NYC Teaching Fellows Interview Questions
& Process

The point of the first interview, at least, is just to weed out people based on things that don't really matter for being a good teacher. And even though this is a fellowship for PROFESSIONALS, not teachers, they ask stuff you'd expect a teacher or someone in education to know. It's one thing to see if someone knows about learning or has trained people before, but it's another to quiz people with no teaching background on how to manage a classroom, deal with student behavior, or use specific teaching methods. It feels like you might as well apply to be a licensed teacher. It's a total waste of time to interview for a teacher development program and then get asked about the nuts and bolts of teaching, only to be rejected for not knowing. The first interview should be more about potential, how someone learns, logical thinking, memory, handling stress and conflicts, emotional intelligence, and understanding how to work with diverse groups, not the mechanics of teaching.

The NYCTF application and hiring process is lengthy. It took six months from my initial contact with the fellows program to my first day of teaching. The first part of recruitment is quick. After the application review, candidates invited to move forward are scheduled for an assessment and performance task event. This is a group activity. Candidates are asked to prepare a brief lesson plan in their chosen subject. On the day of the assessment, candidates first take a simple quantitative test that assesses critical thinking skills. Then, candidates break into smaller groups to give their 5-minute lesson plans to NYCTF observers and other candidates. Be ready with your materials and be well-rehearsed to stand out. Next, candidates are given a school-related problem and asked to create a presentation with solutions for the school's PTA. This presentation is very time-limited, and everyone is expected to speak. Immediately after, there's a short one-on-one interview with an NYCTF interviewer. They'll ask about points from your application essay and inquire about your motivation and teaching philosophy. You'll also receive immediate feedback on your mini-lesson and be asked to modify and re-teach it for the panel. You'll have a few minutes to plan and one minute to re-do the lesson. I recommend keeping your adaptation simple. I was accepted as a NYCTF Teaching fellow in Spring 2013. This review should be helpful as you prepare for the recruiting process. Be patient! There are many paths to becoming a great teacher. Best wishes!

The initial written objectives were pretty clear. If you show passion and a good command of English, you'll do well. The phone interview was simple, and the questions asked were similar to what others have posted – it's worth checking Glassdoor and perhaps practicing with someone. The lesson demos are straightforward; just follow the given instructions. Be prepared for them to interrupt you a couple of times to gauge how you handle disruptions. Although you have limited time, speak slowly and clearly. Make sure to conduct plenty of classroom checks to gauge student focus and call on a few students unexpectedly.

After submitting my online application, I had a phone interview where they presented me with several hypothetical situations and asked me to role-play. About five days later, I was invited to a selection day. On this day, I had to teach a short lesson, learn a new skill, and then use that skill to re-teach part of my original lesson. The event concluded with a Math test that wasn't about my math skills, but more about understanding different ways students might approach problem-solving.