Any teachers about?

Ripper

Ripper

Ripper

Soldato
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I'm currently on a PGCE in Secondary ICT, I qualify in June, and I have a job interview this week. From what i've been told people don't usually get jobs until April onwards so i've done well to get an interview so early, however with it being so early I really don't feel ready for it.

Can any other teachers tell me what to expect exactly? I'm the first on the course to have an interview. What do you usually take to interview? I have drafted some answers to possible questions but does anyone with experience know the kind of questions that ALWAYS pop up?

Any tips on how to impress them? :)
 
Be yourself. Remember that you need to be in a school you are comfortable with for your NQT year.

Standard questions? Not much help here. Only clue is science always get asked something on health and safety (obvious with all the goodies we play with!)
What to take along? If they want you to teach a lesson take a lesson plan with atleast 3 copies, to give to head/deputy/whoever as well as copies of powerpoint/handouts you need for the lesson. You are a n00b so they don't expect miracles and you have cheapness and the ability to be moulded into the schools needs quicker.

Yeah, most jobs come out on/after Easter but some will appear now if the person leaving is retiring or some other long term exit plan.

Fluffy
 
Well, as a former Head of ICT at a secondary school I suppose I ought to be able to come up with something.

The standard opener is to find out what you make of the particular school, the students and staff there, etc. (having spent a few hours being shown around, no doubt). Your chance to sound enthusiastic and talk about how you see yourself fitting in.

Interview panels are almost always made up from a mixture of senior management (Head or Deputy), relevant Head of Dept and a member of the Board of Governers. Don't forget that probably only one or two will have a clue about the subject so you have to qualify quite a lot of the terminology in ways they can understand (in fact, many see this ability to make things lucid to the non-expert as a key to your suitability for the job).

You will obviously have some questions relating to your subject specialism such as your knowledge of ICT at KS3 and KS4; How you can make lessons interesting and make sure students don't drift off task (they might ask you to describe, for example what a typical lesson starter might look like).

As for more general questions (off the top of my head):


How can you make sure students of all abilities are making progress? (question about differentiation)
What do you see as the role of the form tutor?
What can you offer outside of your curriculum area? (eg. potential for running clubs,etc.)

I'll post up a few more examples if they come to mind.

Best of luck.
 
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I completed the PGCE last year, applied for my current job in Feb. As you said, people at my university were surprised a job came up so soon. But many schools want to sort out their next academic year ASAP.

Questions to ask about the job itself:
How has the vacancy arisen?
Someone leaving? Why? Career progression or problem? Dept expanding?
You may get lucky and get an honest answer here!!

What are the staff turn over rates? Everyone leaves jobs, but a higher than average turn over rate may be cause for alarm.

When I went for my interview, it was the first post I was interested in, long way from home, so went with a very open mind, with the need for the school to sell the job to me. Seems arrogant, but I wanted to be sure.

Interview day...
Meeting with head, chat with them and other candidates. Other candidates felt the need to compete with me asking questions, I left them to it, asked questions only when I thought the head could expand on her school info / talk.

Tour of school, don't forget, you need to be switched on for the whole day. If a kid shows you around, the head could be talking to them after, asking them about you. Remember this when you turn up at reception, be polite!

In Deptartment, chatting to ICT teachers, while other candidates teach a lesson. I asked lots of questions about resources, work, CPD, that sort of thing. Didn't want to be coming into a dept with no prior work or sharing of files.

My lesson, had to teach a lesson infront of HoD.

Lunch, then formal interview.

Few things, don't offer the world if you can't deliver it. You will probably be asked about extra curricular activities you could offer the school, be honest but don't say something you may regret. They will remember and remind you in Sept!

Be yourself, obvious, don't feel you have to ask questions, ask when you feel you want to know something. I asked about parent involvement, and how diverse the area is, only as the impression was a lot different.

Good luck.
 
I'm very new to this and I thought PGCE had stopped and it was PTLLS, CTLLS & DTLLS! (I'm currently on CTLLS).
What little advice I can give is don't forget about Inclusion, Differentiation, E&D, VAK styles & Core/Functional Skills which keep coming up in all my lessons.
 
Monkeysmith, what was the lesson like that you had to teach? This is the bit i'm worried about as I finished my first placement in the second week of December and havn't tought since (and won't be until after Feb half term). What did they ask you to do?
 
They asked me to teach a theory lesson on CADCAM. Full 50min lesson.

I was in the same boat as you, finished placement 1 in Dec. Hadn't started teaching in placement 2. They knew this, I just did my best. CADCAM wasn't on the Welsh ICT curriculum, so didn't have a clue about this! Just did some research and planned what I thought was a good lesson. Make sure you engage with the kids, don't forget starter and plenary. Well most important the plenary. Don't ever forget, even if you have to cut your lesson short to fit it in.

If they want you to teach, they should have told you by now.
 
Yeh I've just got an email, got to do a 20 minute lesson to year 7's or 8's on one of three features of powerpoint (they havn't said which of the three). 20 minutes isn't very long at all :(

Oh there is also a meeting with the student council, what will this involve? Followed by a formal interview.
 
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In that case, you will need to plan for two lessons. One that lasts 20mins, and the other that you will say...if i had a full lesson, i would have done this.

Even though its 20mins, do a plenary.

Student Council - they will probably set them up to ask you some questions. Treat this as a formal interview, even though it's pupils doing it, if they have gone to the trouble of setting it up, will probably listen to their views. Imagine it will be a list of questions asking how you are going to help them?

Oh, also, some know powerpoint inside out before they hit year 7, make sure you lots of differentiated work. I wouldn't opt for sound or video, they might not have speakers / headsets, or systems may not handle the video! Stick to basics, Audience is key in pp.

Good luck!
 
The whole 20 minutes thing is partly to see how good you are at time management - you'll want to make the lesson long enough that you fill it, but not too long so you have to cut it short - this is what happened to my wife at an interview.
 
When do you find out the year group and ability level?

Just remember that PowerPoint is by far students strongest subject, and the majority of schools still use that as a first unit in Year 7.

If its 20 minutes you have the difficult choice for if you want them to use the computers or not. They can look at this in different ways, some like if your not afraid not to use them, some think your ICT and have to use it.

Student council are important - try to seem engaged but not patronising.

If you can find out the schools KS4 ICT exam course and % that is also good.

An opinion on KS3 and if it is 7-8 and KS4 is 9-11, and if that or the standard route is better.

Starter and Plenary compulsary.

Find out what office school uses and make sure you save so it is compatible.

If they have interactive boards student demonstrations of their skills is always good (Show me what you can do etc)


And 20 mins could be that there is 4 candidates - and 2 classes.
 
I'm second in department for ICT and can't really say more than what has already been posted, just be yourself and try not to panic when teaching the lesson. Don't let the pupil panel phase you and try to show them your a person and not a robot.

If there is interactive whiteboards try and use them as more than just a projector screen.

If you dont get it take it as experience and learn for the next one, still plenty of time.
 
Just wanted to add that Iam thinking about doing a PGDE in secondary after my course, is this better?

It would be at Murray House (if i get in) and looking at their course structure you are more or less out in a classroom since the 1st semester.
 
Right well I just got home from the interview.

Started off with a tour of the school. Then I had to give my 20 minute lesson which went swimmingly. THis was followed by a short break before having my main interview. It was really short, a lot shorter than I expected, not sure if thats a good thing or not. Seemed to go ok although its hard to tell what they were after. Then had a short meeting with the school council which was quite relaxed. I was told they'd ring me by 6pm to let me know, I thought the procedure was to wait around but they were interviewing for another post after so I guess thats why.

I was up against two other guys, one in his 50's at a guess, odd chap who didn't seem very social. The other in his 40's who talked a bit too much to be honest. If I don't get the job then the school obviously isn't thinking towards the future so it'll be a bit of an escape, if they do then wahey :)
 
Got it!

Over the moon, this job will be the start of a new life for me in a way (leaving home and all that), can't wait :)
 
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