You have been invited to interview and asked to teach a lesson. Perhaps you have a topic, a year group and a time slot, perhaps only a time slot. The good news: panels are not looking for a flawless performance. The UK Department for Education’s Teaching Vacancies service says interview lessons and micro-teaches “are not about being perfect”, and that schools are often looking at how you engage pupils, manage time and behaviour, adapt your teaching, check understanding and plan.
That list is your brief. Every step below is designed to show those five things clearly in a short slot.
Step 1: Get the information you need from the school
Reply to the invitation promptly and ask for anything the school has not told you. The DfE’s further education guidance on micro-teaches recommends finding out in advance what level the lesson should be aimed at. In practice, ask:
- How long is the slot, and will I teach a real class, a small group, or the panel acting as learners?
- Which year group or level, how many pupils, and what have they covered recently?
- Are there pupils with additional needs or who are learning English that I should plan for?
- What room and equipment will I have: a board, a projector, internet, mini whiteboards?
- Can I see the school’s lesson plan format, or should I use my own?
- Who will be observing, and will there be feedback or a conversation afterwards?
If the school can’t tell you much about the class, that is useful information too: plan a quick check at the start so you can find out yourself.
Step 2: Choose one objective you can show progress on
The most common mistake in a demo lesson interview is trying to fit a full hour into twenty minutes. Choose one thing pupils will be able to do by the end that they could not do at the start, and make it visible.
Rosenshine’s widely cited “Principles of Instruction” (American Educator, 2012) is a useful check here. Two of its ten principles apply directly to a short lesson: present new material in small steps, with practice after each step, and obtain a high success rate. Rosenshine notes research suggesting the best success rate for fostering achievement is about 80 percent. In other words, pitch the task so most pupils can succeed with some effort, not so high that the panel watches a room of confusion.
Illustrative objective: “By the end of the lesson, pupils can identify the main clause in a complex sentence.” That is specific, observable and achievable in twenty minutes. “Understand sentence structure” is not.
Step 3: Plan the whole lesson, then teach a slice of it
The DfE’s micro-teach guidance suggests planning a full lesson of around an hour, so that you can explain or share what the rest would cover. This helps in two ways. Your slot fits into a believable sequence, and you have an answer ready when the panel asks “What would happen next lesson?”
The same guidance suggests setting aside at least an hour to prepare. For a first teaching post or an unfamiliar age group, allow more.
Step 4: Structure the time
The DfE guidance warns that time passes very quickly in a micro-teach, which usually lasts 15 to 30 minutes. A tight structure keeps you on track. Here is an illustrative plan for a 20-minute teaching demo interview:
| Minutes | Phase | What the panel sees |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 | Starter: a short task pupils can begin as they sit down, reviewing prior learning | Routines, a calm start, and a quick read of what pupils already know |
| 3 to 8 | Explain and model one small step, thinking aloud | Clear explanation and a worked example |
| 8 to 13 | Guided practice, with questions to several pupils and a whole-class check (for example on mini whiteboards) | Checking understanding across the room, not just with volunteers |
| 13 to 18 | Independent practice, with an extension task and support ready | Adapting for different pupils as you circulate |
| 18 to 20 | Exit check: two or three quick questions that show whether the objective was met | Evidence of progress within the lesson |
This mirrors several of Rosenshine’s principles: begin with a short review, provide models, guide practice, and ask many questions while checking the responses of all students.
Step 5: Build in ways to check learning
Checking understanding is one of the things panels say they look for, so make it obvious. Options that work well in a short slot:
- Mini whiteboards held up at the same time, so you see every pupil’s answer at once.
- Cold calling with a friendly tone and names, rather than only taking hands up.
- A hinge question partway through: one multiple-choice question where each wrong option reveals a specific misconception.
- A printed quiz or exit questions prepared in advance, as the DfE guidance suggests.
Then respond to what you see. If half the class gets the hinge question wrong, re-explain rather than pressing on. Adapting in the moment is exactly what observers want to see.
Give short, specific feedback as pupils work. The Education Endowment Foundation’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit rates feedback as high impact for very low cost, and says effective feedback focuses on the task, the subject and self-regulation strategies, tells pupils precisely how to improve, and can be acted on. It also notes the value of feedback when pupils get things right, not only when they make mistakes.
Step 6: Prepare resources and a backup
- Print everything you need, including enough copies for the class and the panel.
- Print your lesson plan for each observer. Keep it to one page.
- Tell the school in advance if you need a screen or internet access.
- Plan for technology failing. Arrive early to check your laptop and the Wi-Fi, and make sure the lesson still works with just a board and paper. The DfE guidance points out that it is rare for anything to go perfectly to plan.
- Bring name stickers or a seating plan so you can use pupils’ names from the first minute.
Step 7: Rehearse, timed
Teach the lesson aloud at least once with a timer. The DfE guidance suggests recording yourself to check timing and content, noticing whether you look at your notes too often, keeping your body language open, and asking a friend what they understood by the end. If the friend can’t state your objective in one sentence, simplify the lesson.
Decide in advance what you will cut if you run short of time. Usually that means shortening independent practice, never the exit check, because the exit check is your evidence of progress.
Step 8: Prepare for the reflection conversation
Many schools follow the demo lesson with a short conversation, often starting with “How do you think that went?” Teaching Vacancies notes that showing flexibility and reflection can help you in a teaching interview. This is where many good teachers lose marks, either by being defensive or by tearing their own lesson apart.
A balanced structure works well:
- What worked, with evidence: “Most pupils got the exit questions right, so I think the modelling landed.”
- What you would change, and why: “Two pupils at the back finished the practice early. I’d have the extension task on their desks from the start.”
- What you would do next lesson: “I’d start with the three pupils who struggled on the hinge question and move to sentences with two subordinate clauses.”
Illustrative answer: “I think the starter and the modelling went well. Nearly every whiteboard was right on the second check. I misjudged the pace of the independent task, though, so I cut it short and didn’t get to the extension. Next time I’d give the more confident group the extension straight away. Next lesson I’d revisit the misconception about commas that came up on the hinge question.”
If the lesson genuinely went wrong, for example a behaviour issue or a resource failure, say what happened, what you did and what you learned. Calm, honest reflection often impresses panels more than a smooth lesson.
If the observed lesson interview is online
Some schools, especially those hiring from abroad, ask for a demo lesson by video call, either with pupils or with the panel acting as the class. Adapt the plan:
- Use the chat box or a shared document for whole-class checks, in place of mini whiteboards.
- Test your camera, microphone and screen sharing beforehand, and have the slides available as a PDF in case sharing fails.
- Pause more often and ask named participants to respond, because you can’t see the room.
- Keep your lesson plan open on paper beside you, not on the screen you are sharing.
A final checklist
- One clear objective, written on the board or first slide.
- A starter pupils can begin without your instructions.
- A worked example you will model aloud.
- At least two moments where you check every pupil’s understanding.
- Support and extension planned in advance.
- An exit check, and a plan for the next lesson.
- Printed plans for observers, printed resources, a backup that needs no technology.
- Three sentences ready for the reflection: what worked, what you would change, what comes next.
The demo lesson is one part of the day; the panel will also have read your application. Make sure your teacher CV and covering letter match the strengths you show in the classroom, and see our cover letter guide for how to describe your teaching approach. If you are applying for your first post, the fresh graduate resume builder can help you present teaching practice placements well.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a demo lesson in a teaching interview?
It depends on the school. DfE guidance for further education describes a micro-teach as usually 15 to 30 minutes. Ask the school for the exact slot length and whether you will teach a real class or the panel.
What if the school does not tell me the topic?
Ask what the class has studied recently and choose a topic that fits the curriculum for that year group. Plan a short starter that lets you check prior knowledge, so you can adjust the pitch in the first few minutes.
Should I use slides in a demo lesson?
Use them only if they help. Keep them few and simple, tell the school in advance if you need a screen, and make sure the lesson still works without them if the technology fails.
What do observers look for in a teaching demo interview?
According to the DfE’s Teaching Vacancies service, schools often look at how you engage pupils, manage time and behaviour, adapt your teaching, check understanding and plan your lessons. A perfect lesson is not expected.
What if my demo lesson goes badly?
Stay calm and adapt during the lesson. Afterwards, explain honestly what happened, what you did in response and what you would do differently. Thoughtful reflection is part of what the panel is assessing.
Sources
- How to approach a teaching job interview (Department for Education, Teaching Vacancies (GOV.UK))
- How to prepare a micro teach for interview (Department for Education, Teach in Further Education)
- Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know (PDF) (Barak Rosenshine, American Educator (American Federation of Teachers), 2012)
- Teaching and Learning Toolkit: Feedback (Education Endowment Foundation)