Prepare for a teaching interview lesson
You may be asked to teach a short interview lesson as part of your interview process. In further education, this is often called a micro-teach. This helps the panel see how you plan and deliver a lesson, engage learners and check their understanding. We’ve spoken to experienced teachers to get their top tips for success.
If you need support returning to teaching after a break, support is available. If you want to return to teaching in a primary or secondary school in England, you could be eligible for a return to teaching adviser.
If you’re interested in teaching in further education, you can get support from an FE adviser.
1. Plan ahead
Once you know the topic for your interview lesson or micro-teach, ask your mentor or colleagues for advice. Don’t make your lesson too complex, and you can use ideas and activities from textbooks or resources such as Oak National Academy, or other teaching resources relevant to the setting.
You’ll need to know about the class or group, specifically if there are any learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). If the school or college hasn’t provided this, ask!
Plan your presentation and any worksheets or resources you want to bring. You should check with the school or college what software and equipment they have. Many settings will not let you use a USB stick, so agree in advance how you’ll send your materials.
Make your lesson or session engaging from the start and include checkpoints to assess progress and finish with a review of learning.
2. Create a clear presentation
Make sure your presentation uses contrasting colours, an easy-to-read font, and ensure any instructions are clear and broken down into small steps.
Try not to overload your slides with text. Having lots of relevant images can make your presentation more engaging for pupils.
It’s a good idea to plan differentiated activities or consider how you can support learners with different needs to achieve the learning objective.
If your lesson or session is based on a curriculum or scheme of learning, make sure it’s up to date.
3. Be mindful of time
To save time in the lesson or session, you could create resources that include any goals and activities. This means learners will not waste time writing down the date, title, and lesson or session objective. You can also ask learners to hand out the resources while you speak to the class. Pay attention to timings on the day, and do not be afraid to adapt your plan if it’s not working.
4. Be prepared on the day
On the day of the interview lesson or micro-teach, take three copies of your lesson or session plan, resources, and presentation to give to the observers or panel. You should also bring spare equipment such as board pens and a board eraser. To make things more comfortable, ask for and use learners’ names where appropriate.
5. Stay positive
Ultimately, feel good about yourself and try and relax. You won’t be able to plan for every eventuality, but the panel wants to see how you cope in a teaching environment and how you adapt to changing situations.
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