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Tutor Interview Questions

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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Tutor interview questions and answers.

  1. What are your licensing, educational, and experience qualifications? See answer
  2. Can you explain your teaching style? See answer
  3. What technology do you use for tutoring? See answer
  4. What are your methods for engaging a distracted classroom or student? See answer
  5. What makes a good lesson, and what is your inspiration for developing new lesson plan ideas? See answer
  6. What strategies do you use to assess student progress? See answer
  7. What makes a great educator, and what are your teaching strengths? See answer
  8. How do you motivate your students? See answer
  9. Discuss a few of your favourite strategies for teaching material to students. See answer
  10. What would you do if your student had given up and believed they were a failure? See answer
  11. What is your preferred environment for tutoring students? See answer
  12. How do you handle difficult students? See answer
  13. How can you determine if a student understands the material you’re teaching or if they need additional instruction?
  14. Talk about a lesson that didn’t go well. How did you resolve it?
  15. How do you include parents in your student’s education?
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Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

15 Tutor Interview Questions and Answers

What are your licensing, educational, and experience qualifications?

Canada requires a post-degree teacher education programme that awards a BEd and includes a practicum for tutoring in Canadian schools.

This question gives insight into the candidate's knowledge and interest in their specified subject and feedback about their teaching background. What to look for in an answer:

  • Educational requirements met
  • Teacher licencing
  • Experience in the same age group

Example:

“I am a fully qualified teacher in Canada, with a BEd from Université du Québec à Montréal and fully licenced to teach. I have five years of classroom teaching experience and have been tutoring senior high school children since I was in college.”

Can you explain your teaching style?

Some Tutors lecture and others engage children in hands-on activities. A combination of the two maintains children's interest. This question also tests culture fit. Educators use printed materials, electronic devices, video and music to keep lesson plans interesting. What to look for in an answer:

  • Examples of teaching style
  • Identifying learning concerns
  • Learning site management

Example:

“I believe that when students are challenged with realistic goals, given support and taught how to problem-solve, theyadvance much faster. I make lesson plans relatable, and my philosophy is to find various teaching methods so each child can learn. It's my job to support students through multiple types of challenges, provide emotional support, and help them feel motivated."

How can you determine if a student understands the material you're teaching or if they need additional instruction?

This question reveals how a Tutor makes decisions on their approach. They should be sensitive to student needs and possess excellent active listening skills. Ask for examples of how the candidate would explain complicated concepts to others. What to look for in an answer:

  • Dedicated student improvement
  • Analysis of student weaknesses
  • Excellent interaction with students

Example:

“I carefully review their tests and homework to identify any weaknesses. I then assign sample problems that validate those and talk with them about any problems they think they are having or extra help they want. I include their feedback in developing different teaching techniques.”

What technology do you use for tutoring?

Technology is at the forefront of education, so all educators must know the school's standard for its use. To use technology at any teaching site, the candidate must know how it connects with the national curriculum. What to look for in an answer:

  • Technology skills
  • Standards on using technology
  • Lesson planning

Example:

“I am up to date on all methods of integrating interactive technology tied in with the national curriculum and the school's policy on technology. I use approved educational software programmes, SMART Boards to improve test scores, form teams to create websites and use tablets to enhance lessons through various apps. I believe in using technology to foster innovative thinking.”

What are your methods for engaging a distracted classroom or student?

Behavioural management is vital to promote a learning environment. A tutor must tie in with the school's behaviour policy and teaching philosophy. What to look for in an answer:

  • Techniques to support students
  • Pre-emptive strategies
  • Use of approved reward structures

Example:

“I would have a meeting with the student, possibly with parents, to identify the underlying cause of their behaviour and ask questions to determine what would motivate good behaviour. I would engage students with various learning choices while meeting the curriculum and use positive feedback for motivation. For general classroom misbehaviour, I call for a short break and mix up the work dynamic.”

Talk about a lesson that didn't work out and how you resolved it.

A good educator must have the ability to think on their feet, change the approach of a lesson going wrong and determine how to adjust the plan, so it works for various groups of students and learning styles. First, determine the problem. For instance, the material may have been too complex for the age group. What you want to hear in an answer:

  • Problem-solving
  • Self-evaluation
  • Recovery and refocus

Example:

“The lesson plan seemed easy enough, but when faced with confused looks, I stopped teaching and addressed the class. I asked them to give me their feedback. We moved on to a group activity, and I reworked the plan to success."

What makes a good lesson, and what is your inspiration for developing new lesson plan ideas?

This question is about how the Tutor fits in with the school's teaching philosophy and can be answered with a description of lesson planning skills. What to look for in an answer:

  • Lesson planning techniques and skills
  • Creativity
  • Current on educational tools

Example:

“I access and use multiple resources to find inspiration for content in my lesson plans, including education standards for the age group, the national curriculum, educational publications, and online research. Sometimes it's something as easy as going through different images of various topics for ideas.”

What strategies do you use to assess student progress?

A key aspect of teaching, tutoring, and being an education consultant is always meeting national curriculum standards. It's vital to know about keeping clear, quantifiable records of students' learning. What to look for in an answer:

  • Importance of lesson objectives
  • Assessment strategies and techniques
  • Uses feedback to improve future lessons

Example:

“I use a variety of student assessment tools so every student can succeed. I test different teaching methods to determine what works best and sometimes adjust the assessment activity's grading scale. I use informal observation to spot issues relating to the student's learning needs and progress. Using multiple test formats, I include oral tests, a variety of written tests such as short answer, diagrams, multiple-choice, and others.”

What makes a great educator, and what are your teaching strengths?

Asking this question assesses the competencies a high-quality teacher should have, and evaluates the level of self-awareness and confidence in the Tutor's teaching abilities. What to look for in an answer:

  • Belief that each student can be successful
  • Creativity and innovation
  • Parent communication

Example:

"For young children, I've used the game mad libs in an English lesson for a fun activity to test students' knowledge of different parts of speech. It was a change of pace and offered a creative way to learn through group participation and activity. I think one strength of mine is finding creative ways to engage the learning processes, and another is having the composure and confidence to teach various subjects, disciplines and topics.”

How do you motivate your students?

This question shows you how the Tutor influences students to do what they need to do, which is equally important when hiring virtual tutors as well. What to look for in an answer:

  • Interpersonal skills
  • Adaptability
  • Positive reinforcement skills

Example:

“I give out rewards and bonuses when students perform well to reinforce positive behaviours and hold their interest. It's something different for different people and reasons, and may be anything from stars, stickers, candy, or a compliment. I'm fair and consistent, so all get moments of recognition.”

Discuss a few of your favourite strategies for teaching material to students.

Asking this question should reveal the Tutor's individual teaching approach and style. The candidate's response tells you if they can help different kinds of students, shows how they explain concepts to students and how they prioritise various teaching milestones. What to look for in an answer:

  • Develops creative teaching styles
  • Adjusts teaching strategies for different students
  • Analytical thinking

Example:

"I teach the same material in different ways to different student groups to see what teaching method works for different learners' styles. I teach with printed materials, video, internet, and other electronic devices and like hands-on activities as well as games.”

What would you do if your student had given up and believed they were a failure?

This question helps to understand how a candidate handles difficult situations, and shows how committed they are to educating and supporting their students. It demonstrates their interpersonal skills and challenges their dedication. What to look for in an answer:

  • Level-headed and goal-oriented
  • Thoughtful strategies to support students
  • Commitment to their cause

Example:

“I give test samples to those students so they can have multiple small accomplishments in a row. When they are more confident, I increase their challenges a bit at a time. Seeing themselves achieve boosts their confidence so they can start believing in their abilities again. I continue to make the work doable at their level and provide emotional support."

What is your preferred environment for tutoring students?

Asking these questions provides an indicator of where the candidate is most comfortable tutoring. It reveals if they prefer a classroom preference, a one-on-one setting or other public environments. Different children have different learning styles, and a Tutor who can switch between scenarios and learning styles possesses strong adaptability skills. What to look for in an answer:

  • Flexibility
  • Culture fit
  • Confidence in teaching style

Example:

"I prefer a quiet area where the student is comfortable and can stay focused for longer periods. However, I am experienced in classroom environments with teaching skills to keep students on track, manage classroom behaviour, and overcome distractions.”

How do you include parents in your students' education?

This question lets you know how the candidate facilitates relationships with students' parents. A good answer emphasises the parent's role in their child's education and how the candidate plans to involve them. You're looking for a strong collabouration between Tutor and parent. What to look for in an answer:

  • Interpersonal skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Results-oriented

Example:

“A child's education depends on parental support. I give them my contact information and actively send emails, updates, call as needed, and schedule regular meetings.”

How do you handle difficult students?

Difficult students are in every classroom and difficult can look like many things. For instance, when students are disengaged, it could be an out-of-classroom factor, or the material is too challenging or too easy. A Tutor's response is to determine the cause of the difficulty and collabouratively discuss solutions with the student. What to look for in an answer:

  • Problem-solving
  • Analysis
  • Patience

Example:

“My first step is to pull the student aside, address the issue and determine what is at the root of the bad behaviour. When I understand the problem, I work with them to develop a solution. It could be due, for instance, to boredom, anxiety, laziness, depression, or other issues. Once I know why I can develop alternatives."

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