English Teacher 

How did you get your current job?
Referral, I did my student teaching at the job I took.

What was the application process?
Resume, phone call, interview, hire

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I didn’t have a typical interview. Instead my supervisor was able to observe my work and gather reviews of my work while I student taught. Once my student teaching was over I was offered a full-time position.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
As stated I wasn’t interviewed. I was offered the postion based on over 2 months of observed internship.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
I feel my educational institution and my student teaching very well prepared me for my job. My employer also did very well in preparing me with school related policies and the daily expectations of my position.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I guess my student teaching would be considered training. However, student training is part of all teacher education programs. I had to basically take over all classes, prepare lessons, grade papers, stay after school and help students with any lessons they didn’t understand. I pretty much became their full-time teacher.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Very much so. I learned foundational truths to classroom management that propelled me to succeed my first year of teaching. My vigorous studies in literature gave me the tools to critically analyze different works, develop great written and oral skills.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
Definitely, with out my internship I couldn’t have made mistakes and learned how to correctly go about delivering my lessons and reaching my students.

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Decide what level of education you would like to study. Attend a 4 year college and major in the subject you’d like to teach, elementary education, and minor in education if you plan on teaching a particular subject. This will help you meet your state required courses to obtain a state license to teach. Pay close attention to your student teaching experience and if you can work as a substitute teacher on any days you have off or during school vacations to get accustomed to being in the classroom.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
First, patience to not only help students learn, not to mention dealing with their negative behavior but also parents can be more stressful than your own students. Second, have great organizational skills, this saved me my first year of teaching. Staying on top of paper work, grading, your files will make life a lot easier. Third, be good a listening and communicating with all kinds of people. This is helpful in reaching your students, their parents, co-workers and higher ups.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Definitely, you’ll need a college education and as much experience working with children/teens.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Give your best to your students, they don’t respect you unless you’re sincere and care about what you are doing. Also, remember when to take a break. Don’t work all weekend long, enjoy your holidays and remember to do the same for your students. Overworking students doesn’t mean you do your job well. Doing your job well means you reach your students and engage them to learn.