15th April 2021

How To Have A Successful Virtual iday Interview

We are really excited that our virtual iday’s are back, with the first for 2021 booked in for the 28th April. If you haven’t already registered with us, you’ll need to to take part. Here’s the lowdown:

What is iday?

The UK boosts a world-leading education system that offers fantastic career progression and opportunities for personal growth for teachers from all corners of the world. Since Engage started, our focus has been on hiring the best, most passionate teachers to work in UK schools. Our unique, fully virtual iday is just one of the ways that we work to connect schools looking to hire teachers with candidates both in the UK and further afield. We match schools and candidates using our experience and industry knowledge and interviews take place throughout the day via video.

In over ten years of running our virtual and in-person idays, we’ve always had a great success rate, with many initial interviews progressing to second interviews and on to permanent job offers. We are really confident in our unique process and we know that it works!  Our event means that schools have a great chance of finding the ideal match for their school, whilst candidates have the opportunity to showcase their skills and passion directly to employers without the need for time consuming and expensive travelling.

What Happens During iday?

On the day, you’ll know exactly who you are meeting and how to access the interview, your consultant will make sure of it. You can rest assured that the schools you are speaking to will be open to hiring and keen to discuss your ideas and experiences. Each interview lasts around 45 minutes but that can vary depending on the type of role. You’ll find the format very similar to a normal interview and an opportunity to showcase elements of your experience, discuss your own career development plans and if you are an international candidate, why you want to teach in the UK.

How Can I Excel In a 45 Minutes Virtual Interview?

If you haven’t experienced an iday or another virtual interview before, we know it can be daunting. We’ve put together ten of our top tips for making a great impression during your iday interviews, but these tips are valuable to anyone about to embark on a virtual recruitment journey. If you have your own ideas about how to stand out, remotely, then pop us a tweet on twitter  we’d love to hear your personal tips for virtual interview success!

1. Don’t panic! If you are worried or anxious, or if you have concerns, let your Engage consultant know. It may help to do some breathing exercises just before your interview, it will help you appear calm and composed.
2. Research. As with all interviews, it’s important that you research the schools that you will be interviewing with. Even a basic knowledge of location and ethos can make a big difference between candidates, so find out everything you can about the schools you’ll be speaking to.
3. Dress Like A Normal Interview – Dressing formally for an interview isn’t just about looking great on camera, it’s about getting into the right mindset for a professional situation.
4. Test Your Tech. Technical hitches can eat up time in virtual interviews. If you know your connection isn’t the best, make it clear at the start, If a problem arises during an interview, be honest with your interviewer – it happens to everyone!
5. Do A Background Check – Set up your camera and mic well beforehand so you can adjust the background. Hide any personal items and try not to have doors or bright windows behind you for the best experience for your interviewer.
6. Gather Supplies – You might be talking a lot, so a glass of water or hot drink is useful to have close by. Make sure you have pens and paper (see below!) and ensure others in your household know you’ll be interviewing.
7. Speak clearly. Hirers in schools will want to know you can keep control of a class. Speak as clearly as possible without shouting and ensure background noise is minimal.
8. Take notes – Interviewing with more than one school in a day will be more confusing if you don’t keep a clear record of your experience. You might note down examples that you give or topics that you discussed to avoid repeating yourself in the future, or jog your memory before a second interview.
9. Timekeeping – Keep an eye on the time and make sure you get fresh air and a screen break if you are doing several interviews during the day – you want to appear as fresh and passionate as possible for each one!
10. Feedback – Feedback is essential for your Engage consultant to find you the perfect teaching role!

READ MORE: Tips For A Success Virtual Interview

Our role is to facilitate your job search as much as possible, iday is just one of the many ways that we can support you to reach your career goals. To find out more about all of our services and support for jobseekers, explore our website here.