DS1 has a Head Boy interview, any tips?

[middleagedspread]

He's a lovely lad but the other candidates are either county sportsmen, super academic or related to the staff. He's none of those things.
Any ideas?

Just be himself. The school know him and no-one on this forum know him from Adam! He must have been short listed because he has suitable qualities. So perhaps the school sees them and you don't. Best of luck to him!

Is he a good all-rounder? That and charm (good speaking ability, confident public speaker) is what I imagine they'd be looking for.

He's confident & sure of himself, a grafter & polite. I wouldn't describe him as charming though. I imagine they're looking for someone who can bridge the gap between teachers & students but I'm not sure if he could do that.
Thanks for the input.

Make sure he can answer expected questions

• why do you want to be head boy
• why do you think you would make a good head boy
• how have you contributed to the school
• will you be able to balance head boy duties with academics
• can you give an example of where you have shown good leadership

Also maybe things like

• what would you do if you discovered your best mate was taking drugs

Show he has thought carefully about what good leadership looks/ is like, what the challenges might be and how he'd overcome them. Be aware of his weaknesses/ areas do development and his strengths. Think about his priorities if appointed and whether they are realistic and would have a positive, measurable impact

Talk about what the school has done for him. A little bit of humility goes a long way.

Thanks all. DH did a mock interview last night & asked him most of those questions. Apart from too much rambling he answered them quite well. I agree about the humility.
I suspect it's a done deal but it's all good experience.

Being head boy is about leadership of fellow pupils and trust and reliability from the school perspective. Being a county sportsman, super academic or related to staff doesn't necessarily imply those traits. He should forgot about the others and think about how to demonstrate his own leadership skills.

When I wrote charming I suppose I was really thinking leadership potential.
This thread is useful for me, had a chat with DS today about his desired career (Army officer) & I was telling him he needs to seize opportunities to develop leadership skills.

Holiday how old is he? My DSs have both done NCS which gave them some great experiences in leadership and team work. I'm hoping my DS will discuss it at his interview.

What is NCS? DS is 14yo, yr9. We agree he's not much of a leader now, but that it's something many can & do learn & you don't know if you don't try.

www.gov.uk/government/get-involved/take-part/national-citizen-service
My DSs had to be stronglyencouraged to take part but the experience was invaluable.

My son had his head boy interview today. He has to prepare a speech to deliver to prospective year 7 parents as part of the process. He was honest about what the school has done for him, the extra curricular clubs, etc etc. He was then asked some of the questions listed upthread. The panel must've liked what they heard, he got the "job"!

Practice shaking hands!!

Bit concerned that you think being related to a member of staff is an advantage, speaking as a teacher mother of a daughter who didn't get the job... Unless you have problems with your school that is just an excuse and looks a bit pathetic, sorry. The advice from others has been good. Good luck to your DS. Don't write him off, have some confidence in him!

The teacher's DS has been head of year several times, is on all the school committees and runs the school council.
To be fair, he is a lovely lad.

Just a word of caution. Is he sure he knows what he would be letting himself in for?
DS2 refused to apply for the job "in case I get it", even though I thought the interview would be good experience. This is because of the huge demands on time the school place on HB and HG just as they are in the run up to GCSEs. Every function from school plays, concerts, speech night, open nights, parents evenings they are expected to be there to meet and greet.
If he'll thrive on that it's fine but I have seen some struggle with the pressure.

I do agree about the commitment, DS feels up to the challenge. Like you say, the interview will be good experience for the next few years.

Interview for Head Boy? How interesting.

At my school Head Boy & Girl were voted in democratically.

At DS school they have to submit a written application and are then interviewed by the SLT.
I think it's a valuable experience especially as there is very little else in the school in the way of interview practise (rural comp). When DS went for a job interview for apart time job I had to help him with the application, CV and interview prep as they had done nothing at school.