77 things to bring

What Should I Bring to a Teaching Interview

Resume copies, your license, references, a notepad and two questions: what to bring, part by part.

Copies of your resumeOne for each person at the table, and one for you to glance at.
Copy of your cover letterThe one you sent this school, not a general one.
Teaching license or certificateA copy to leave, and the original in case they ask to see it.
Proof that your license is on the wayA letter or a score report, if the certificate has not arrived yet.
College transcriptsAsk the school whether a plain copy will do for now.
List of referencesWith phone numbers and emails. Tell each one the school's name, so the call is no surprise.
Letters of recommendationCopies to leave. Keep the originals.
Licensing exam score reportIf your scores came on paper, bring the report.
Background check papers you already holdA copy may save the office a step.
Printed copy of your applicationSo what you say matches what you wrote.
The job posting, marked upUnderline the words they used, and use them back.
Photo ID for the front officeA school may sign visitors in and ask to see it.

Next step Pick a kind of teacher to be

All 77 things to bring

Papers to hand over 12

Background check papers you already hold A copy may save the office a step.
College transcripts Ask the school whether a plain copy will do for now.
Copies of your resume One for each person at the table, and one for you to glance at.
Copy of your cover letter The one you sent this school, not a general one.
The job posting, marked up Underline the words they used, and use them back.
Letters of recommendation Copies to leave. Keep the originals.
Licensing exam score report If your scores came on paper, bring the report.
List of references With phone numbers and emails. Tell each one the school's name, so the call is no surprise.
Photo ID for the front office A school may sign visitors in and ask to see it.
Printed copy of your application So what you say matches what you wrote.
Proof that your license is on the way A letter or a score report, if the certificate has not arrived yet.
Teaching license or certificate A copy to leave, and the original in case they ask to see it.

In the portfolio 19

A test you wrote, with its rubric How you marked it says more than the grade.
Binder with tabs Tabs let you flip to a page in the middle of an answer.
Certificates from training and workshops Most recent first.
Chart of one class's progress A before and an after, with no names.
Classroom management plan One page: routines, expectations and what happens next.
Contents page The panel may only have a minute with it. Show them where to look.
Lesson plan you have taught Pick one you can talk about, with what you would change.
Link to a digital portfolio Print it on your resume, in case they want to look later.
List of clubs or teams you could lead Schools hire for the gaps in their after-school list too.
One task set at three levels The same lesson for students who need more help and students who need more stretch.
Photos of your classroom walls Choose pictures with no students in them.
Sample note home to families Shows how you would talk to parents.
Screenshot of a class web page you built Shows what you do with the school's technology.
Slim copy to leave behind Resume, philosophy and one lesson, stapled.
Student teaching evaluations Pick the observation with written comments, not just scores.
Student work with the names removed Cover or cut every name first.
Teaching philosophy on one page One page. They will read the first paragraph.
Thank-you notes from students or parents One or two, with last names covered.
Unit overview Shows you can plan weeks, not just one good day.

For a sample lesson 17

Adapter for the room's screen Ask what the projector plugs into.
Answer key Have it in your hand, so you are not solving at the board.
Box of sharpened pencils For the students who arrive with none.
Exit ticket slips A question at the end that shows you check what was learned.
Extra activity for a fast class A few more minutes of work, in case they finish early.
Handouts for the class, with spares Ask how many students, then print a few more.
Index cards For drawing names fairly, or for one-line answers.
Name tents for the students Calling a student by name changes the room.
One real object to pass around It beats a slide of the same thing.
Pad of sticky notes For quick answers that students can stick on the board.
Paper copy of your slides If the screen fails, you teach from paper.
Picture book with your stops marked For a lesson with young children, know where you will pause and ask.
Printed lesson plan for each observer They follow along and write their notes on it.
Sheet of chart paper and tape A board you bring yourself, already written.
Slides on a USB drive and in your email Two copies, in case one will not open.
Timer you can see from the board A sample lesson that runs over loses its ending.
Your own whiteboard markers Borrowed markers are always dry.

Questions to ask 14

How are teachers observed and given feedback? Shows you expect to keep getting better.
How do families take part in school life? Opens a talk about how you would reach parents.
How does the grade team plan together? Shows you mean to work with the teachers next door.
How does the school handle behavior? Listen for who backs the teacher up.
How large are the classes likely to be? A fair thing to know before you say yes.
Is this a new position? If you are following someone, ask what the class is used to.
What curriculum and materials would I use? Tells you how much you would plan from scratch.
What do you like most about working here? People like answering this one, and it ends on a warm note.
What is the next step, and when? Ask it last, and write the answer down.
What should I have done by winter break? Tells you what the school counts as a good start.
What support does a new teacher get here? Asks about mentoring without saying you will need it.
What technology do students have? The answer changes how you would plan a lesson.
What would my room and schedule look like? Helps you picture the first week.
Which clubs or teams need a sponsor? An easy way to offer more than the job posting asks.

For the day 15

Blank thank-you cards Write them in the car afterwards, while the names are fresh.
Bottle of water Talking for an hour dries your mouth.
Breath mints Not gum.
Calendar with the date you can start They will ask.
Folder that keeps papers flat A creased resume looks like an afterthought.
Folding umbrella A wet folder of resumes is hard to hand over.
Granola bar for afterwards A tour, a lesson and a panel can run past lunch.
Lint roller Chalk dust and pet hair show on dark clothes.
Names and titles of the panel Ask the school secretary when you confirm the time.
Notes on the school Its grades, its programs and one thing from its latest newsletter.
Pen and a notepad Write down names as people say them.
Practice answers to common questions Say each one out loud on the drive there.
Printed directions and the office number The visitor entrance is not always where the map pin is.
Reading glasses For the form they hand you at the front desk.
Three classroom stories on one card A win, a hard day and a lesson that changed halfway through.

How it works

What should I bring to a teaching interview? Papers the panel can keep, and proof you can teach. These 77 things cover papers to hand over, the portfolio, a sample lesson kit, questions to ask and things for the day.

Read the full guide

If you bring only five things

Copies of your resume for everyone at the table, your teaching license or proof that it is on the way, a list of references, a pen with a notepad, and two questions of your own. A portfolio and a lesson kit come next if the school asks for them.

Ask the school these before you pack

How many people will be on the panel, whether you will teach a sample lesson, to which grade and for how long, and what the room has for a screen. The answers decide how many copies you print and which rows of the list you need.

Put the papers in the order you expect to hand them over, resume on top.
Print one more copy of everything than the number of people you were told.

Questions and answers

What should I put in my teaching portfolio?

A contents page, a one-page teaching philosophy, a lesson plan you have taught, a unit overview, student work with the names removed, a test with its rubric, a classroom management plan, a sample note home to families and your evaluations.

What should I bring if the interview has a demo lesson?

A printed plan for each observer, handouts with spares, your own markers, the slides on a drive and in your email, a paper copy in case the screen fails, a timer and an extra activity for a class that finishes early.

What questions should I bring to a teaching interview?

Ask about support for new teachers, the curriculum you would use, how the grade team plans together, how teachers are observed and what the next step is. Write them on your notepad before you go in.

Should I bring a portfolio if the school did not ask for one?

Bring a slim one. A resume, a teaching philosophy and one lesson plan with student work fit in a thin folder, and you can open it to back up an answer without handing over a whole binder.