Teacher interview questions and answers

In a commission selection the 25 interview marks are not all for the conversation. Up to 5 are for experience as a temporary or relief teacher (half a mark a year), up to 5 are for qualifications, and up to 15 are for the interview itself. Pass marks are 50 in the general paper, 40 in the subject paper and 10 in the practical, and only candidates who pass the general paper sit the subject paper. These figures are from the Teacher Service Commission Rules 2057.

• Tell me about yourself. — “I am Anil Shrestha from Bhaktapur. I completed a B.Ed. in mathematics from Tribhuvan University and hold a secondary-level teaching licence. I have taught mathematics to grades 8 to 10 for two years at a school in Thimi, where my grade 10 students’ results improved in both years. I enjoy making the subject less frightening for students who think they are weak in it.”
• Why do you want to be a teacher? — A real reason and a moment: a teacher who changed how you saw a subject, or the first time you explained something and a student understood.
• Why do you want to teach in this school? — Show you have looked: its results, activities, class size or teaching approach.
• How do you plan a lesson? — “I start from the learning outcome in the curriculum, decide how I will check it at the end, then plan an opening that connects to what students know, the main activity, practice, and a short assessment. I prepare materials and one extra task for those who finish early.”
• How do you teach a class with mixed ability? — “I explain the core idea to everyone, then give tasks at two or three levels, use pair work so stronger students explain to others, and give a few minutes each day to the students who are behind.”
• How do you make a weak student improve? — “I find out exactly where the gap is, go back to that step, give short tasks they can succeed at, and tell the parents what to practise at home.”
• How do you use technology in class? — Be concrete and honest: slides, short videos, a quiz on a phone, a class group for homework, and what you do when there is no electricity or internet.
• How do you deal with parents? — “I tell them specific things — what the child did well and one thing to work on — and I contact them early, before a problem becomes a complaint.”

Every panel asks about discipline, and there is a legal answer as well as a professional one. The Act Relating to Children 2075 gives every child the right to protection from physical or mental violence, including by a teacher. It makes it an offence to inflict physical or mental punishment on a child at home, at school or anywhere else. The penalty is a fine of up to Rs 50,000 and imprisonment of up to one year.

• How do you maintain discipline? — “By setting a few clear rules with the class at the start, being consistent, keeping students busy with work that is neither too easy nor too hard, and correcting privately instead of in front of everyone. I do not use physical punishment or humiliation; it is against the law and it does not work.”
• A student keeps disturbing the class. What do you do? — “I move closer, give a task or a responsibility, and speak to the student after class to find the reason. If it continues I involve the class teacher and the parents.”
• Two students are fighting. What do you do? — “I separate them calmly, make sure no one is hurt, hear each one separately, and follow the school’s procedure. I inform the coordinator.”
• A student has not done homework for a week. How do you respond? — “I ask why before deciding anything. Often it is a problem at home or the work is too hard. Then I agree a plan with the student.”
• What would you do if you saw a colleague hit a student? — “I would make sure the child is all right and report it to the principal. It is the child’s legal right and the school’s responsibility.”

• How is the school system structured? — Basic level is grades 1 to 8 and secondary level is grades 9 to 12. The curriculum is developed by the Curriculum Development Centre at Sanothimi under the National Curriculum Framework 2076.
• What is the letter grading system? — Results are given as grades, from A+ (90 and above, grade point 4.0) through A, B+, B, C+, C and D (35 to under 40, grade point 1.6). Below 35 in theory is non-graded (NG), and a student with NG in a subject cannot enrol in grade 11.
• What is continuous assessment? — Assessing students through classwork, projects, participation and periodic tests during the year, not only a final examination. The weight of internal assessment is highest in the early grades and smaller in the upper grades.
• How do you assess without only using examinations? — Observation, short oral questions, classwork, projects, peer checking and exit questions at the end of a lesson.
• Which language do you teach in? — Answer for your subject and the school’s policy; English-medium schools expect you to conduct the class in English, including instructions.

1. 1Ask in advance for the grade, the topic and the time. If you may choose, pick a topic you can finish in the time given.
2. 2Write a one-page lesson plan with the outcome, materials, steps and how you will check understanding. Hand a copy to the panel.
3. 3Open in the first minute with a question or an object that connects to students’ lives.
4. 4Involve the students — the panel is watching them as much as you. Ask by name if you can, and use pair work once.
5. 5Use the board well: title, date, clear handwriting, left to right.
6. 6Check understanding before you finish, with two or three questions to different students.
7. 7Close on time with a one-line summary and a small homework task.

• You have no teaching experience. Why should we hire you? — “I did teaching practice in my B.Ed., I tutored students through college, and I know my subject well. I prepare every lesson and I ask for feedback.”
• What salary do you expect? — Know the reference first. Teacher salary in Nepal gives the government scale that private schools are required to match.
• Ask the school: how many periods a week, the class size, whether salary is paid for twelve months, and whether it contributes to the Social Security Fund.