“They Said What?” Part 2: What Not to Say at a Teacher Interview

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I couldn’t believe the response to the original “They Said What?” post! While a few people accused me of making these stories up, more school administrators reached out with their own jaw-dropping HR moments. Here are some of my favorites. All are true (we aren’t creative enough to make these up!) and the names and locations have been changed to protect the ridiculous.

Smooth Operator: “I was finishing up an interview with a young teacher and asked, ‘What other questions do you have about our program?’ He leaned over, put his hand on my knee, and asked, ‘What’s your policy on interoffice dating?'”

Ya’ Gotta’ Eat: “A candidate showed up for the interview with a bag of McDonald’s and asked me to wait while they ate.”

Lost in Translation: “When hiring local teachers for an international English immersion preschool, I always make sure candidates understand before arriving that the first half of the interview will be conducted completely in English, with the second half using an interpreter if needed.

A candidate arrived, did not smile, and barely shook my hand. I said hello and asked the first question. She looked at the interpreter and told her. ‘I am not prepared to have this conversation in English, you may interpret for me.’

I assumed it was nerves and thought maybe we could start with something easy and work into the English portion. I asked her to sing a children’s song in any language she chose, and she told the interpreter ‘No, I don’t like music.’

Things did not get better. After five very awkward minutes, I decided to ask one more question and end the interview.

‘So, what is your favorite subject to teach?’ With no intended irony, she looked directly at me for the first time and said, ‘English.'”

Ride or Die: “I had a video interview and the candidate answered the call on his moving bike. He was confused when I suggested we reschedule.”

Power Dressing: “During the lockdown, I had a video interview and the candidate came on the screen shirtless, in a dark room, with what I am pretty sure were pillows propping him up. I ended that call pretty quickly.”

Brutally Honest: “Because so often a good candidate on paper lacks a spark in the classroom, I have potential teachers do a mini class with our students as their final round interview. It can be nerve-racking, but it’s also an opportunity to really shine and set yourself apart from other candidates.

A particularly nervous young teacher stood in front of our 4’s class, and opened the lesson with ‘Do you all like teapots?’ When she received no answer, she began to sing ‘I’m a Little Teapot’… off-key…really off-key…

One of my more precocious students turned around, looked at me, and announced, ‘Oh no!'”

Your turn. Tell me your best worst interview story!

Images: Unsplash

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