Questions for Substitutes

In case anyone was wondering, these are some of the most common questions I've been asked at job interviews, both for classroom teaching positions and for substitute teaching.

Q1. What are the 3 most important rules you would set up in a class room?

A: (I've actually got 5) Mine are: No electronic devices unless you want me to have them, Be responsible for YOU, Use class time wisely, Keep it clean (this means both language and picking up after yourself), Raise your hand if you need anything. Feel free to steal them if you like, they're simple and they work well for me.

Q2. What and how will you prepare for a substitute assignment?

A: If I actually know where it is in advance, I'll try to contact the teacher and see what they need me to accomplish--especially on multi-day jobs. The info is easy to find online. I'll also glance over the school's website and see if there's any useful information there. If the assignment is in grade level or subject area I'm familiar with, I'll bring in some of my resources/relevant activities/time killers for that grade level and subject. For all jobs, I have a bag that's ready to go with my clipboard (indispensable), lots of scrap paper for writing on, extra pens and pencils, games or "fun stuff" that works for a wide range of ages, and maybe some candy for the kids.

Q3. What would you do if the is no lesson plan left for you?

A: It's happened before--and it will happen again. If it's a subject area I know well, I do a review lesson of some sort, read aloud to the kids, or play an educational game that deals with the material they are studying. If it's an unknown subject area, it's usually a variation of silent reading time/study hall where the choices consist of working quietly on finishing work/reading/writing/drawing. If it's a group I'm really enjoying, I'll teach them how to do something fun (like write in Japanese) or have them teach ME something they're interested in. In ESL classes, we usually play language games.

Q4. What report/information would you leave for the teacher?

A: I usually leave a basic summary of the day (awesome/good/okay/not so good/nightmarish), what the students accomplished (or a note that states what lesson plan items weren't completed and why), and attach all work that was turned in. I also leave a list of kids who were exceptionally helpful and polite, and notes about who was having trouble staying on task or behaving appropriately. When I have a very difficult class, and only a few people are really on task, I walk around quietly with a list (Working Hard and Getting Things Done) and have individual kids sign their names if I think they deserve to be on it. Then I attach that with a note that the teacher can assume that if someone isn't on there, they weren't doing a very good job that day. If I enjoyed the job, and want to do it again in the future, I leave them my contact info so they can request me if they wish.

Q5. How would you deal with a student who is acting out?

Usually it's easy. Sometimes acting out is just a kid's way of letting you know they don't know what to do--for whatever reason. I usually just walk over and clarify what they should be doing, ask them if they need help, and if not, ask the offender to get back to work. If I have a problem again, I give them a reminder that they know what they need to be doing, and suggest that they can move seats (to a seat of my choice) if where they're sitting isn't working for them. That usually takes care of it, but if it doesn't I simply move them. Only rarely do I need to do more than that, but the next step is usually a private chat and a warning that the next time we talk it's going to be about detention or whatever the school consequence is for class disruption. I've only had go past "private problem solving chat" a couple of times.

I also ignore a lot of attention seeking behaviors as they usually extinguish quickly if you don't add fuel to the fire by putting on a good show. Kids will occasionally blurt out random things, act giddy, or say mildly rude or inappropriate things to me to see if/how I'll react. I usually just use my sense of humor in these situations, and remind them that they're in a school setting. They realize that I've got thicker skin than they thought, and usually move on.

Truly defiant cases or kids with serious issues are usually easy to spot, and I just deal with each with a custom set of moves. With these types, the most important thing is to avoid power struggles (you don't want to do work today, fine, I guess that just means you'll have more homework then, oh well), avoid getting caught up in any drama they try to create (if anything extreme happens, just have them removed from class), and to let the small stuff go.

Q6. How would you take control of a class?

I make sure I have everyone's attention and have fully established the "what we're doing and why we're here" kinds of stuff, then deal with the "trouble spots" as soon as they arise. Usually just laying out your expectations and enforcing them is enough with most groups, but occasionally you'll get a class that is determined to play around and waste time.

Usually this happens when you sub for a teacher that runs a fairly unstructured class, so they haven't learned how to work together effectively. When that happens, I start withdrawing privileges (the fun group work assignment turn into an in-class quiz perhaps, and instituting more structure like eliminating free choice seating, and goodbye to breaks/free time. A couple of times I've had to re-seat the entire class. Another favorite move to clamp down on goofing off is to arbitrarily make all homework an in-class assignment that's due at the end of the period. Instead of the usual one or two kids that are really good about getting their homework done early, about half of the class will complete everything that was assigned for class DURING class.

Q7. (The interviewer asks how you would handle a hypothetical scenario--usually about a kid acting up or a difficult parent encounter)

If you don't have a relevant example from a school setting, talk about a difficult customer service moment you've had.

Q8. Tell me about yourself. (usually this is the first question)

Make sure to mention that you like kids (you do, don't you? If not, you might really want to find another career because you won't be very successful at teaching if you don't enjoy being around kids all day long). Most administrators want to know that you are good with kids--as well as academics.