Question 1

How would you teach the difference between 'a' and 'an' to a Class 2 class?

Accepted Answer

I don't start with the rule. I start with sound. I hold up two cards — an apple, a banana — and say the phrases with a deliberate pause. Then I do the opposite: 'a apple', 'an banana' — and I let them tell me it sounds wrong. Now I write the rule on the board. Rule after sound, always, in primary.

Question 2

A Class 3 student cannot read a simple sentence. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

First I check if the gap is phonics (can they blend c-a-t into 'cat'?) or sight words (do they recognise 'the', 'and', 'is'?). If it's phonics, I run a 10-minute intervention 3 times a week using CVC words. If it's sight words, I use flashcards and games. I never make the child read aloud in front of the class until they are ready.

Question 3

How do you teach the concept of subtraction to a Class 1 class?

Accepted Answer

Concrete → pictorial → abstract, in that order. I start with real objects (5 sweets, take away 2, count what's left). Then I move to drawings (cross out 2 of 5 apples). Only after they've done both do I introduce the '−' symbol. A Class 1 that jumps straight to '5 − 2 =' has memorised, not understood.

Question 4

How do you handle a Class 2 class where five students all want your attention at the same time?

Accepted Answer

I have a 'traffic light' system — every child has a red/yellow/green card on their desk. Green = I'm fine. Yellow = I have a question, I can wait. Red = I'm stuck, please come. It cuts the chaos in half and teaches self-regulation, which is a Class 2 skill on its own.

Question 5

How would you introduce a story to a Class 3 class?

Accepted Answer

I never open the book first. I show the cover and ask two questions — 'what do you think this story is about? Why?' — and let three or four children guess. Then I read the first page with real voice and pause. Predictions and voice hook them; the words come after.

Question 6

How do you teach place value in Class 2?

Accepted Answer

Bundles of straws and a place-value chart. Ten straws make a bundle (tens), one loose straw is a unit. I build the number 23 physically — 2 bundles and 3 loose — before I write it. Once they can build it, break it and re-build it, I move to the numeral. Skipping the physical stage is the single most common reason Class 3 students struggle with subtraction with borrowing.

Question 7

What is your view on homework for Class 1–3?

Accepted Answer

Short and joyful. 10 minutes maximum, 3 days a week — reading aloud with a parent, one worksheet, or a real-world task ('count how many red things you can find at home'). Long homework in primary teaches children that school is a chore and burns out the parent. I would rather set less and have every child do it.

Question 8

How do you assess a Class 2 without formal tests?

Accepted Answer

Continuous, low-stakes: exit tickets (one question at the end of each lesson), running records for reading, small-group work I sit in on. I keep a simple spreadsheet with three columns per skill — introduced, practising, confident. Parents see it once a term. No child in Class 2 needs a graded exam to know how they're doing.

Question 9

A child is crying at drop-off every morning for a week. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

First, a calm handover — I meet the child at the door, give them a small job (help me set up the crayons). Second, I talk to the parent that day — often it's a home change (new sibling, moving house). Third, I loop in the Coordinator by day 3 if there's no shift. Separation anxiety is normal; a week of it is a flag.

Question 10

A Class 2 child bites another child. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

Comfort the bitten child first, check the skin, note it in writing. Then I take the biter aside — never in front of others — and I ask what happened. I do not shame. I inform both parents the same day, in writing. I loop in the Coordinator. In a primary school this is a documented event, always.

Question 11

A child says they don't want to go to the washroom with a specific attender. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

Take them yourself, right then. Then, before end of day, I report it to the Coordinator and the Principal in writing — not as an accusation, as an observation the school needs to look into. Never dismiss a child's discomfort about an adult, ever. This is non-negotiable.

Question 12

How do you handle a parent who says their Class 1 child is 'gifted' and needs advanced work?

Accepted Answer

Thank them, take it seriously, and observe the child for two weeks against the curriculum. If they're genuinely ahead, I give them an extra challenge task (not just more of the same work). If they're at grade level, I share evidence with the parent — samples of the child's work against the class range — and reset expectations gently. Both conversations happen with warmth, and with data.

Question 13

A child is being left out at snack time by the group. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

Rearrange snack seating for a week — not visibly punishing anyone, just a fresh plan. Watch what happens. If exclusion continues, I speak to the group (not the ringleader) about kindness at snack, and I flag it to the Coordinator. In primary, group dynamics start early and shape a child's year — the class teacher is the person who catches it.

Question 14

How do you handle transitions between activities in a Class 1?

Accepted Answer

Same signal every time — I use a soft chime, count down 3-2-1, and give a specific instruction ('books away, hands on head'). Children in primary need predictable rituals for transitions; chaos in a Class 1 is almost always a transition, not a lesson.

Question 15

Why do you want to teach primary and not secondary?

Accepted Answer

Have a real answer. 'This is where a child's relationship with reading, with maths, and with school itself is built. If you get this right, secondary is easier for everyone. I want to be the teacher a child remembers 20 years later.' Genuine primary teachers know why primary matters.

Question 16

Why this school?

Accepted Answer

One line about their primary programme (Jolly Phonics, Singapore Maths, whatever they use), one line about a specific thing from their site, one line about what you'd add.

Question 17

What is your expected salary?

Accepted Answer

PRT roles in metro CBSE / ICSE schools in 2026 typically sit at ₹2.8–6 LPA depending on experience and board. Give a range, not a number, and ask about the full package (transport, PF, health cover).

Question 18

When can you join?

Accepted Answer

Be truthful — notice period, earliest realistic date. Never over-promise.

Question 19

Do you have any questions for us?

Accepted Answer

Always. Ask about class size in Primary, the reading programme, the Coordinator's role in supporting new teachers, CPD budget, and — if genuine — school transport.

PRT interview questions and answers (2026)

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What this interview actually looks like

Questions with model answers

Q1How would you teach the difference between 'a' and 'an' to a Class 2 class?

Q2A Class 3 student cannot read a simple sentence. What do you do?

Q3How do you teach the concept of subtraction to a Class 1 class?

Q4How do you handle a Class 2 class where five students all want your attention at the same time?

Q5How would you introduce a story to a Class 3 class?

Q6How do you teach place value in Class 2?

Q7What is your view on homework for Class 1–3?

Q8How do you assess a Class 2 without formal tests?

A 15-minute demo you can teach on Monday

Ask them back — questions for the interviewer

Ready to apply?

Other interview guides