What should I do to prepare for my nursery interview?
Useful stuff for interviews

The preparation you do for your interview could well be the difference between getting the job or not. You’ll also find many employers with flexible salary’s, so making a good first impression could get you a higher salary! Here we’re going to look at some simple DOs and DON’Ts, some of the different types of interviews you might come across when going for a nursery or preschool job and give you some tips to help you feel confident and really nail that first impression!

What will my nursery interview be like?

First off let’s look at how a typical childcare or early years interview might look. These are usually split into two parts. A face to face question based section and then what is sometimes called a ‘stay and play’ or ‘room trial’ where you will be asked to spend time interacting with the children and perhaps running an activity. Some nurseries will do both parts on the same day and you may even be asked to do the room trial first. Others will invite you for a face to face interview and then invite you back for a practical interview at a later date. You should always find out in advance so you know what to expect and you can prepare properly.

A face to face interview

As with any interview this will usually be one or two people asking you questions about your previous experience, your career goals, what you can bring to the nursery and so on. Always make sure that you are presentable. Wear smart clothes, make sure your hair is neat and don’t have anything stuck in your teeth! It’s important to remember that this is also your opportunity to get a feel for what the setting and the management are like, so be confident and always try and prepare one or two questions.

Example Questions

These should be around:

  • the nursery’s approach to record keeping
  • which systems are in use
  • if children are taken for day trips
  • if a certain academic approach is used e.g. Montessori, reggio emilia, forest school, that you can go away and research

Use it as an opportunity to make a positive impression about your childcare knowledge and try to avoid questions like ‘how long is our lunch break?’, ‘how much holiday do I get?’ as all these will be answered if you are successful and before you sign a contract. If these are asked at this stage, it could make you come across as potentially unambitious or having a poor work ethic.

You will also likely be asked questions around the early years foundation stage (EYFS), so make sure you’ve brushed up your knowledge as much as possible if you want to impress. You could try to prepare one or two examples of when you’ve applied this in one of your previous jobs. Also remember that you are interviewing for a job working with children. Try your best to be warm and friendly and put your personality across whilst remaining professional. Remember to smile, maintain eye contact and really show them your enthusiasm and passion for childcare and education. If you’ve properly prepared you should find it easier to be confident and you will come across 10 times better!

What’s a ‘stay and play’ or practical interview?

Depending on the nursery or preschool, you could be asked to spend anywhere from half an hour in the room running an activity to a half or full day trial shift (again try and find out in advance so you can mentally prepare yourself!). If you’re running an activity, make sure you know what age group you are trialling with. Keep the activity age-appropriate. Be ready to answer questions on how it relates back to the EYFS.

Try and keep it simple. If you need any specific materials, think about bringing these with you or asking in advance if they have them. We’ll be adding some great activity ideas on the blog section of this website, so keep a look out! The hiring manager will ask the room lead or the staff you were with for their feedback, so be friendly! It can be difficult when you’re in an interview environment, but just remember they were all in your shoes once!

Make sure you’re on time!

With both parts it’s always best to arrive at the setting between 10-15 minutes early. If the setting is not too remote, arrive ahead of time if possible and find a coffee shop. That you are not rushing and coming in to your interview flustered if you hit some unexpected traffic or delays. Always bring copies of any relevant qualifications or certificates with you in a folder. It will show them that you’ve taken the time to prepare and will get you off on the right foot.

If you can do all of this it will give you a much better chance of landing that dream childcare job near you, that long awaited step up to room leader or third in charge, or finding that perfect nursery or preschool that’s going to boost your career in early years! And when you’re ready you can browse jobs near you here. We wish you the BEST of luck!