What are common SEN Teaching Assistant interview questions?
If you have been invited to interview for an SEN teaching assistant position, you may wonder what questions you'll be expected to answer. Prepping thoroughly for your interview and preempting some of the questions can help ensure you have impressive, relevant answers that will help to demonstrate your experience, passion, and motivation for doing the job.
So what are some of the interview questions you may be asked? Though not an exhaustive list, below you will find some of the most common questions to get you thinking about why you want to work as an SEN teaching assistant and what would make you suitable for the role.
Interview Questions about safeguarding
One of the most important aspects of any role in education is the safeguarding of pupils. Therefore your employers will expect you to understand what safeguarding means. They may ask you if you can explain the legal duty of care you'll have to follow safeguarding best practices and how to promote and protect the welfare of the children in your care.
Another typical safeguarding question may be about what action you would take if a pupil disclosed certain information or if you witnessed something that raised safeguarding concerns.
Interview Questions about pupil behaviour
As an SEN teaching assistant, you'll be expected to get to know your pupil's patterns of behaviour and to be able to manage disruptive behaviour as well as recognise when a pupil may be feeling upset or distressed. Some questions about your emotional awareness and what action you would take to help a child in distress or what de-escalation strategies you could apply in the face of challenging behaviour are worth considering. You may also be asked how you would encourage unmotivated pupils, how you would help them to concentrate, and how you would support different learning styles or challenges, such as non-verbal learners.
Interview Questions about the SEN teaching assistant role
Having a firm understanding of what the role entails is essential before stepping into the interview session. Make sure you can clearly and succinctly explain what the role of an SEN teaching assistant involves, what skills and attributes you think would help you succeed in the role, what challenges you might face and how you would handle them, and what you could do specifically to support the SEN teacher. You may also be asked about your career ambitions, future goals, and where you see yourself in 5 years' time. H4 - Find your new teaching role with Horizon Teachers today
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