What is it that differentiates an ideal one from the rest?

Since the interview happens to be the last obstacle to achieve a job position, clearly the
interviewee’s answers make or break an interview. Though there may be tricky
questions in which an interviewee might get entangled, surprisingly, it is the basic
questions that trip up the candidates.

Question: “Why do you want to become a teacher?”

This straight forward question is a good example.

Why is that so? Well, a candidate is most often prepared to answer tough questions but
when he/she is asked a basic question, rather a ‘Statement of Purpose’ question; his/her
ignorance regarding the job is revealed. Sometimes, the lack of conviction and clarity of
thought puts off an employer and that ends the interview – without a job offer.

The sample responses below can help you formulate an answer that sincerely
expresses your goals and aspirations and will land you the job.

► Applicant: “I wanted to become a teacher to be able to make a positive difference on

the future of children. For me, it is great/fulfilling challenge: stimulating the next
generation to become lifelong learners. I have always been grateful to the educational
system for implanting values in me and at this juncture, I feel I should contribute what I
have learnt and experienced over the years. This way I will be paying back and at the
same time can fulfill my desire of enhancing the education system.”

Clearly, the applicant seems to be concerned about the present educational system and
by mentioning the word ‘contribute’ he/she states his/her strong sense of motivation and
thus, distinguishes his/her candidature from the rest.
Further, the applicant can state and validate his/her basic interest in the job profile. By
doing so, he/she will catch the interviewer’s attention and the interviewer will understand
that the applicant is aware and interested in the nature of the job profile.

► Applicant: “I can’t think of any job as important to society as teaching. I have always
loved to give young people the best start in life. Interacting with kids is great. Be it on
educational grounds or recreational activities, it is a lot more fun interacting and learning
with kids. As a hobby, I have been giving tutorials to kids at the neighborhood
community center.”

The applicant has been able to put forward his/her reason for interest in the job profile. ‘I
love to interact’ and ‘I have been giving tutorials’ highlight the fact that the candidate is
aware of the intricacies of the job and has some sound experience in the same.
The applicant can further state his/her skill sets that are the prerequisites for the job in
question.

► Applicant: “I want to be a teacher for developing a new generation of thinking

individuals. Being a goal oriented person with tons of patience, I am sure I will be able to
gel with kids and train them in the required subjects with utmost care and concern for
achieving the educational goals.”

Since being focused on achieving educational goals and being patient are key abilities
that a good teacher must possess, by mentioning these skills, the interviewee finally
wins the heart of the interviewer. Keep in mind all of these points, and be honest and
assertive while answering the question.

Challenging student behaviour

About 25% said difficult behaviour made them consider leaving teaching.
When asked what would have a positive impact on their teaching, 83% said
that they wanted more time to plan and prepare and 42% required
mentoring or coaching from experienced colleagues.

This comes alongside criticism for low-level disruption with an Ofsted

report published last year saying that teachers are not doing enough to
tackle unruly behaviour.

Have you ever asked yourself “ What makes me a successful and a

professional teacher?’’

Well, as we all know , teaching is not easy but it is very interesting job . It may
seem easy to study at a university and prepare yourself to be a teacher , but
when it is the time t practice it may not look as easy as it was expected .
There are some important things you should keep as a good teacher . I am
going to mention here the most important ones I have experienced through my
work period .
Well, the most thing you should have to be a successful teacher is to know
your students and their needs well . Classes , especially at universities , are
heterogeneous ,i.e your classes have many students with different
backgrounds , education knowledge, learning strategies , needs, and may be
culture . It is very important to know your students before starting work . If you
teach grammar and structure , for example, ask your students to write a short
paragraph about themselves . You can collect their work and check it later .
Their work will tell you their background and knowledge of grammar rules and
sentence structure . So, getting an idea about the entire needs of your
students is the most important factor in being a professional teacher .

Along with , professional teachers are always patient and organized . they
never rush their students or explain randomly . So, to move one stair upwards
success, plan everything before you go to class . Set all things according to a
logical order and introduce your lesson step by step taking into consideration
your students learning strategies . Besides, a successful teacher shows an
interest in the subject as well as the students . So, be patient with and show a
great interest in your students .

Further more, professional teachers enjoy their job and vary their roles in the
class .You may want to be the person who provides the students information ,
but besides being information deliverer , you can be a close friend of them , a
parent , a promoter , ….. . You can enjoy and vary your role in the class in a
way that interests both , your students and you . You never can better when
you enjoy your job . Creating a relaxed environment helps you successfully
cover a great amount of the content . Besides,you will realize better
participation of your students with time and therefore learning will happen .

One thing more, students have different learning strategies , so successful

and professional teachers vary their teaching techniques . Using the same
method every time does not help reaching the goal . Some of your students
can not react to a specific method but they can do much better with another
one . From the other hand , the used method can be suitable for a specific
content of a lesson but not for another one . Using the GTM or Direct method ,
for example, can be good in a lesson but not in another . Some students may
react to TPR while others may not show clear reaction or great interest in the
method . Choosing good activities or practice tasks is another factor here .
Think carefully how you can assess your students new language and set the
best activity for that . You can use pair or group work one time , and oral
discussion other time , and many more activities .

To sum up, being a good and successful teacher is not a talent , but a skill you
learn and acquire through time . The list bellow shows the most important
features of professional teachers :

Professional teachers:

- Know their students well .

- Vary their role in the class .

- Enjoy their job .

- Joke with their students and create relaxed class environment

- Are always patient with students .

- Plan every thing before they come to the class .

- Never waste time .

- Vary and use different teaching techniques .

- Look for the most suitable activities for students .

- Show interest in students and subject .

- Give their students enough time to learn and practice .

- Focus on the goal