Indianapolis Public Schools Interview Questions
& Process

It was a great and thorough interview process. They really seem to care about their employees. The questions touched on education and children, and how I'd handle specific scenarios. Some questions were situational, and others focused on my past jobs.

We sat down and they asked me if I had worked in a school setting before. Then we talked about special needs and if I was familiar with working with children who require more one-on-one attention. I had just finished a long-term substitute teacher assignment, and although it wasn't specifically for kids on the spectrum, it was with kids who needed more attention. I had only worked with one autistic student and wasn't familiar with nonverbal communication or any of the signs used. The two ladies were very informative and assured me I'd be fine and that they would teach me more about autism and communication when I met the teacher before school started.

I put in my application online over a weekend and got called in for an interview the next Tuesday. It didn't seem to matter to them that I was from out of state. So, I drove all the way out to Indy for it. Then, about 10 minutes before my interview was supposed to start, I got an email saying it was in a totally different location. Apparently, a secretary messed up. Since the new place was a 20-minute drive away, I ended up doing the interview on my phone right there in the parking lot of the elementary school where I originally thought I was supposed to be. The interviewer mentioned they'd be making a decision by the end of the day. Because they didn't really make an effort to see me in person, I figured they already had someone else in mind, which is fine. But honestly, I just found the whole thing incredibly unprofessional and a massive waste of my time. EDIT: A couple of weeks later, the principal emailed me asking if I could give him a call. I asked him when would be good, and he suggested the next morning. I had to rearrange my whole day for this phone call. He started talking about the rest of the interview process (even though he said they'd already decided on the day of my first interview?) and then asked if I had any other job prospects. I told him, 'I have an offer,' and he immediately hung up. I rearranged my day for a 30-second phone call. I've seriously never gone through an interview process that was so flaky and unprofessional. Around the same time as my 30-second call, I was asked to interview at another IPS building, but I politely declined. I wasn't going to go through that again, especially since I already had a job offer.

I wanted to teach in the townships but could not find a job. I never planned on working for IPS, and I applied there in desperation for a job right out of college. So, as a young teacher, I was thrilled to be selected for an interview. I only had one interview before being placed in a school. My principal was not welcoming when I arrived in the summer to meet him, see where I would teach, and begin to set up my classroom. This was the start of my difficult, 10+ years at IPS