Substitute teacher interview questions

Twenty questions districts ask new subs, each with what the district is listening for and how to answer from your own experience. Practice one at a time, out loud, then print a one-page “about me” to bring along. Nothing is scored or saved.

Practice, one question at a time

Read the question, answer it out loud as if you were in the room, then look at the notes. Nothing is scored or kept.

1. Why do you want to be a substitute teacher?

All twenty questions

Why do you want to be a substitute teacher?
Listening for: A real reason that fits the job as it is: short notice, different rooms, someone else's plan. Not "it's easy money" or "I'm waiting for something better".
Your answer: Name one thing you enjoy about working with young people and one reason the flexible schedule suits you.
Tell us about yourself.
Listening for: Two minutes that connect your background to a classroom: work with children, reliability, staying calm.
Your answer: Past job, one thing you learned there that a classroom needs, and why you're here now. Stop at two minutes.
You arrive and there are no lesson plans. What do you do?
Listening for: That you go to the office first, then use something you brought, and that you write down what you did. Not that you show a movie.
Your answer: Say the order out loud: the office, the teacher next door, your own backup activity, a note for the teacher.
Duty from Newport News Public Schools (Virginia): Substitute Teacher job description.
How closely do you follow a teacher's plans?
Listening for: As closely as you can, and that changes get written down and explained. The teacher's plan is the plan.
Your answer: Give a time you followed someone else's instructions exactly, and what you did when something didn't work.
Duty from Jordan School District (Utah): Substitute Teacher job description.
What do you do in the first five minutes with a new class?
Listening for: Calm structure: your name on the board, attendance, the class's own routines, a clear first task.
Your answer: Walk through it as a short list. Mention asking the class how their teacher signals for quiet.
A student refuses to do the work. How do you handle it?
Listening for: A quiet, private word, a choice, and no public power struggle. Getting help from the office if it goes further.
Your answer: Describe what you would say, in words, and when you would write it in the note for the teacher.
Duty from Jordan School District (Utah): Substitute Teacher job description.
The class tells you, "Our teacher lets us...". What do you say?
Listening for: That you follow the plan and the school's rules and leave the question for the teacher, without arguing.
Your answer: Have one sentence ready, such as "Thanks for telling me. Today we'll do it the way the plan says, and I'll mention it to your teacher."
How do you get a noisy room back?
Listening for: A signal you use calmly and wait on, rather than shouting over the class. Patience and consistency.
Your answer: Name the signal you use, how long you wait, and what you do the second time.
What would you do in a fire drill or a lockdown?
Listening for: That you know to find the emergency plan and the route before students arrive, take attendance and follow the school's procedure.
Your answer: Say where you look first (the folder by the door, the office) and that you take the attendance list with you.
Duty from Jordan School District (Utah): Substitute Teacher job description.
Two students start to fight. What do you do?
Listening for: Call the office for help at once, keep the other students back and safe, and report it in writing. The school's procedure first.
Your answer: Keep it to the order of steps: call for help, keep everyone else away, write it down. Don't describe stepping in yourself.
Duty from Newport News Public Schools (Virginia): Substitute Teacher job description.
You learn something private about a student. What do you do with it?
Listening for: That student information stays confidential, is shared only with the teacher or the office, and never goes on social media or in conversation.
Your answer: Say who you would tell and that you would not repeat it anywhere else.
Duty from Jordan School District (Utah): Substitute Teacher job description.
How would you work with a paraprofessional or a student with a support plan?
Listening for: Respect for the para's knowledge of the room, following the plan you're given, and keeping what you learn private.
Your answer: Say you would ask the para how the day usually runs and follow their lead on routines.
Which grades or subjects are you most comfortable with, and which are you willing to take?
Listening for: Honesty, and willingness to take more than one level. Districts need subs who say yes to a range.
Your answer: Name your best fit, then the levels you will also take, with a reason you can handle them.
Can you take jobs on short notice? What's your availability?
Listening for: Clear, honest availability, and that you show up on time when you accept.
Your answer: Give your days and how early you can accept a morning call. Mention reliable transport.
Duty from Jordan School District (Utah): Substitute Teacher job description.
What do you leave for the teacher at the end of the day?
Listening for: A written note: what was done, what wasn't, who helped, anything that happened, and messages.
Your answer: Describe your note in three or four parts. It shows you finish the day properly.
Duty from Newport News Public Schools (Virginia): Substitute Teacher job description.
How comfortable are you with classroom technology?
Listening for: That you can take attendance in the school's system, use a projector and the district's email or sub system, and ask when stuck.
Your answer: Name what you've used (a projector, a booking app, email) and how you learn a new system quickly.
Duty from Jordan School District (Utah): Substitute Teacher job description.
Tell us about a time you dealt with a difficult situation at work.
Listening for: A real example with what you did and what you learned. Calm under pressure.
Your answer: Use a short story: the situation, what you did, how it ended, and what you'd do the same next time.
A parent comes to the classroom door during the day. What do you do?
Listening for: That visitors go through the office, and that you don't release a student or discuss one with an adult at the door.
Your answer: Say you'd direct the parent to the office politely and keep the class going.
How would you make a school want to ask you back?
Listening for: Reliability, a tidy room, a clear note, following the plan, and being friendly with staff.
Your answer: Pick three habits you will keep every day and say them simply.
Do you have any questions for us?
Listening for: That you care about doing the job well: how you'll get plans, who to call, how the sign-in works.
Your answer: Ask one practical question, such as how subs learn a school's emergency procedures or who to call with a problem.

About me, on one page

Bring it to the interview or leave it with the office. What you type here is not saved anywhere: print it before you close the page.

Your namePhone and emailDays and times I can subGrades and subjectsExperience with children and young peopleWhat I bring to a classroomWhy I want to sub

Where the listening notes come from

The questions and notes are ours. What a district wants is taken from the duties in these job descriptions:

Jordan School District (Utah): Substitute Teacher job description, read October 31, 2026. Subs follow the teacher's lesson plans and the school's procedures (attendance, discipline, schedules, emergencies), keep student information confidential, supervise students at all times, contact the school administration for help with classroom management, and tell the teacher what was done and what changed.
Newport News Public Schools (Virginia): Substitute Teacher job description, read October 31, 2026. Subs report to the designated person on arrival, review the plans and schedule, keep the room's established routines, teach the regular teacher's plans, oversee behavior in class and at lunch, keep students supervised at all times, report in writing on the day, and stay in the building during their hours.

Every district interviews in its own way. Ask the district what to bring.

How to use it

Press Show the notes only after you've answered out loud.
Go through all twenty once, then shuffle and do it again the night before.
Fill in the about-me page and print it, or save it as a PDF.

Questions

What questions are asked in a substitute teacher interview?

Most are about what you'd do when: no plans left, a student who won't work, a noisy room, a drill, a fight starting. Districts also ask why you want to sub, which grades you'll take and how short-notice your availability is.

What is a district listening for?

That you'll follow the teacher's plans and the school's procedures, keep students supervised, call the office for help, keep student information private and leave a written note. Those are the duties the districts' own job descriptions list.

Is my practice saved?

No. The practice mode keeps nothing, and the about-me page lives only while this page is open. Print it, or save it as a PDF, before you close the page.

Nothing on this page is saved or sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.