Common teaching assistant interview questions
For teaching assistants, SEND and one-to-one support assistants and learning support staff. The questions schools ask, and how to answer them well.
- 13 common questions
- What they want to hear
- What to avoid
What a teaching assistant interview is like
Teaching assistant interviews are usually with the headteacher or a deputy and the SENCo, sometimes with a class teacher too. Some schools ask you to spend time in a classroom, read with a small group or lead a short activity. There will be safeguarding questions and, for SEND posts, questions about the needs the post supports.
Before the interview, read the advert closely: is it a class-based post, a one-to-one role or interventions across the school? Look at the school’s website and its SEND information, and prepare examples from school, childcare, volunteering or family life that show patience, encouragement and teamwork.
The answers below are structures with made-up detail, to show the shape of a good answer. Use your own real examples and your own words.
Teaching assistant interview questions and answers
Questions marked STAR want a real example: the situation, your task, the action you took and the result. For the others, follow the steps. Keep each answer to about two minutes.
-
Motivation
Why do you want to be a teaching assistant at this school?
What they want to hear
A genuine interest in helping children learn, and something specific about this school.
Avoid
Giving the hours or the holidays as your main reason. They may matter to you, but they should not be the answer.
How to answer
- Start with
- What you enjoy about supporting children, with a short example.
- Then
- What you know about the post, for example supporting a pupil with autism in Year 3.
- Finish with
- Something about the school that appeals, such as its approach to reading or its inclusion work.
-
Phonics
How would you support a child who is struggling to read?
What they want to hear
Practical knowledge of phonics and reading support, and that you would follow the school’s scheme.
Avoid
Encouraging them to guess words from the pictures, or using your own method instead of the school’s scheme.
How to answer
- Start with
- Finding out where they are from the teacher’s assessment and the school’s phonics scheme, such as Read Write Inc. or Little Wandle.
- Then
- Little and often: practising sounds and blending, reading decodable books matched to their level, and plenty of praise.
- Finish with
- Recording progress and sharing it with the teacher so the next steps are planned.
-
ImpactSTAR
Tell us about a time you helped a child make progress.
What they want to hear
That you make a difference and can show it: what you did, and how you knew it worked.
Avoid
An example with no clear result, or one that names the child.
An example answer, with STAR
- Situation
- In Year 2, a boy you supported could not remember his number bonds and avoided maths.
- Task
- The teacher asked you to run a short daily intervention with him and two others.
- Action
- You used Numicon and quick games for ten minutes a day, praised effort and kept a simple record of what each child could do.
- Result
- Within a few weeks he knew his number bonds to 10 and started putting his hand up in maths lessons.
-
SEND
What experience do you have of supporting children with SEND?
What they want to hear
The needs you have supported, the strategies you used and how you worked with the SENCo, or a real willingness to learn if you are new.
Avoid
Labelling children by their diagnosis, or saying you treat every child exactly the same.
How to answer
- Start with
- The needs you know, such as autism, ADHD, speech and language needs or dyslexia, and the age group.
- Then
- Strategies you have used: visual timetables, now and next boards, movement breaks, simplified language or Makaton.
- Finish with
- How you follow a pupil’s support plan and feed back to the SENCo.
-
Behaviour
What would you do if a child in your group became very upset or angry?
What they want to hear
Calm de-escalation, keeping everyone safe, and following the school’s behaviour policy and the child’s plan.
Avoid
Raising your voice, using physical intervention you are not trained for, or keeping it to yourself.
How to answer
- First
- Stay calm, lower your voice, give them space and make sure the other children are safe.
- Then
- Use what you know works for that child, such as a quiet space or a calm-down card, and follow their behaviour plan.
- Finish with
- Telling the teacher, recording it as the school requires and talking it through with the child once they are calm.
-
Safeguarding
What would you do if a child told you something that made you worried about their safety?
What they want to hear
That you know exactly what to do: listen, never promise secrecy, report to the designated safeguarding lead straight away and write it down.
Avoid
Saying you would mention it to the class teacher later, or speak to the parents yourself.
How to answer
- First
- Listen calmly, let them talk, and do not ask leading questions or promise to keep it secret.
- Then
- Tell the designated safeguarding lead immediately, following the school’s procedure.
- Finish with
- Writing down exactly what the child said, in their words, with the date and time, and not discussing it with anyone else.
-
Teamwork
How would you work with the class teacher?
What they want to hear
That you follow the teacher’s lead, communicate well and share what you notice about pupils.
Avoid
Suggesting you would teach your own way, or that you would wait to be told everything.
How to answer
- Start with
- Knowing the plan and the learning objective for each lesson, and asking if something is unclear.
- Then
- Feeding back on the pupils you worked with: what they could do and where they struggled.
- Finish with
- Being flexible when plans change, and raising any concerns privately rather than in front of pupils.
-
TeamworkSTAR
Tell us about a time you worked as part of a team.
What they want to hear
That you fit into a staff team, share the load and communicate.
Avoid
A story in which you did everything yourself.
An example answer, with STAR
- Situation
- At the nursery where you worked, your room was short-staffed on a day of visits from new families.
- Task
- The routine had to keep running while visiting parents were made welcome.
- Action
- You agreed roles with your room leader, ran the outdoor session and showed families around between activities.
- Result
- The day ran smoothly, and several of the visiting families later took up places.
-
SEND
How do you encourage independence in a pupil you support?
What they want to hear
That good support helps pupils do more for themselves over time, rather than doing the work for them.
Avoid
Describing yourself writing answers for the pupil, or staying beside one child all day without a reason.
How to answer
- Start with
- Giving the least help needed: a prompt, a model or a checklist rather than the answer.
- Then
- Stepping back gradually as the pupil grows in confidence, for example sitting nearby rather than beside them.
- Finish with
- An example of a pupil who started finishing tasks on their own.
-
PastoralSTAR
Tell us about a time you helped a child settle or feel more confident.
What they want to hear
Warmth and patience, and that you notice when a child is struggling.
Avoid
Taking credit for the whole team’s work, or sharing private details about the family.
An example answer, with STAR
- Situation
- A Reception child cried at the door every morning and would not join the class.
- Task
- The teacher asked you to help her settle.
- Action
- You met her at the door with a small job, such as handing out the fruit, used a visual timetable so she knew what came next, and told her parent about her day at pick-up.
- Result
- Within a few weeks she came in happily, and the team used the same approach with another new starter.
-
InitiativeSTAR
Tell us about a time you used your initiative to help a pupil.
What they want to hear
That you notice what pupils need and act sensibly, within the teacher’s plan.
Avoid
Changing the lesson without telling the teacher.
An example answer, with STAR
- Situation
- In a writing lesson, a pupil new to English was copying from his neighbour because he did not know the key words.
- Task
- You wanted him to take part without slowing the lesson.
- Action
- You quickly made a picture word mat for the topic, checked with the teacher and used it with him that lesson and the next.
- Result
- He wrote his own sentences, and the teacher asked you to make word mats for the next topic.
-
Development
What qualifications or training do you have, and what would you like to do next?
What they want to hear
The training you bring, or are working towards, and a wish to keep learning.
Avoid
Saying you do not need more training, or listing courses you could not talk about.
How to answer
- Start with
- What you have, such as a Level 2 or 3 in Supporting Teaching and Learning, paediatric first aid, phonics or Team Teach training.
- Then
- What you would like to learn, for example more about speech and language support or leading an intervention.
- Finish with
- That you would take part in any training the school offers.
-
Values
How do you keep information about pupils confidential?
What they want to hear
That you understand confidentiality in a school: within the staff team, and never at the school gate or online.
Avoid
Saying you would chat about your day with other parents, even without names.
How to answer
- Start with
- Only discussing pupils with staff who need to know, somewhere private.
- Then
- Not talking about pupils with other parents, even friends, or on social media.
- Finish with
- Knowing that safeguarding concerns are the exception: they are passed to the designated safeguarding lead, never kept secret.
Questions to ask them
At the end you will usually be asked if you have any questions. Two or three thoughtful ones show you are serious about the job. Write them down and take them with you.
- Will I be supporting one pupil, one class or interventions across the school?
- How do teaching assistants and teachers plan together here?
- What training do teaching assistants get, for example in phonics or SEND?
- How does the SENCo work with the support team?
Practise out loud with mock interview questions
Answers sound different said out loud. With a free account, our interview prep tool gives you practice questions for a teaching assistant job, from your CV or the job title alone, with a tip for each one. Each practice set uses one free use.
Teaching assistant interviews: your questions
Will there be a task at a teaching assistant interview?
Some schools ask you to read with a child, lead a short phonics or maths activity, or spend time in a classroom. The invitation usually tells you. Keep it simple, be warm and encouraging, and be ready to say how you think it went.
Can I become a teaching assistant with no experience?
Yes. Many schools appoint people without school experience, especially for class-based posts. In the interview, use examples from parenting, childcare, volunteering or youth groups, and show you are keen to train.
What should I wear to a teaching assistant interview?
Smart, practical clothes, as you may spend time in a classroom or sit on small chairs. Something you would be comfortable wearing to work at the school is about right.
What safeguarding training do teaching assistants need?
All school staff have safeguarding training, and schools train you when you start. If you have done training before, say what and when. Above all, know that any concern goes to the designated safeguarding lead.
Get the application ready
- Teaching assistant CV templateThe best designs for a teaching assistant CV, and what to put on it.
- Teaching assistant cover letter exampleA full example letter for this job, with what to mention in yours.
- Teaching Assistant CV exampleA filled-in example CV to borrow structure and wording from.
Interview questions for other jobs: Nurse Healthcare assistant Care worker Teacher Retail Customer service Hospitality Administrator Receptionist Accountant Project manager Sales Marketing Software developer Electrician Warehouse Apprenticeship
Ready for the interview?
Pick three or four of these questions, write a few notes for each, and say your answers out loud before the day.