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If you’ve applied to a teaching assistant job and have an interview coming up soon, you should be prepared to answer one of the trickiest interview questions out there: “where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
By asking this question, interviewers are trying to find out whether you are committed enough to your teaching career and whether they can consider you a “good investment”.
In other words, they want to see proof that you will not leave after they’ve invested in your training and development.
Below you will find nine sample answers to this teaching assistant interview question that illustrate the best ways of coming across as a committed and career-focused candidate.
“Where do you See Yourself in 5 Years?” Sample Answers
Sample Answer 1
Five years ago (before I started training as a teaching assistant) I asked myself that question and I realised that I wanted to get into education to make a real difference in the lives of young people.
Of course, it would be very difficult to do that on my own, so to make an impact it is important to have two things: time and resources.
After completing my training, I started researching which educational institutions were more suited to my long-term goals and could provide the right resources throughout my career as a teaching assistant.
This school is one of those institutions, which means that in the next 5 years I see myself working hard to help deliver your vision and become a better assistant.
Sample Answer 2
I see myself putting my skills to good use and helping advance the school’s goals and mission. I believe that collaboration and mutual support are especially important in educational settings, so I look forward to using my time-management and organisational skills to provide solid admin support to the teaching team as and when required.
Within the next 5 years, I see myself becoming a Higher Level Teaching Assistant after proving that I can be a valuable team member and that I can be trusted with greater responsibilities.
Sample Answer 3
When I volunteered for … school, I shadowed a teacher who specialised in (choose a specialism that you know for sure the school offers based on your research). This was a very rewarding experience, and it made me rethink my career priorities.
I already know that as a teaching assistant I would like to specialise in (name the specialism here), and for me to achieve that level of expertise, it is important that I am in a stable working environment where I can work towards my goals in the medium and long term.
Sample Answer 4
I have always been focused on professional development and growth, and ultimately my career aspirations entail achieving qualified teacher status.
As I move towards that goal, I am aware that the education industry is a very competitive market, so I plan on using the next five years to polish my teaching skill set, learn from experienced teachers, and make a positive contribution to this school and to its students.
Sample Answer 5
One of the reasons I applied to this position is that your school is known for its solid teaching team. I believe that one can never stop learning and I am hopeful that I will be able to fine-tune my skills by learning from mid-career and senior teachers at this school.
In five years' time, I hope I can be experienced enough to be able to mentor and support teaching assistants who may be at the same point in their careers as I am now.
Sample Answer 6
Over the next five years, I would like to make enough progress at a personal and professional level so that I can be seen as a role model and as a reliable teaching assistant.
To achieve that, I plan on evaluating my performance regularly and by using feedback so that eventually I can quantify the outcomes of my work and measure the impact that it has had on students. That’s what medium-term success would look like to me.
Sample Answer 7
I see my teaching career as an ongoing cycle of learning and professional growth, and although I tend to dream big, I am aware that I need to approach career goals one step at a time.
Right now, my goals entail gaining classroom experience, further my teaching assistant training, and working for a school where I can build a successful career in education.
Sample Answer 8
In five years’ time, I’d like to see that youngsters I’d helped in my first year as a teaching assistant had grown into well-adjusted pupils with a keen appetite for learning.
I’d love to think I’d helped, even in a small way, to inspire them to achieve their full potential. It would be an amazing feeling of fulfilment to think I’d been part of contributing towards a good education and encouraged them to learn.
Sample Answer 9
Five years from now, I intend to be a competent, reliable teaching assistant with lots of classroom experience. I want everyone, including the teaching staff, pupils and parents to feel they can always trust me to do my best.
Hopefully, by then, I’ll instinctively know how to help each teacher encourage pupils to perform at their peak. My own childhood was disrupted by frequent house moves, so I know how important it is to create a stable classroom environment.
Conclusion
Although “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” is a tough teaching assistant interview question, you can make a great impression on interviewers by drawing attention to your motives and professional strengths.
Show that you are driven and can commit to a teaching assistant job while having realistic goals, and you will significantly improve your chances of being hired.