I have a teaching interview on Wednesday but…

[BlueLines81]

I’m not a teacher!! It’s for a 6th form, teaching a levels. I have a first class degree in the subject and a bit of private tutoring experience, but I have never taught a class, or had to do a proper lesson plan or anything.

I have to give a 45 minute lesson to a class, as well as all the usual interview stuff.

I know it’s a very long shot that I’ll get the job, but I am hoping not to make a complete idiot of myself if possible. Any advice from teachers appreciated 😬

Students are always interested in toxic childhood/sexualisation of childhood/cotton wool parenting etc. It's one of the best topics to teach.

Curate some images of dolls/toys/books/clothes perhaps and look at how they represent childhood. Get some stats about online pornography and sexualised content. Do you have 'Toxic Childhood'? It ahs lots of stats.

Some great revision stuff on childhood on revisesociology.com and tutor2u.

Knowing the content is only half the battle..

I really don't think in an interview lesson you need to keep mentioning exams and exam boards. get them engaged. Get them thinking. Try to get them discussing. Introduce a key theory or piece of research (Aries, Palmer, Postman)

Hi OP, the Tutor2u website will be helpful (they have probably got lessons and workbooks you can buy off the shelf too).

Just came on the thread to say that I went into teaching Economics the same way. I found an on the job training course myself (the school paid) and was qualified within a year. I have been teaching 10 years now and am at the top of the payscale now.

I got bitchy comments too but there is barely any university based teacher training any more and certainly not for Economics, Psychology, Sociology etc.

Good luck.

Will you be interviewed too?

Typical interview type questions ask you reflect on what went well/what you’d improve in a lesson, safeguarding dilemmas, how you would contribute to your dept and school community as a whole.

I wondered if you were going to be interviewing for an 'odd' (please don't take that as a negative, I've taught one of the oddest subjects going in the last alongside very non-odd science) subject. A committed and knowledgeable person who is willing to develop their actual teaching is a far better bet especially for post-16, so don't put yourself off. If you know your stuff and show the potential to be able to get it across so students retain it you should be in with a good shout!

When I sit in interview lessons I want to see something with a bit of purpose and I want to see how you interact with the students and how you cope if anything goes a bit awry. Most people run out of time but that is far far preferable to not having enough to fill the time although I have seen people go freestyle in that circumstance and pull it off, but that's rare.

If you think of a 'big question' to put and try to address in your allocated time (so something like your 'how has childhood changed?' would be ideal). I don't like this as a planning structure for every single lesson like one deputy head I worked with thought would be good 🙄 but I think it's great for interviews to give a clear focus and easy to show the observer progression within a time frame.

Planning wise it's an oldie but if you plan what you will be doing in parallel with what the students will be doing (split a page and use timings) that will help. Also plan and write down your key questions to ask during discussion. I find this style of planning really helps new student teachers figure out how they're going to fill their lesson without it being too much teacher talk. But equally you are there to teach them stuff that you know so don't feel that you can't do much talking either (same deputy head...fellow teachers will recognise these fads I'm sure!).

Good luck!

I would think 6th form teaching is quite different to other years. Having a great subject knowledge and enthusiasm should go a long way and no reason why you shouldn't be great at it.

I'm secondary trained and now work in a primary school. I did a few weeks of 6th form experience 20+ years ago. There's no reason to think I'd be better at it than you just because, on paper, I've got a qualification.

My subject's English and if possible, I would always do something like a poem or short article for an interview/observation as you can then do a 'whole thing' in one lesson. I've no idea how that would look for you but maybe something to think about .

Thank you all so much, I really appreciate your advice. Timing is something I’m worried about, I was planning to try and make the lesson the approximate length but have a list of questions for discussion handy in case it turns out I have 20 mins to fill at the end .

Yes there will be an interview too (hopefully). I have the student panel first thing, then the lesson, then the formal interviews start at midday. However whether I get to have a formal interview depends on how I did in the student panel/lesson.

I agree with a resource as a starting point. My class loved this:

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/john-lewis-boys-girls-clothing-labels-gender-neutral-unisex-children-a7925336.html

@Thatsnotmyteenager and @amillionmenonmars agree with you both on this one....

How do you know you are one of three?

Thanks @Piggywaspushed

I know I’m one of three because the timetable for the day was emailed over and it details for candidates A, B and C on it.

*had details

I know absolutely nothing about this but good luck OP I hope you get it! Your passion is coming across in buckets

Just something on student panels- they won't know you're not a qualified teacher, so they will most likely talk to you as though you are one (not that it should make much difference but just bear it in mind).

Student panels are a bit controversial I think. You obviously need to be yourself but students generally favour candidates that know their subject, come across as being likeable/approachable without being too kool or matey, and give the vibe that they are someone they could respect and trust once settled in. They will most likely ask you a practical application of a safeguarding situation, a 'what would you do if...?' sort of thing.

They might also still be asking the naff 'if you had a super power....?' question...

@Heyha yes I’d already considered that that would likely be the case. And I thought if at all possible I’d avoid directly telling them that I’m not qualified, I don’t expect it’s something the school would like me to go around declaring if I did get the job.

And thank you @SexyNeckbeard

Best of luck!!

How did it go, OP?

How did it go?

@BlueLines81
I hope it went well Blue but disappointing you have not been back to update after lots of people gave you lots of advice based on many years of teaching experience.

Wish you were teaching at my kids school. One of them is currently doing a levels at a state school which is considered good. Most of the teachers don't seem to spend much of the lessons teaching at all. I hope you get the job. You sound really enthusiastic.

The interview was only today! I’m sure OP will update when she hears…

Damn, too late to give you this link
revisesociology.com/tag/10-mark-questions/
It had a practice question on your topic from 2017
Hope it was a positive experience for you regardless!

I'm sorry to dampen your enthusiasm, I'm a teacher and have taught sociology in the past at a level, but it's not my main subject. I've been in the profession for 17 years and teaching is not a skill you can learn over night- let alone in an interview. And although you are hopeful they will train you up in the job- is that really fair on those alevel students??? To have a none teacher with zero teaching experience teach them exam technique and content they will need for a qualification that might be critical for them to go to university?!!

Now I have mentored many student teachers and they have never had a critical examination class in their first year it would be unfair on them and the students. As a parent and a teacher I would object to someone with your level of experience teaching a level.

Having said that it's absolutely great you want to go into teaching and there are many programmes you can take other than a pgce, teach first for example or skit courses. If you can expand into other humanities subjects too it will help you as sociology can be quite hard to find positions.

Hi everyone, sorry didn’t see the new posts on the thread until just now.

Well, it was a disaster in that I couldn’t actually actually go . My DD had a positive LFT last night and I’ve had a cough and sore throat for a few days which I didn’t really think anything of, but I thought going into a school with possible covid wasn’t a good idea for anybody’s sake, so me and dd went for PCRs today. I sent an email to explain and also phoned up this morning to give my apologies in case they hadn’t seen the email.

I dare say the position has been filled now so I guess that’s that. I am absolutely gutted, the last few days I have done nothing other than think about and prepare for the interview and demo lesson, I had shiny new interview clothes and everything.

There’s another couple of positions advertised within commutable distance so maybe I’ll apply for those, I’m just feeling really flat and deflated today. Thank you all so much for all of your help, and thanks for thinking of me today (unnecessarily as it turned out).