This is almost always the first question that is asked of an elementary school teacher. With this question, the teacher should give information about his or her personal and professional life. However, make sure that you do not over-answer this question, and give only the information that may be relevant to the job profile.
2. Why did you select a learning support assistant career?
Being a learning support assistant is not an easy job. And not everyone can be a learning support assistant. There has to be some aspects in yourself that made you desire such a position and that will make you the perfect candidate for a learning support assistant job position.
One of the most important aspects is that you should have a natural love for kids and enjoy helping them and being surrounded by them. There is no place for irritability, intolerance or impatience in the job and life of a learning support assistant. These are the concepts that you should bring out in the interview answers, with perhaps a brief, revealing anecdote or two.
3. What does safeguarding mean?
Safeguarding legislation and government guidance says that safeguarding means:
☛ Protecting children from maltreatment.
☛ Preventing impairment of children's health or development.
☛ Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the ☛ Provision of safe and effective care.
☛ Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.
4. Are you good at organizing yourself and other people?
The interviewer is looking for a well-organised person who can act as a teacher's aide. A successful candidate should be able to illustrate their organisational skills, based upon teaching experience or otherwise.
While learning support assistants do not make the lessons, they do provide invaluable help to prepare them and a successful candidate for an assistant teaching job is one interested in the role of a teacher and prepared to support them 100%.
6. How would you support this school's program of extra-curricular provision?
Any interviewee can expect to answer a number of questions about the school, so learning a bit about the place beforehand is vital. Prior to the interview, find out as much as possible about the school's extracurricular activities, offset results, what type of backgrounds the children come from, etc. so that the answer provided is well-informed.
7. What is your philosophy about discipline?
Teaching methods have changed over time and it is necessary for you as a professional to give the relevant information that proves that you have enhanced your teaching abilities and procedures. The discipline philosophy for a teacher is one of the most evolved philosophies today and you should ensure that the change is exuded to the interviewer. You need to show the interviewer that you have the capability to solve most problems yourself. In fact, you should give the idea that you do not make a major issue out of every situation, unless there is an urgent need to do so. But you should also send across the message that no untoward incident that is waiting to happen will occur while you are on duty.
8. What would you do if a child complained they were bored?
This question may be best answered with the SAR technique. Try to remember a similar situation when a bored child was amused in a stimulating, educational and non-disruptive way.
9. What are your duties as a learning support assistant?
Some of the duties of learning support assistant are:
☛ Helping teachers prepare for lessons by, for example, putting out equipment before a lesson starts or photocopying papers.
☛ Listening to children reading and reporting back to the teacher should any issues arise.
☛ Helping children who need extra help in literacy or numeracy.
☛ A teaching assistant is there to support a teacher in the classroom.
10. What is a primary caregiver to a child?
This is a term used instead of 'mother' or 'father', as many children today are raised by one parent or another person entirely, be it relative or friend. This term avoids calling attention to each child's state. If there are children in the class whose primary caregiver is not the mother, sensitivity and forethought will allow you to tell all kinds of stories without upsetting or embarrassing children.
