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Getting Your Start in Teaching –

Information for ECE Teachers

Ministry of Education and Education Personnel

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Jobfind Assistance Programme

The purpose of this programme is to prepare and ensure you are well informed when applying for

teaching positions. The programme also provides you with further information to help you get

your start in the education sector now or in the near future.

The contents of this guide are:

• 6 Classic Mistakes Made When Applying for Early Childhood Jobs

• 21 Things You Should Know about an Early Childhood Centre

• Relevant Web Links

• Handy Hints

• Recruiting in 2014 and Recruitment Agencies

• Tips for Writing a CV

• An template CV

• Example CV Hints and Tips

• Tips for Writing a Cover Letter

• An example/template cover letter

• Tips for Attending an Interview

• Common Interview Questions.

• 5 Smart Goals for Jobfind Plan

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The 6 Classic Mistakes Made When Applying for Early

Childhood Jobs

A Research Guide for Newly Graduated Teachers

(including the 21 things you should know about an Early Childhood centre

before you apply).

An educational tool produced by Education Personnel Ltd ©

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Read this guide and you will discover:

• The 6 biggest mistakes that people make when applying for Early Childhood jobs

• The 21 things you should know about an ECE centre before you apply

• How a simple tick list can avoid employment disaster

• Current Labour Market Update in ECE

• Education Employment secrets

• How to find the information you need

• How to choose an employment agency

• How to take the next step

You spend half of your waking hours at work, you spend more time with your colleagues than with

your family and your work environment has more effect on your health than your home

environment.

Given these facts how much time do we put into carefully selecting a job?

Do we scour the internet and press as we would when we buy a car?

Do we research the matter as we would when buying a new piece of whiteware?

Do we get in a team of professionals as we would if we were buying a house?

The truth is that very few people really research their job and that's what causes so many of us to

make the 6 classic mistakes.

In this report you will find details of the 6 classic mistakes and how to avoid them. You will also

discover the 21 things you should know about an Early Childhood centre before you apply for a job

there.

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The 6 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make When Choosing Their New Job

Mistake 1: Taking a job that was surprisingly easy to get

Some centres have employment issues. Their staff do not stay because they do not provide

a pleasant working environment. High staff turnover itself makes a centre a misery to work

in. If you are new in town then you might not have the contacts to find out about staff

turnover but you must find out somehow. Whenever someone leaves they take the

information they have gathered about the children and their parents with them.

Relationships between people in the centre take time to build up. If too many people leave

too quickly then the centre will become dysfunctional. As a trained Early Childhood teacher

you are in a position to pick and choose where you work.

Summary Point: Avoid centres with high staff turnover

Mistake 2: Taking a job in a centre where the philosophy differs from yours

This makes a major difference in your day! Some centres run a very formal programme for

the children, others have a free-play policy, and then there are all those in between these

two ends of the spectrum. Early Childhood teachers usually have fairly strong opinions

about how it is best to achieve the desired educational outcomes for the children. In

addition to this there are Montessori centres and Rudolph Steiner schools, these centres

hold a clear philosophy on Early Years Teaching. Before applying for a job you must be clear

what your philosophy is and then find out what the centre's is, if the two aren't pretty close

then you will not be compatible.

Summary Point: Make sure your philosophy on teaching matches the centre's.

Mistake 3: Taking a job in the wrong kind of centre for you

At first it might not seem to matter all that much but ultimately it will matter who owns the

centre and how it is run. Private, for-profit centres will be very different from a community

based centre run by a board of parents. The financial background of the centre is going to

affect you as well. A financially strong centre will have better facilities, better teacher: child

ratios and will be able to offer a better package for you.

Summary Point: Make sure you check on the management and ownership of a centre.

Mistake 4: Taking a dead end job

As a professional you need on-going training, your employer should want this too.

Professional development makes you more employable, it improves your work and it should

be fun. Teaching is very hands-on, taking the chance to stand back every now and again to

examine what you are doing is crucial. You need to know that a centre values this and how

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much training they anticipate providing you each year. Training for a teacher is like water

for a plant, it allows a teacher to grow and develop. In addition to this there should be

appraisals conducted on a regular basis that lead to choosing the next professional

development courses.

Summary Point: Make sure the centre has a clear professional development policy and it

meets your expectations.

Mistake 5: Taking a job that is a bad deal

Work needs to be rewarding. There is more to this than just the pay rate, although that is

important too! The starting pay rate is just that. You need to know where you are going

from there. Too many people accept paid work without thrashing out how the pay will

increase and when. Fringe benefits are also more crucial than most people realise. Some

key areas are:

• What is the ratio of contact time to non-contact time?

• Do they offer health insurance?

• Do you like the values of the centre?

• Do they offer performance based bonuses?

• Is it a good career move?

Summary Point: Work needs to be rewarding

Mistake 6: Taking a job in the wrong place

Travel wears you out and costs you an increasingly large amount. So many teachers take a

job thinking that they will be content to do the travel only to discover that it ultimately is

the reason they leave. A parking space is important to some people. If you are not driving

then picking a centre on a good Public Transport route is a key factor. Where you work is a

key part of your lifestyle. Another major cause of resignations is the culture and socio-

economic make up of the catchment area. You must find out whose children you are looking

after!

Summary Point: Yes, it does matter where a centre is!

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A tick list to avoid disaster

1 Centre has a high staff

turn-over

2 I disagree with the

centre's philosophy

3 I dislike the owner of

the centre or the kind of centre it is

4 The centre has no

professional

development policy

5 I am not getting a

great deal

6 I am not sure about the

location

If you can tick any of these boxes then you should not take this job.

You can pick and choose.

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The 21 things you should know about a centre before you accept the job:

1 Why did the job become available?

2 How many of the staff are qualified? Do they

meet the ratios?

3 Do they offer satisfactory professional

development?

4 What is the community like that the kids are from?

5 How many children at the centre?

6 What are the ages of the children?

7 What benefits do they offer (holidays, sick pay,

phone etc),

8 How experienced is the team?

9 What opportunity is there for career

development?

10 What is the centre's philosophy?

11 What is their current staffing structure, manager/senior

teacher?

12 Who owns the centre?

13 Is it a structured or free play environment?

14 Is there a mentor for teacher registration?

15 How often are the staff appraisals?

16 How high has staff turnover been?

17 Is the pay scale negotiable?

18 Is the centre community run or privately owned?

19 What sort of area is the centre in?

20 What is the management structure of the centre?

21 How much non-contact time is there in a day?

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How do you find out all this information?

Finding the job

In Early Childhood Education the main source of jobs has always been the Education Gazette,

recently there has been a threefold increase in centres using Recruitment Agencies. The reason

for this is an understanding that agencies can help to make a better match and a greater

appreciation of the time it takes to make a good recruitment match.

Finding the information

There are a couple of ways to achieve this -

1. Do a lot of research!

You can find information on centres via the Education Review Office website, these are

invaluable when checking out a centre.

Word of mouth is also a massive source of information.

2. Use a recruitment agency.

Recruitment agencies specialize in gathering information to make good placements where

people are content and will stay in a job. That is their job.

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Handy Web Links

Behavioural Based Interviewing

http://www.jobinterviewquestions.org/questions/behavioral-questions.asp

http://blog.emurse.com/2007/05/21/complete-list-of-behavioral-interview-questions/

Job Seeking Assistance

What Colour is Your Parachute? By Richard Nelson Bolles. A well known and respected book for

job-seekers that has been revised every year since 1970.

www.jobhuntersbible.com/

Education Vacancies

Education Gazette - http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/vacancies/

Eduvac - http://www.eduvac.co.nz/jobs

Seek - www.seek.co.nz/Job_Vacancy

Search: Education Personnel Ltd on Facebook

@epconsultant on Twitter

Education Personnel; www.edperson.co.nz

Ministry of Education (TEACHNZ) Preferred Recruiters

Education Personnel Ltd – www.edperson.co.nz

Other Recruitment Agencies

Teacher Recruitment Services – www.teacher-rec-conz.axiion.com

Oasis – www.oasis-edu.co.nz

Ranstad Education - www.randstad.co.nz

Jobs in Education.- www.jobsineducation.com

Teacherjobs – www.teacherjobs.com

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Handy Hints

The Power of Networking

Networking has helped many teachers to get their start in teaching. The teaching network is small

and knowing someone, either personally or from a day's relief you did in their centre, can make a

difference to you getting a position.

Make sure you make the most of any opportunity you have to meet with other teachers and

management staff. Be open that you are seeking full time work, and stay in touch with people you

know that may be able to help. Even the odd email letting people know where you are at keeps

you in their mind if they hear of a job. Be proactive with this!

Education Personnel has worked with countless people who have secured roles through making a

positive impression on a staff member while doing a day of relief teaching. Relief teaching is a

great way to make contacts and impress centres with your teaching, student rapport and

personality.

And remember to use all your networks…not just your professional ones. Your friend’s cousin

might just be a Centre Manager who needs a few weeks relieving work done.

Your friends and contacts from your teacher training can also be a great source of information and

support. While you may be competing on your applications for some jobs…you can also help each

other with leads about jobs, how to impress one particular employer, debriefing after interview or

just someone to have a moan to when one more CV is returned from an employer.

Other Education Based Roles

If you have not been able to secure a teaching role there are other education based roles that you

can work in, this will still keep you involved in education and working with students/children.

These roles give you additional relevant experience for your CV and will provide additional

relevant referees. They are a more relevant way than working in a bar to pay the rent. While it

may not be your first choice, staying in education based roles may help to get your start in

teaching. Some include:

• Relief Teaching

• Teacher Aiding

• School Holiday Programmes

• After School Care

• Early Childhood Centres.

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Recruiting and Recruitment Agencies in 2014

People find their jobs differently now than a few years ago, this includes in the education sector.

In education the Education Gazette was always the key place to find jobs. While it still is,

recruitment agencies have taken on a larger role and Centre Managers may call on Agencies now

before trying to recruit themselves. It is a means of saving their time for other aspects of their

roles.

If you are using an agency you should look for a company that is:

Managed by teachers

When an agency is owned and managed by teachers you know that passion for quality education

is behind everything they do.

Providing an objective method of matching teachers to jobs

If you and the centre match it will be a long and happy relationship. The agency should have a

method for this whereby they ask you a lot of questions and know a lot about the centres.

Providing an on-going service

They will stay in touch with you and should be there when you want to take the next step with

your career.

Offering a satisfaction guarantee

The agency should be able to back themselves. Find out if they offer the centre a refund and

replacement guarantee. If they do, then it means they are pretty sure that they can make

effectively match teacher and centres!

Remember that most recruiters work and are paid by their clients so work primarily for those

clients. However you can make your relationship with a recruitment agency work for you. To

get them best from a recruiter…be direct and honest with them and stay in touch with them.

Keep them up to date on where you are, both with your career and geographically and send them

an updated CV when appropriate. When relevant roles come in, they will think of you or you will

show up in their searches and they will know who you are. This can be vital.

By working with TEACHNZ, Education Personnel is able to offer additional free services to newly

graduated teachers and to Māori and Pasifika teachers.

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A Curriculum Vitae (usually known as a CV) is the most important document in job

applications.

• The CV is a key tool to ‘sell yourself’ - your skills and experience

• It will likely be your first point of contact and needs to display your skills in the best light.

• With the technology now available employers are becoming more open to interviewing via

conference calls or video, but your CV is the document that will get you interviews.

When applying for a position you need to focus your CV on your skills and abilities relating to

your experience and tailor each CV to the advertised position. CV’s include detailed

information about your experience and are accompanied by a relatively brief cover letter

advising which position you are applying for. For some positions you may also be asked to

complete an application form.

Important points to remember:

• Tailor your CV – skills and experience to the job advertised (i.e. if they are asking for a

teacher with experience or strengths working in Y5–6 or a highly multicultural school or

have strengths in literacy, numeracy and formative assessment) – make sure you give

examples and highlight your experience in these areas in your CV

• List information under topic headings

• List information from most recent to oldest

• List professional skills obtained and courses attended

• Bullet point a description of the duties carried out in each role you have held

• Keep it concise and to the point (3-5 pages)

Useful Topic Headings

• Personal Details (including teacher registration details)

• Education and Qualifications

• Personal Statement (including main achievements)

• Professional Profile (including main achievements)

• Work Experience

• Roles and Responsibilities

• Computing and other skills -relevant to the teaching profession (include level of mastery)

• Recent Professional Development, Training or Courses attended

• Hobbies and Interests

Tips for Writing a Successful CV

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Senior Teaching Referees

• Ideally 2-3 - preferably your principal, DP, Associate Teacher or a Visiting Lecturer

• They need to be professionals who have observed your teaching and can comment on

your planning, curriculum knowledge, student and staff rapport

• Ensure you have gained permission from this person before using them as a referee

• Advise them when you are applying for roles

• If possible advise them what roles you are applying for - nothing looks more

unprofessional than your referee being contacted and they didn’t know they were your

referee!!

[The Principal will probably want to talk to your immediate manager at some stage during the

process – advise on your CV if you do not want this referee contacted until after the initial

interview.]

Reread your CV and ask yourself does it:

• Sell your skills and attributes in the best possible way?

• Will the employer see your achievements reflected clearly and concisely?

• Will an employer gain a clear picture of you and your skills?

• Is it too long? Keep it to 2-5 pages

• Don’t use wordy sentences – it is best to bullet point items

Before you send your CV

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NAME CURRICULUM VITAE

CONTACT DETAILS

ADDRESS

TELEPHONE Home:

Cellphone:

E-MAIL

TEACHER REGISTRATION

Category:

Number:

Expiry date:

FIRST AID CERTIFICATE Expiry date:

QUALIFICATIONS [List most recent first.]

Title of Qualification Date From - To Name of Institution, City, Country

Title of Qualification Date From - To Name of Institution, City, Country

PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT

As a teacher, I believe…

• Use bullet points

• Where you would like teaching to take you

• Keep it brief (under five lines)

• Include your preferred teaching approach e.g. RIE, Reggio Emilia, Play-based, etc.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

[A detailed outline of your teaching work and experience, with your most recent experience

first. Include your teaching placements.]

Centre Name Start Date – End Date

• Type of service (E.g. Centre based, Nga Kohanga Reo, home based, hospital)

Photo

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• Centre philosophy

• Age groups taught

• Professional development attended

• Outline your contributions to the centre. E.G. I attended several staff meetings or I

organised a production of the Three Little Pigs for the 3 year olds.

[Continue as above for each teaching position/placement.]

Name & type

of Centre

Dates attended Ages worked

with

Outline your

contributions

to the centre

(examples of

planning)

Centre

philosophy/

PD Attended

etc

TEACHING STRENGTHS

• Go through your teaching placement reports and find the comments from your associate

teachers and visiting lecturers that highlight your strengths.

• List these strengths and list real examples to support this. Include quotes from your

reports.

INTERESTS AND HOBBIES

• Bullet point any hobbies and interests you have, especially if they include skills that

could bring value to the centre you are applying for.

• For example: ‘Volunteering at a community theatre’ or ‘I have played the guitar for 10

years’.

TEACHING REFEREES

[At least 2 senior teaching referees who have supervised your teaching experience – i.e.

associate teachers, visiting lecturers, centre managers.]*

Name

Position

School address

Tel/cell

Email

Name

Position

School address

Tel/cell

Email

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* Ensure that you contact your referees prior to sending out your CV to notify them that

they may be contacted.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: Education Personnel strongly recommends including all of the above information on

your CV (in the order listed). However, you are also encouraged to change the design of

your CV so it reflects you as a teacher. You are applying to be an early childhood teacher,

so you want to showcase your creativity and passion for your work.

Design ideas:

• Include photos of you engaging with the children

• Include examples of learning stories you have written

• Include photos of children’s work on the wall

• Use colourful borders

• Use a design that reflects your cultural heritage

It is important not to show children’s faces in the photos on your CV or use their actual

names, unless you have the child’s parents’ express written permission.

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Example CV Hints and Tips

The items on this list correspond with the numbers on the example CV.

1. The first page

Centre managers may have a pile of 50 or more CVs to get through and initially may

only spend 20-30 seconds reading each CV. So the first page of your CV is crucial for

getting it past the ‘first round’ of cuts. The information on the front page should show

the centre manager that you are a qualified, registered ECE teacher with a developed

teaching philosophy.

2. Contact details

Include all of your contact details in this section, including both your home and

cellphone number. You want to ensure that they can get hold of you as quickly as

possible if they want arrange an interview date. Your email address should be

professional sounding and should relate to your name. If your personal email is not

professional sounding, consider setting up a new one specifically for job searching

purposes.

3. Teacher registration

Including all of your teacher registration information in your CV is crucial, because if

you aren’t registered centre managers may be less likely to hire you. If you have

graduated but not applied yet, apply as soon as you can. If you have applied but are yet

to receive your registration, you can put ‘registration currently being processed’ under

this section.

4. First aid certificate

As all ECE teachers are required to hold a first aid certificate as part of their

professional development for full registration, it can put you at an advantage to show

that you have this certificate.

5. Photograph

Having a photograph on your CV can help your CV stand out from the rest, especially if

you have made a visit to the school prior to putting in your application as it will help

the recruitment team/principal remember you. The photo should be a well-lit head

shot with a neutral background. Don’t use your passport photo or a photo of you at a

party/bar.

Photos of yourself teaching can be an effective addition to your CV. However it is

important that you obtain written permission from the parents of any identifiable

children in these photos. (Let your reader know you have obtained this permission). A

way to get around this is to only show the back of the children’s heads.

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6. Qualifications

Again, this shows your reader that you are a qualified teacher. Ensure your

qualifications are listed from most recent backwards.

7. Philosophy statement

A teaching philosophy statement is one of the most important aspects of an ECE

teaching CV. Many centres base their teaching around certain philosophy (e.g. Reggio

Emilia, RIE Pikler, play-based). Your philosophy statement shows your potential

employer whether you will be a good fit with their centre. For example, if your

philosophy statement shows that you believe in free play, you probably won’t be a

good for a centre that has strict routines. Most teachers put together a philosophy

statement while they are still training – use a shortened version of this in your CV.

8. Teaching experience

You are now onto the second page of your CV. This is where you can show the reader

more about your experiences and strengths as a teacher. If you have made it past the

‘first cut’ then your reader will be going back to your CV to look more carefully. This

means you can go into more detail in this section, particularly in your ‘teacher

experience’. Don’t just list your teaching placements – use them to show the reader

what you contributed to the centre and how you grew and developed as a teacher.

9. Teaching strengths

Writing about your own teaching strengths can be difficult, so the easiest way to write

this section is to go back and look at your associate teacher/visiting lecturer reports

and paraphrase them. Use direct quotes to back this up.

10. Interests and hobbies

Keep this section short and focus on interests/hobbies which you could draw on to

contribute to the centre. ‘Jane’ has talked about her experience in theatre and New

Zealand Sign Language – skills that she can use to enrich children’s learning.

11. Teaching referees

Though referees are listed at the end of the CV, they are extremely important. Make

sure you include at least two referees that have seen you teach (e.g. associate teacher,

visiting lecturer, centre manager). Do not put ‘referees available on request’ – this is

extra work for your potential employer and will put them off. Make sure that you have

asked your referees’ permission to be contacted by potential employers. Include their

email addresses – some references are done via email.

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JANE DOE CURRICULUM VITAE

CONTACT DETAILS

ADDRESS 145 Garden Lane, Te Aro, Wellington

TELEPHONE

Home: 04 123 4567

Cellphone: 045 9876 543

E-MAIL jane.doe@edperson.co.nz

TEACHER REGISTRATION Category: Provisional

Number: 123456

Expiry date: 02/12/2015

FIRST AID CERTIFICATE Expiry date: 02/12/2015

QUALIFICATIONS

Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) 2012 Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Bachelor of Arts in English and Maths 2009 - 2011 University of Otago, New Zealand

PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT

• As a teacher I believe that family and the wider community are a crucial component

of child wellbeing, growth and learning.

• Reciprocal relationships are an enriching way for all involved to learn from each other in early childhood settings and the wider world.

• I believe that taking initiative as well as having a willingness to listen and learn is

critical to being an early childhood educator.

• My preferred teaching approach is Reggio Emilia, as it promotes opportunities for

children to express themselves, and because it emphasises the teachers’ roles as co-

learners and collaborators.

Photo

1

5

2

3

4

6

7

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TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Te Aro Kindergarten (Teaching Placement) August 2012 – September 2012

7 week placement, worked with 3-4 year olds

• Built strong relationships with the children and their families, liaising with the

whānau/caregivers daily.

• Incorporated biculturalism and multiculturalism into my practice .

• Built strong relationships with children of diverse cultures, who were new to the centre,

fostering their well-being and belonging.

• Worked closely with a child with Downs Syndrome and learned basic New Zealand

Sign Language to communicate with him more effectively.

• Helped the kindergarten organize a disco night, which I also attended. Worked with

children to make the decorations and help them teach each other dance moves.

Wellington Childcare Centre (Teaching Placement) April 2012 – June 2012

Small, family owned centre providing centre-based primary caregiving 7

week placement, worked with Under 2s

• Primary care routines included knowledge and implementation of RIE, Pikler and

Gerber philosophies.

• Attended vocational and language courses to develop my personal and professional

growth (immersion language training, first aid, special needs intervention).

• Attended and contributed to several staff and family meetings.

• Followed the interests of children and extended upon them.

o For example: contrasting textures from items found inside and outside, water play,

musical activities such as singing and musical instruments.

• Provided opportunities for the babies to improve their gross motor skills.

TEACHING STRENGTHS

• Working with and incorporating a diverse range of abilities, cultures, language abilities

and learning styles.

• Incorporating Te Reo into my teaching practice.

• Working with Groups. “[Jane] worked extremely well with groups taking music and

stories and as a result is developing great group management skills.” – Associate

teacher, Te Aro Kindergarten.

• Curriculum strengths include a passion for cooking and gardening; a flair for music -

waiata and ukulele playing, interest in literacy and pre-reading skills.

• AT’s mention my strengths as being: leadership skills, language skills, initiative, ability

to relate well to all ages and confidence.

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INTERESTS AND HOBBIES

• I have volunteered at my local community theatre for the year in a backstage capacity. I

was the stage manager for the 2012 Christmas production of the ‘Cinderella’

pantomime. I would love to share what I have learnt from these experiences with the

children.

• Learning basic NZSL during my teaching placement has sparked a passion for this

vibrant language. I have taken a night class and spent time with members of the local

Deaf community to improve my skills.

TEACHING REFEREES

John Smith

Centre Manager

Wellington Childcare Centre

(04) 123 4567

john.jones@edperson.co.nz

Moana Jones

Associate Teacher

Te Aro Kindergarten

(04) 987 6543

moana.jones@edperson.co.nz

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10

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You write a covering letter to accompany your CV. This will make sure it gets to the attended

recipient and to let them know which position you are applying for. You need to outline how

your skills align with the requirements of the position. These requirements will either be

detailed in the advertisement or job description (JD) – a JD can be requested from the

employer or the recruitment company. A covering letter is in support of your CV and is a

further opportunity for you to market yourself.

Some Useful Tips

• Your letter needs to be written in a professional letter format or similar if sending via

email.

• Write a new cover letter for each role you apply for. A generic letter for many roles is

obvious and does not make a good first impression.

• Write the cover letter specific to the requirements of the job description. It is best to

include a) why you want the role and are interested in their school/centre b) your skills

specific to the role and c) any other skills/experiences you would bring to the role.

• Don’t just copy parts of your CV and put them in your cover letter. Instead highlight the

main points and key information specific to the role you are applying for.

• Show that you have done some homework on the centre/school and that you have

‘chosen’ to apply for their role.

• Don’t overstate your skills and abilities but on the other hand make sure you don’t

underplay or not mention skills you do have!

• The letter should be concise, professional and personally addressed to the person stated in

the job advertisement (ensure the spelling of the person is correct).

• A cover letter should be no more than two pages, ideally one page. The recruiters will

likely be dealing with many applications.

• Ensure your contact details are clear and correct so they can get hold of you easily.

• Check over the letter a number of times to ensure it reads well and is grammatically

correct. Having someone else read it as well is always a good idea.

Writing a Cover Letter

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Your full address

Full date

Name of Principal (Find this out)

Job Title

Address of school/centre applying to

Address line 2

Address line 3 POSTCODE

Dear Name

I am a fully qualified JOB TITLE with QUALIFICATIONS. I would like to apply for the JOB TITLE

advertised in PUBLICATION on DATE. Please find enclosed/attached my CV and referees details.

Please feel free to contact my referees as part of your recruitment process.

[At this point your cover letter should reinforce what you have to offer the school/centre and why

you are suitable for this particular role. Choose the three main things that the school/centre wants

and prove how you can deliver these.]

E.g.

I have NUMBER years experience since qualifying as a JOB TITLE and I have been

employed/completed Teaching Practicum’s in SUMMARY OF SCHOOLS.

My experience has included...

I am competent in using ICT such as…

I also have a strong background in…

I have held role/s of responsibly such as…

I have curriculum strengths in … [give examples…]

I also have experience of dealing with management…

working in a team environment such as….

working independently in tasks such as….

I can offer/bring a great deal of experience to your school/centre including…

Next: you want to include why you want this particular role and this school/centre. If you have

visited the school and researched the school through their website you will have a much better

idea as to what appeals to you.

I can be contacted on tel ____________ or cell ___________ or directly via email:

I look forward to hearing from you in the near future and welcome the opportunity to meet with

you.

Yours sincerely

[Signature]

NAME

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You will know your CV has been a success when you are invited to attend an interview.

Preparation:

1. Ensure that you know the exact time and place of the interview. Find out about parking

too etc if this is relevant.

2. Find out who will be present at the interview - their job titles and full names.

3. Find out as much as you can about the school prior to the interview by reading the schools

ERO report and looking at the schools website.

4. Refresh your memory about your work experience. Go back over your CV so you can talk

in more depth about it if asked. Ensure that you can accurately describe your most

important achievements, innovations especially linked to skills and subjects outlined in the

job advertisement etc.

5. Know the job description and attributes of the position you are applying for.

6. Brainstorm the types of questions you may be asked and think about possible answers.

Identify scenarios which would help illustrate your knowledge, skills and attributes.

7. Be prepared to answer questions such as:

a. Your career aspirations.

b. Strengths.

c. Any roles of responsibilities.

d. Main achievements/successes in your previous roles.

e. How you manage staff relationships and if it has been required conflict resolution.

f. Your communication skills.

g. Main skill areas you will need to develop to success in the new role.

h. Why you feel you are the best person for this position.

i. Where you see yourself in 5 years!

8. Prepare the questions that you will ask at the interview. Some of these may be answered

as you progress through the interview. Let the interviewers know if this is the case then

they will be aware that you had prepared questions.

9. For a face-to-face interview dress conservatively and pay attention to all facets of your

grooming and dress.

10. For a telephone interview ensure your phone is fully charged, you answer the phone

politely, speak clearly and confidently.

Other Tips:

1. Ensure you arrive or are available for the phone call on time.

Tips for Attending an Interview

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2. Do greet the interviewer/s by her/his name/s. Before you even meet the interviewers you

may meet other members of the school staff. Be friendly and courteous with them too.

3. Look alert and interested at all times. Nerves sometimes make people talk too much or

not say enough. If necessary ask for clarification, ask for a question to be repeated or

check that you have given the interviewer enough information. Be a good listener as well

as speaker. Listen carefully and answer the actual question.

4. Maintain eye contact.

5. Give clear answers and relate them to your skills or work experience.

6. Use examples of real life experiences to illustrate your answers and achievements.

Behavioural Interviews:

Behavioural Based Questions are becoming more widely used in interviews. Behavioral based

interviewing is interviewing based on discovering how the interviewee acted in specific

employment-related situations. The logic is that how you behaved in the past will predict how you

will behave in the future i.e. past performance predicts future performance. In a behavioral

interview, an employer has decided what skills are needed in the person they hire and will ask

questions to find out if the candidate has those skills. Instead of asking how you would behave,

they will ask how you did behave. The interviewer will want to know how you handled a situation,

instead of what you might do in the future.

In a teaching scenario these types of questions are behavioural based

• Tell me about a time when your classroom lesson or schedule was interrupted? How did

you handle it.

• Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?

• Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?

• Tell me about a time you successfully implemented a lesson in inquiry learning?

• Tell me how you use formative assessment in numeracy?

• Tell me about a time when you worked effectively under pressure.

During the interview, if you are not sure how to answer the question, ask for clarification. Then be

sure to include these points in your answer:

• A specific situation

• The tasks that needed to be done

• The action you took

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• The results i.e. what happened

It's important to keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers. The interviewer is just

trying to understand how you behaved in certain situations and determine if there is a fit between

your skills and the position the school is seeking to fill. Ensure you listen carefully, be clear and

detailed when you respond and, most importantly, be honest.

You can find out more about Behavioural Based Interviews on the internet.

Closing the interview:

1. Reiterate your interest in the position and ask about the next steps in the process.

2. Thank the interviewers for their time and consideration of you.

3. Leave promptly and courteously.

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Common Interview Questions

Congratulations on getting an interview. The interview is your chance to demonstrate to the

interview panel why they should employ you and why you would be an asset to their school.

Nerves are normal for everyone when it comes to the interview. Managing your nerves by Being

Prepared is the key to your success. As mentioned in the seminar and in the accompanying

booklet, there are several ways to be prepared. This booklet will focus on the interview questions.

Many interviews now include a method called Behavioural Based Interviewing. This is

interviewing based on discovering how you acted in previous specific employment-related

situations. The logic is that how you behaved in the past will predict how you will behave in the

future i.e. past performance predicts future performance.

In a traditional interview, you will be asked a series of questions which typically have

straightforward answers like “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” or “What major

challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?” “Describe your teaching

style.” “Describe your management style.”

In a behavioural interview, an employer has decided what skills are needed in the person they hire

and will ask questions to find out if the candidate has those skills. Instead of asking how you would

behave, they will ask how you did behave. The interviewer will want to know how you handled a

situation, instead of what you might do in the future. Behavioural interview questions will be

more pointed, more probing and more specific than traditional interview questions e.g. “Tell me

about how you worked under pressure.” “Tell me about a lesson where you realised during the

lesson that your plan was not appropriate or did not fit the class etc.”

Preparation

It is important to remember that you won't know what type of interview will take place until you

are sitting in the interview room. So, prepare answers to traditional interview questions. Since

you don't know exactly what situations you will be asked about if it is a behavioural interview,

refresh your memory and consider some special situations or lessons you taught. You may be able

to use them to help frame responses. Prepare stories/answers that illustrate times when you have

successfully solved problems or performed memorably. The stories will be useful to help you

respond meaningfully in a behavioural interview.

Finally, review the job description and advert. You will be able to get a sense of what particular

skills and behavioural characteristics the employer is seeking from reading the job description and

position requirements.

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Listed below are some possible questions, both traditional and behavioural:

• How would you describe your reliability and enthusiasm when carrying out a given task?

• Can you think of a time when you had to give your opinion to a group and how you got

your point across?

• How would you describe your classroom environment/atmosphere?

• What do you believe your classroom management is like? How would you deal with two

children who continually disrupt a lesson?

• How do you cater for the variety of student's needs in your classroom?

• How do ensure that the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi are adhered to?

• How do you include the cultural needs of Maori students?

• How do your previous placements and/or work experience demonstrate your suitability

for this job

• What can you offer this role? What are your strengths that demonstrate your competency

for this role?

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5 Smart Goals for Job Find Plan. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable,

Realistic and Time bound.)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.