History Teacher Interview Questions UK: 8 Real Questions and What Interviewers Want

Applying for a History Teacher job in the UK? Here is what you are likely to be asked. These questions come from our History Teacher question bank of 16 questions, written for UK employers at mid-level level.

Eight History Teacher interview questions, and what the interviewer is thinking

1. How do you teach students to analyse historical sources, and how do you prepare them for source questions at GCSE?

Why they ask: Source work is central to GCSE History and a common area of weak answers.

2. How do you teach students to write a strong extended historical argument, for example in an essay on causation?

Why they ask: Extended writing separates grades in History and needs explicit instruction.

3. How do you teach students the difference between the various second-order concepts such as causation, change and continuity, and significance?

Why they ask: Disciplinary knowledge in History is a key area of current pedagogy.

4. How do you approach teaching sensitive topics such as the Holocaust, slavery or the British Empire?

Why they ask: History teachers handle contested and emotional subjects and need rigour and care.

5. How would you build a chronological framework for Key Stage 3 students so that they see the 'big picture' of history?

Why they ask: Curriculum sequencing and chronology are priorities in current history teaching.

6. A student makes a racist or antisemitic comment during a lesson on the Second World War. What do you do?

Why they ask: Handling prejudice in History lessons requires firmness, tact and awareness of policy.

7. Tell me about a time you improved the quality of students' extended writing in history.

Why they ask: Writing is a major differentiator in History, so they look for evidence of impact.

8. Why do you want to teach history, and what do you think makes it a valuable subject for young people?

Why they ask: They test motivation and whether you can articulate the purpose of History.

A sample answer to question 1

How do you teach students to analyse historical sources, and how do you prepare them for source questions at GCSE?

I teach source analysis as a disciplined process rather than a list of tricks. Students first need secure contextual knowledge, because they cannot judge a source's value without knowing what was happening when it was produced. For each source I train them to ask who created it, when, why, for whom and what it leaves out, and then apply that to the question. On utility questions, for example on AQA or Edexcel, I teach them that the content and the nature, origin and purpose all contribute to usefulness, and that a source can be useful for one enquiry and not another. I model paragraphs on the board, with a clear line of reasoning from source detail to judgement. I avoid mnemonics that lead to formulaic answers, though I use sentence stems at first and fade them. I use unseen sources in starters, and mark practice answers using the board's levels, giving students exemplars to compare against. We also discuss provenance with modern examples, such as social media posts.

Common mistake to avoid: Teaching source analysis as a formulaic checklist; Assessing sources without enough contextual knowledge

Want the rest?

Full model answers, key points and common mistakes for all 16 questions are on the History Teacher interview questions page. The first five are free, no sign-up needed.