- Tell me about yourself.
- Why do you want to work for our school district?
- What do you know about our special needs program?
- How did you learn of this job position?
- What qualifies you to work for our school?
- What do you consider your strengths?
- What is a weakness you’re currently improving?
A paraprofessional is someone who can be found within the education system. They are there to support the instruction of students. Interviews for such people are often very strict. Read through this article to improve your chances for employment.
When interviewing paraprofessionals, interviewers look for candidates who show strong communication and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to work with special needs students.
A paraprofessional is someone who can be found within the education system. They are there to support the instruction of students.
They can provide many assistive elements to the education system. For example, they could act as a teacher’s aide. Or as a special education assistant.
The prefix “para” means near. Indeed, the National Education Association has proven that 91% of paraprofessionals work closely with students to provide comprehensive support in curriculum and extra-academic activities.
Or even as an early childhood development assistant. You’ll find paraprofessionals within daycares, preschools, elementary schools, and education centers of all kinds. They primarily work alongside teachers, therapists, and other school administrators.
Special Education SPED Paraprofessional Interview: My Experience and Tips || SPEDtacular SPEDucator
Example: “I use a digital record-keeping system to document my observations and interactions with students. I find this method is more efficient than traditional paper methods because it allows me to quickly access all relevant information about a student’s progress and provides an easy way to share data with parents and teachers. I also take photos or videos of students during lessons and activities so I have visual records of their learning process.”
Example: “I believe special education paraprofessionals should meet with teachers at least once per month to discuss their students’ progress. This allows me to share any information I have on my student’s development or behavior while also learning more from the teacher about their teaching methods. Meeting regularly helps ensure we’re all working toward the same goals for our students.”
Interviewers may ask this question to learn more about your communication skills and how often you meet with teachers. To answer, think of a time when you met with a teacher to discuss one of your students. Explain what the meeting was about and why it was important for both you and the teacher to have that discussion.
Special education students may need additional support to succeed in the classroom. The interviewer wants to know how you would help a student overcome challenges and ensure they have access to resources that can help them learn. Use your answer to highlight your interpersonal skills, problem-solving abilities and ability to create solutions for challenging situations.
Special education paraprofessionals must be able to assess students’ needs and develop strategies for helping them. Interviewers may ask this question to evaluate your ability to determine a student’s learning style, communication preferences and other factors that can help you create an effective plan of action. In your answer, try to describe the steps you would take when meeting with a student who is having difficulty communicating.
WITH ADULTS
When working with the special education teacher, how do you see your role within the classroom?
How do you accept feedback?
How will you assist the classroom teacher(s) with modeling correct procedures?
How would you work with teachers who have more/less experience than you?
How do you plan to support the teacher and the students?
What do you do if the special education teacher asks you to do one thing with a student, but the teacher from the regular education class a student attends asks something different of you?
Tell us about a time when you had a difficult coworker and how the situation was resolved.
What would your reaction be if you observed a classroom teacher indulging in unfair acts?
Tell us how you would handle a classroom teaching disagreeing with you on something?
Tell us about problem solving steps or strategies that you could take to help support the classroom teacher and students in the classroom.
How do you imagine your role in a classroom?
Try to focus more on students than on the teachers. You can try to list a few things you’d do, such as repeating the instructions to slower students, ensuring that students are on task and understand everything. Obviously what exactly you’ll do depends on the type of a classroom, number of students with special needs and on other things.
You can also summarize your role into one sentence, saying that your role is to provide personalized instructions to students and help maintain behavioral standards and order in the classroom.
Sample answer:
WITH STUDENTS
How would you foster communication with students?
What experience do you have with communication devices or communication books?
Explain how you would connect with a child that does not communicate primarily with their voice.
Do you know American Sign Language (ASL)?
Would you rather allow a student to allow a student time to independently accomplish a task or help the student to finish a task for themselves?
Tell us how you would be proactive to support the needs of multiple students.
Are you flexible? Meaning can you step in and do someone else’s job at the drop of a hat.
How do you handle multitasking? Data, behaviors, engagement all at once.
What does progress mean to you? And how do you deal with little sign of progress?
What will you do when a student is in a class and is not following directions or doing the assignment but is not disrupting others either.
Are you comfortable running small groups?
How comfortable are you with taking direction from a classroom teacher?
How comfortable are you with technology?
What are your thoughts on behavior management?
What does structure look like to you?
If the teacher is teaching, what do you think your responsibility is?
Are you comfortable assisting with toileting, changing, and/or feeding?
How would you handle another staff member being out, with no substitute to replace them?
How do you feel about medical emergencies or needs of students(as pertaining to students in the classroom)?
How will you interact with parents?
A parent comes up to you and starts asking questions about the classroom (about their own child and other children). What do you do/say?
If a parent was to approach you, outside of school, to voice concerns about the classroom/teacher, how would you respond?
How would interact in public with parents that start asking questions?
How would you balance the workload of helping and being with students, as well as any classroom duties?
Are you comfortable lifting students as needed to aide in mobility or changing?
How would handle a student coming to school sick?
Tell us about a time you taught a child how to do something.
What are some methods you use to help you stay calm in a stressful situation?
Define confidentiality. What does confidentiality mean to you?
How would your I handle [insert emergency situation]?
Do you feel comfortable escorting student(s) around the school?
How will you aid in implementing inclusive practices?
If an administrator walked into the classroom where you are working, what would they see you doing?
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? 10 years?
FAQ
What do you say in a special education interview?
What makes you a good paraprofessional?
What do you wear to a paraprofessional interview?
