Educator Services Becoming an Educator GEM: Is Education for You?
Finding a Job

Prepare for Applications and Interviews

While the format of job applications will vary from district to district, candidates for most positions in public schools should have the following materials available:

1. Current Resume
   • List your educator licensure information; if you are not licensed in MA, include any out-of-state licenses and/or MA Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) status (i.e., Passed Communication/Literacy Exam - Taking Biology Exam, July 2003)
   • Career changers should highlight any experience relevant to the position they are seeking - for aspiring teachers, this may include coaching, volunteering, or tutoring; for aspiring administrators, this may include experience with financial, facility and employee management
   • Be sure your resume is up-to-date, concise and well-organized; view more resume tips
   
   
2. Cover Letter
   • Highlight other skills and qualities that are relevant to the position being sought - particularly those that demonstrate leadership ability and your experience working with young people
   • Research the district (link to Schools & Places) and customize your cover letter to demonstrate some understanding of the challenges and initiatives that are specific to that district
   
   
3. Official College Transcripts
   
4. Letters of Recommendation

Frequently Asked Interview Questions for Teachers

The questions below were generated from responses submitted to a survey by a group of career changers who recently transitioned into public school teaching.

• It is the first day of school. Tell me what you would be doing with your students that day.
• In what ways do you structure your lessons in order to maintain control over the classroom?
• How would you handle a specific discipline situation? (Expect lots of "what if" questions related to classroom management, especially if you do not have a lot of classroom teaching experience.)
• The hardest question I faced was "You are a physics teacher. A student asks you how a light bulb works. Explain in detail the physics of a light bulb, at the level of a ninth grade student."
• How do you know how to pace a class? How will you make sure you will get through the curriculum?
• When I was applying for positions, the most difficult item I had to contend with was requests for a sample lesson plan. I had never written a lesson plan at that time and I didn't know what to bring to my interviews. As it turned out, the format I came up with was not too far off the mark. (Career changers) could benefit from seeing a sample lesson plan so they would at least know what the expected format looks like.
• Be prepared for questions about the MA Curriculum Frameworks
• What tactics would you use to get a totally disengaged student on-board?

Frequently Asked Interview Questions for School Administrators

The questions below were generated from two presentations at a recent series of Aspiring Administrators' conferences. The presentations were conducted by Virginia O. Anderson, Associate Executive Director of the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association, and Glen Koocher, Executive Director of the Massachusetts School Committees Association.

• What is your educational philosophy?
• What book have you read recently?
• How would you handle…
  • A discipline situation
  • Angry parents
  • Budget cuts
  • A teacher who does not follow the rules
  • Strategies for increasing student learning outcomes
  • Alternate funding sources
• What are some examples of effective evaluation processes for teachers and administrators that work to improve performance and motivate staff?
• What are your strategies for fostering a positive relationship with the School Committee regarding: a) educational policy; b) setting budget priorities; c) collective bargaining agreements, etc.
• There are times when simple intelligence is not enough to resolve a problem. Can you describe a complex problem, situation, or crisis that you confronted where you had to rely on more than intelligence, but when you had to call upon your other skills and abilities for communicating, thinking quickly, working with people, political savvy, instincts, academic training, and intellect?
• How comfortable and knowledgeable are you with Massachusetts Education Reform, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System and the requirements of the federal government's No Child Left Behind act?
• How comfortable and knowledgeable are you with the state and federal requirements for Special Education ?
• In three years, how would you define success?