Meet the Community Coaches
- Do you consider yourself to be helpful, patient, or understanding?
- Do you enjoy engaging kids in fun and innovative ways?
- Does it sound like fun to explain ideas and concepts to a classroom of learners?
- Would you enjoy building connections with kids while teaching them in ways to support their understanding and comprehension?
- Are you interested in learning about best methods to reach students and creating lessons to help them figure it out?
This page will give resources for people interested in Elementary Education & Secondary Education. If you are someone who is interested in being a teacher for K-12 students, you have found the right page.
K-12 Search Terms:
- Elementary/Middle/or Secondary Teacher
- Career and Technical Educator
- English as Second Language Teacher
- Special Education
- Subject Area Teacher
- Curriculum Supervision
- Substitute Teacher
- Teacher Aide/Assistant
Higher Education Search Terms Related to Education Backgrounds:
- Academic Services
- Administrative Services
- Admissions Recruiter
- Program Coordinator
- Student Services
Training and Development Search Terms:
- Instructional Services Coordinator
- Training Coordinator
- Learning and Development
- Recruiter
- Leadership and Engagement
During Your Practicum
- Build positive relationships with the people you will use as references and ask them for letters of recommendation. Remember to continue to talk with your contacts even after your experience has ended. A guideline for establishing and maintaining relationships with references can be found here.
- Ask the principal at your cooperating school to observe you teach or to do a mock interview with you.
- Attend the education job fair in the spring.
- Note: Try to go both your junior and senior year. This way, you can introduce yourself to potential districts your junior year and meet with them again your senior year when you are searching for a job. This will give you an advantage over other candidates.
- It is strongly encouraged that you meet with the Education Advisor at the Pomerantz Career Center by the middle of your practicum experience.
- Note: The Pomerantz Career Center can help you with your résumé and finding relevant volunteer opportunities.
- By the end of your practicum experience you should have a full working teaching résumé (a guide can be found here). The only part missing will be your student teaching experience, which you will add in once you have begun student teaching.
Before Student Teaching
- Create a REAP account and/or Iowa Works account
- Write the first draft of a cover letter for a teaching position (a guide can be found here) and take it into the Pomerantz Career Center to have it reviewed.
- Start looking for an appropriate and professional interview outfit.
During Student Teaching
- Update your résumé with relevant information from your Student Teaching experience.
- Ask the principal at your cooperating school to observe you teach and/or do a mock interview with you.
- Secure letters of recommendation and maintain contact with your references.
- Attend the education job fair in the spring.
- Participate in mock interviews (offered during the fall and spring semesters) at the Pomerantz Career Center.
Getting Started
Education Resume Guide
How To Write A Bullet Point
Power Verbs for Education Resumes
Recently Updated Resume Examples
- RAPIL Resume Example for 5+ Years of Work Experience
- Secondary Education Resume Example
- Elementary Education Resume – Example 1
- Elementary Education Resume – Example 2
Additional Resume Examples
Elementary | Applying to the College of Education |
K-12 | International Experience |
Secondary | Coaching Experience |
MAT | Post-Graduate Experience |
Cover Letter Tips
Cover Letter Examples
Elementary
Secondary
References & Letters of Recommendation
| Check out student employment, internships & post-graduation full-time jobs in Handshake. Employers targeting University of Iowa students & alumni use this recruiting system to connect with you! |
State of Iowa
Iowa Teaching Licensure Information
Iowa Works
National
Out-of-State Teaching Licensure Information
State-by-State Information List
US REAP
k12jobspot
International
UNI Overseas Recruiting Fair
Teaching Abroad Opportunities
Mock Interviews
Interview Preparation
- Interview Preparation Guide
- Potential Education Interview Questions:
- Getting to Know You
- Why did you decide to become a teacher?
- Why are you the best/most qualified applicant for this position?
- Describe a personal experience which had an impact on your teaching.
- What is your favorite aspect of teaching?
- What are your interests outside of teaching?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher?
- List 3 adjectives that describe you professionally.
- Why are you interested in our district?
- Briefly describe your personal teaching philosophy.
- Interpersonal Skills
- How would you plan to facilitate collaboration between home and school?
- Can you describe how you have or how you would communicate with students’ parents?
- If confronted by an angry parent (or perhaps colleague) on an issue, how would you respond?
- How important is it for you to be well liked by your students?
- How would you respond to a student who asked for your advice on a difficult personal situation?
- What kinds of things do you do to get to know students on a personal level?
- How would you address bullying in school?
- Instruction
- Describe a typical class period.
- What instructional strategies have you found most effective?
- What are the components of an effective lesson plan?
- What research-based teaching methods have you used?
- What specific strategies would you use to help students who are struggling with reading?
- Explain what differentiation looks like in your classroom. Give a specific example of a time when you have modified your instruction to accommodate the unique needs of a particular student.
- How do you incorporate state and national standards into your curriculum?
- What do you do to actively engage your students?
- How would you motivate a reluctant learner?
- What would you do with students who continually fail to complete their homework?
- Describe a specific skill or concept that students typically struggle with in your classroom. How do you overcome that challenge?
- How do you integrate technology in your classroom?
- What kinds of multicultural activities promote diversity in your classroom?]
- Describe your most successful unit and what made it successful.
- How do you communicate your learning objectives to the students?
- How do you make real-world connections in the subject area you are teaching?
- How do you transition from one activity to the next?
- How do you measure student success?
- How do you know whether your curriculum is appropriately matched to your students’ needs?
- Classroom Management and Environment
- What type of classroom management plan would you implement?
- How would you set up and communicate your rules and expectations to your students?
- How do you handle students who are difficult to manage?
- Describe the toughest discipline situation you have encountered and how you handled it.
- If you were having classroom management difficulties, when and who would you ask for help?
- Success in school is proven to be influenced by a child’s physical, social, and educational environment. Describe that environment in your classroom – how are these factors at play?
- Describe the layout and environment of your classroom?
- How do you build a community with your students?
- What does a productive and collaborative classroom community look like?
- Personal/Reflection
- Describe the qualities of a highly effective teacher.
- Identify 3 significant challenges that educators face today.
- If you had been in charge at your last work place, what changes would you have made and why?
- Describe the characteristics of the students you like to teach.
- What did you find the most challenging during your student teaching experience? (Or, for veteran teachers, most recent teaching experience).
- Describe a time that you were in a difficult situation and explain how you resolved it.
- If you were doing something for students that you knew was right and your principal told you to stop, what would you do?
- Describe in detail your best and worst days in the classroom.
- Describe the best lesson you ever taught and explain why it was great.
- What are your long term goals?
- What new ideas would you bring to our school and/or district?
- Give an example of a time you went above and beyond to accomplish a task.
- Getting to Know You
Consider volunteering as a way to explore your interests, build your resume, and connect with the community!
Volunteering in the Classroom
A great way to gain experience is by volunteering in the classroom. This can be done by simply calling a school (try to choose one that is near where you live) and letting them know how you would like to get involved. If you have a specific age or area you'd like to volunteer with more, let them know and they can get you started. It's that easy!
Additional Volunteerism Links
- Volunteer Center of Johnson County
- Hawkeye Service Breaks
- UI Student Engagement Fair (held at the start of each semester)
Additional Resources
This fair is in the spring semester and will be for students in the College of Education seeking employment in school districts.
Current UI students, alums, and students across the state are invited to meet with over 40 districts to discuss job opportunities.
Learn About Careers from Real Life Professionals
CandidCareer.com provides an easy way to explore careers and learn about job search strategies through thousands of 1-2 minute video clips
Elementary Teacher
Education Coordinator
ESL Instructor
Job & Internship Postings
This list a small sample of what is in Handshake. View all opportunities:
Hawkeye Spotlight
Levelling up his education game
A passion for playing video games led University of Iowa doctoral candidate Jeremy Dietmeier to embark on a career designing better informal learning environments.
Bringing a passion for policy to the classroom
University of Iowa graduate Carrie Schuettpelz wants to teach students how to effect change. She returned to campus in 2018 to share the perspectives she’s gained since leaving campus, ones that have come from living abroad, graduate study at Harvard, and federal work on homelessness.