Boston Public Schools Interview Questions
& Process

I got an interview request via email, which felt a bit impersonal since it was sent to a bunch of people and didn't have my name on it. I had to pick a time through Calendly for my Zoom interview. I heard back pretty quickly and scheduled it for the next week. The actual interview was a bit intense with two interviewers who seemed to be reading from a script and taking notes while their cameras were off. It didn't feel like a conversation, more like I was talking to myself. It was strange. I sent a thank you email afterwards, but then I was completely ghosted. The whole experience felt colder than usual. I hope they improve their process because candidates deserve better treatment. An interview should be a mutual thing to see if it's a good fit for everyone. Even though it's frustrating to wait for a response that never comes, I'm glad it didn't work out in the end.

It was a thorough process, involving interactions with teams, families, and students. They asked a variety of questions, covering topics like dealing with racial tension, managing stress, and handling hypothetical situations. The student interview part of the process was particularly good.

Applied online and got a phone interview pretty fast. A BPS teacher called me on time. She seemed experienced but said she couldn't answer job questions and I had to use a slow email address. It was 20 minutes. Even though I didn't think I did well, I got an in-person interview. I picked an interview day from two options, not sure if others were taken. The interviews were at a high school after hours, so we saw a possible work environment without students. Everyone seemed positive. About 15-20 candidates were there. We grouped by presentation topic and practiced our teaching demos, then gave feedback. Then we moved to new groups with different topics. In my room, two BPS teachers and an HR person were present. We were told we weren't competing and to be a good class for each other. We gave our teaching demos, some with handouts or visual aids. Then we were instructed in pairs on how to engage 'students' and gave a shorter demo including this new method. We left about 30 minutes early, and it looked like all groups left then. All questions were deferred to the email address. The BPS people didn't say how many positions were open. I'm not sure if anyone was hired. I learned a lot from the process and the reading material, but I'll give a poor rating because I didn't get hired. Management should allow more back-and-forth so candidates can ask questions and determine if they are a good fit. It would have saved me travel costs. Also, 'plagiarism' was misspelled on a display, which is funny. The facility was clean and the staff atmosphere was great, but I worry about the kids' understanding.

I had originally applied for a different job in the Health and Wellness Department, but it was already filled. A few weeks later, I got an email asking if I'd be interested in a different position they thought I'd be good for, and I said yes! I was given an assignment to do, and after I finished it, I was invited for an interview. This was the worst interview experience ever! I got there a bit early and was waiting in the office when I overheard two women talking about the candidate they had just interviewed for this same job. One of them said, "I really like her, she's a great candidate! She will make a great addition to the A Team." A little later, they called me in for my interview, and honestly, those comments totally threw me off! I'm not sure why they asked me to apply, maybe just to increase their interview numbers. It was the most humiliating and unprofessional interview I've been through!