The story of how failure can knock your confidence but with a change of mindset - you can do incredible things.
For any job/career you’re wanting to go into, there will nearly always be an interview process, and for me it is easily the WORST part. I HATE interviews – I mean I don’t know anybody that loves them but they are definitely one of my biggest fears in life. My anxiety goes through the roof from the second I find out about the interview until after the process is over. Whether that be days or even weeks. However, strangely, I don’t mind the interview preparation. I see myself as an organised person – sometimes too organised. If there is such thing as over-preparing then I’ve been guilty of it at some point or another.
I’ve worked in a few different retail positions so interviews for those were all quite similar. The only massive difference was learning about the individual company but apart from that, you’ll find a lot of the questions asked in the interviews are the same. However, an interview for a teacher training position was on a whole new level. All that was going through my head was...
‘this is the next stage of your life and if you don’t get this position – what are you going to do?’
When it first came to applying for my first three positions, I was torn. Do I stay in York where I’ve studied or do I move two hours south to my hometown? In the end, the first three application I sent where to places in my hometown. But deep down, there was always a part of me wanting to stay in York.
I waited weeks. I refreshed my emails every hour of every day. Until I finally received an interview invitation to one of my applications. My interview date was exactly a week from the day I got the interview. I went into full panic mode and I couldn’t seem to get my mind to concentrate on preparation, I just wanted to cry every-time I thought about it. I took the decision – the day before my interview – to cancel. I withdrew my application to the position. I felt like a complete failure. I felt as though I had let everyone around me, down. I felt awful and I blamed myself and my anxieties over and over again. But I realise now, that it was the right thing to do. For once, I prioritised myself and my mental health. I realise that I just wasn’t ready at that moment in time to go through an interview process.
I lost contact from another one of the three applications I sent so that left one position. Coincidentally, the one position left was my top choice. I was invited to an interview to my top choice quite a while after the others and I felt a lot more confidence. I felt ready. Although I only had 3 days between receiving the invitation and the interview date, I was ready to give it all that I’d got. I travelled to my home-town the day before and got myself prepared. However, on the evening before the interview date, there was some mis-communication between me and the position and some details that had been lost. Which meant I had no choice but to withdraw. I was devastated. Again, I blamed myself. I had got my hopes up just to fail, again.
I started to think that I was getting no where with my plan to teach and I started having doubts. I started to question whether I even wanted to teach anymore or if I’d be good enough for it. Weeks went by and I felt deflated. The first three applications had all been withdrawn so that took me to the second stage of application. I was scared to apply to anymore positions.
One morning, I remember waking up and feeling a such surge of confidence that I could do it. I logged onto my laptop and without even giving myself time to think too much into it, I applied to a position… in York! It was an impromptu decision but I felt excited and it felt right. I received an invitation to an interview within the hour of sending my application. I couldn’t believe it. I tried not to let my failures get the better of me. I had 10 days to prepare myself and this time, I decided to tell no-one about the interview. Just in case it went horribly wrong like the last three and I could easily just let it go over my head and just forget about it without having to talk about it to people.
I took some time before my interview to work on my mindset and my nerves and I realised that it didn’t matter if I didn’t get this position. I accepted that if I try my best then there is nothing more that could be done. If it was meant to be then it would be. I wasn’t going to worry about not finding a position. I was proud to of got this far. And I was ready to take on the interview and just use it as a learning experience. If I don’t get this position, maybe I keep applying to positions until I’m successful, maybe I take a year out and work and earn money, maybe I apply for a master’s degree in art? I realised I had more options and that I wasn’t going to let my worries of my future, dictate my ‘now’.
Interview Preparation
A lot of teacher teaching interviews (PGCE with QTS) are very similar and will be similar in the ways the interview process is split. They are usually quite lengthy interviews lasting several hours consisting of different elements including but not limited to: preparing a teaching activity to be taught on the day, a formal interview, a presentation or preparing a piece of writing. Every position will have a different way of interviewing their candidates and for mine, I had to prepare a 15-minute literacy activity based around a book of my choice, suitable for 10-12 year 3 children, I also had to prepare for a formal interview and then an activity with the school council (I was given no other details on this).
For each section of my interview process, I simply looked for any information that was out there already. You’ll find there is plenty of websites that will have forums or blogs that talk about ways to prepare or people who have already been through it and the questions they got asked.
For my formal interview, I wrote down a list of potential questions that I found that others had been asked in the past and then wrote down my own answers to them so I could think about what I would say. I think it’s important not to list too many potential questions you’ll soon get muddled with which answer goes to each question but if you have the basic questions and a few completely ‘out-of-the-box’ questions (just in case) and then write down your answers – on the day, it is a lot easier to remember things you would liked to say. If I was to write this blog before my interview even happened, I don’t think I would have said half of this. When actually preparing for the questions I may get asked, I wrote way too many down. And I found myself starting to get stressed with the amount of potential questions I could be asked before realising I didn’t need to prepare that many.
For my 15-minute literacy activity, I researched into books suitable for the age range of the children and chose a book that way. Before even thinking of what activity I could do, I read the book so I could get familiar with the characters and the story-line. When preparing an activity for a specific age range/year group, it could be helpful to look into the National Curriculum and the learning outcomes that are suitable for that age. That will help you to create an activity specifically catered to the children.
As for the activity with the school council, I had no other details so there wasn’t any way I could prepare for this. I just had to keep open-minded about what to expect and not to over-think it too much. On the day, the activity turned out to just be a set of questions. Completely random questions asked by a few members of the school council; questions such as ‘if you were a book, what would you be and why’. Questions that made you think of the spot and say whatever came into your head first. For this activity, they weren’t looking for perfect answers, they were judging you on ‘how’ you answered the questions and the ways you engaged with the children asking the questions. It was actually quite fun!
I think it’s really important not to over-think your interview whilst you’re there. If you completely forgot about what you’re there for and just fully amerce yourself into every task you’re given, you’ll do just fine! Be friendly and chatty and as cliché as it sounds:
Just Be Yourself.
On my fourth interview, I was successful! Working on my mindset and not thinking too much into everything going on - I was able to go into the interview full of positivity and happiness and that evidently was then portrayed into each activity I carried out. Don’t give up! I went through many failures to get to where I am today but once you succeed, you will thank yourself so much for not giving up! Even if I was unsuccessful in that interview, it would have been okay. I still would have seen it as a success. I went in there full of positivity, I was myself and I knew that I had other options. A few months ago, I saw being unsuccessful within the interview as the end to all of my dreams of being a teacher. But now, I realise that if it’s meant to be then it will be and if it doesn’t happen the way you anticipated then maybe now isn’t the right time. Stay positive and see the happiness in everything around you. Even bad situations have ‘a bright side’.