Early Years Teacher Interview Questions

Early years or nursery teachers work in pre-school, nursery and reception classes with children aged between three and five. They plan and carry out activities in line with early years foundation stage. This involves developing work schemes and lessons plans to motivate children and imaginatively using resources to help them learn.

Early years teachers develop the social and communication skills of children and provide a safe and secure environment in which the child can learn. They build and maintain relationships with parents/guardians to further support pupils as well as operate within multi-agency networks to ensure the correct support is available.

Early years teachers record observations and summarise the children’s achievements. They focus on optimum child development and preparation for a successful transition to primary school education.

Whether you're a job seeker preparing to be interviewed for the role of Early Years Teacher or an employer preparing to interview candidates for Early Years Teacher position, these Early Years Teacher interview questions will help you prepare yourself for the job interview session.

Early Years Teacher Interview Questions

Below are a list of some skill-based Early Years Teacher interview questions.

1. Can you describe how you would use fun and play to impart knowledge while keeping to the education guidelines?
2. What information will you include in a detailed report about a child to their parents?
3. How will you exercise patience when interacting with children?
4. What are some of the attributes you possess as an early childhood educator?
5. Imagine two children in the classroom misbehave and fight constantly. What do you do?
6. We want to encourage our pupils to be kind to one another. How would you incorporate kindness into your lessons?
7. If a child showed signs of defiance, how would you act?
8. What would you do if a parent was dissatisfied with their child’s progress?
9. Imagine you suspect a child is being neglected by their family. What is your course of action?
10. What do you like most about being a nursery teacher?
11. Do you have any experience working with special needs children?
12. What would you do if a child got hurt while playing?
13. How well do you handle criticism?
14. What’s the biggest challenge working with early years children?
15. What methods do you use for language development?
16. Describe your process for creating a daily schedule.
17. What kind of record should a preschool teacher keep?
18. When planning lessons, how do you take into account the diverse learning needs of your pupils?
19. Describe your ideal classroom
20. How do you define and measure success in your job as an early childhood teacher?
21. How often do you think you should communicate with parents?
22. What do you think is the most important aspect of early years education?
23. Recall a time you had to deal with a dissatisfied and aggressive parent. How did you handle it?
24. How do you handle a classroom that’s noisy and rowdy?
25. Tell me about a time you organized a group activity the children liked
26. What do you think is one of the most difficult things children are facing today?
27. What makes you stand out from other early childhood teachers?

Early Years Teacher Interview Questions and Answers

Every interview is different and the questions may vary. However, there are lots of general questions that get asked at every interview.

Below are some common questions you'd expect during Early Years Teacher interviews. Click on each question to see how to answer them.

1. Why Should We Hire You?
2. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
3. Why Do You Want This Job?
4. What is Your Greatest Strength?
5. Are You a Leader or a Follower?
6. What is Your Salary Expectation?
7. Tell Me About Yourself
8. What is Your Greatest Weakness?
9. What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
10. Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?