When thinking about what to wear for a teacher interview, it’s important to dress for success. We want to wear something that we feel confident and comfortable in, but also something that is going to help us look presentable and fit to be a teacher. If you have a teacher interview coming up, be sure to grab our free teacher interview workbook!

If you’re a 90’s child like me, the first thing that comes to mind is the quote from the Grinch, “But what will I wear?” Hopefully, we can help you come up with something without saying, “That’s it, I’m not going!”

Anyway, when thinking about what to wear on a teaching interview, let’s think business casual. We don’t want to look too formal, nor do we want to seem too casual. However, if you’re applying to a prestigious school, more formal attire such as a pantsuit might be appropriate. Regardless, this is our first chance to make a good impression, so we want to dress for success.

While making this first impression, it’s important that we look clean and well put together.

Let’s start with the basics

First things first, showering and washing our hair the day of is important. In the era of, “But it’s not a hair washing day..” Let’s take one for the team and make sure our hair is clean and fresh. Greasy hair is not a great way to start out your interview. And then to take it one step further, style your hair in a business professional manner. A fresh hair cut and a little styling cream goes a long way. Style your hair as you usually would, but try to avoid the messy hair look. If you have shorter hair, simply brushing it makes a big difference too. For those of you with longer hair, if your nervous tick tends to be playing with your hair, you’ll want to tie it back or use a clip to make sure it doesn’t cause any distractions during the interview.

The way we present ourselves matters

Another thing that’s super important when making a positive impression is the way our clothes are presented I.e. – No stains, lint-free, and wrinkle-free. Having stained, lint-filled, and wrinkled clothes will instantly make you look sloppy and not very put together. An iron and a lint roller are your new best friends. If you have pets, this is super important, but even if you don’t have pets, taking time to make sure your attire is lint-free is well worth the extra few minutes. I suggest buying two lint rollers. One to keep in your house to use right before you head out and the other to keep in your car to use right before you head into the interview.

Wear something practical and sensible

When getting an idea of what to wear to a teacher interview, I like to encourage teachers to wear practical and sensible outfits. Think about what you would wear on a typical day of teaching and then just take it up a notch. When interviewing, we definitely want to show off our personalities and who we are as educators, but wearing an outfit like Miss Frizzle might not be the best idea for such an important day. Instead think about solids or subtle patterns, nothing too crazy. We want to stand out for sure, but not for the wrong reasons.

Can Teachers Have Tattoos?

Now let’s talk body art. I know tattoos are a direct reflection of who you are as a person and who you are as a person matters. I do have one tattoo. I actually got it on a teacher PD trip in Denver while waiting for our flight home. Whoops haha.

Some of the tattoos we have may be small and sentimental like mine. Others may be a bit larger. The elephant in the room here though is, “Can we have our tattoos showing during a teacher interview?” Honestly, I think the discretion is yours. If you have any reservations about your tattoos showing during an interview, it might be best to cover them up. I don’t say that because I don’t want who you are as a person to shine, but I do say that because I don’t want your tattoos to distract from who you are as an educator. If there is any reason why the person interviewing you may be more focused on your tattoos than your answers, maybe keep them covered for now.

What to Wear in a Teacher Interview

When planning your outfit, we want to dress to impress, but we also want to dress in a way that makes us feel our best. We want to look approachable, welcoming, kind, and like the right applicant for the job, but we also want to be comfortable at the same time. Make sure to try your outfit on before the interview if you haven’t worn it before. Are you going to feel like your best self in that outfit? If there is anything about the outfit that is annoying, itchy, too tight, or is going to distract us in any way, let’s find something else to wear. We want to be able to focus on showcasing ourselves during the interview without having to think about any little annoyance from what we are wearing.

Female Teacher Interview Outfits

For female teacher interview outfits, dress pants and a blouse are a great idea. If you’re into blazers, that would be a nice touch too. You could also wear a tasteful skirt and blouse, or even a dress. For females, it’s important that our attire is modest. Be mindful of your chest. Though there probably won’t be students in the interview, what you wear to your interview is typically a direct reflection of how you’ll dress as a teacher. If your chest is on display, it can be uncomfortable for the interviewing committee and they may be concerned with what may happen while leaning over desks and bending down to work with children. The same applies to the length of a dress or skirt. A long skirt, mid-length, or even just above the knee are always best. Once again, we want to be sure that if we were to bend over to pick something up or sit next to a student, we wouldn’t have anything to worry about. We also want to be mindful of the width of our shirt sleeves, especially in the spring or summer. Spaghetti straps are a serious no-no. A good rule of thumb is three fingers when it comes to tank tops, but again, it’s best to be safe than sorry. If you’re unsure, throw on a cardigan or blazer.

As for accessories, simplicity is key. A nice pair of earrings, a bracelet, and/or a necklace is fine, but let’s try to avoid anything over the top.

And for footwear, I will always go back to practical and sensible. A nice pair of low heels, ballet flats, or wedges are appropriate. Once again, ask yourself if you would be able to wear that footwear for a full day of teaching. If not, maybe something else might be best. The interviewing committee may want to take you on a tour around the school and we want to be sure your footwear can sustain the walk. I once heard that it is always best to avoid open-toed footwear as well, but depending on the school and location, there may be exceptions. Try to avoid anything too casual. Tennis shoes, Dudes, Converse etc. are not appropriate for an interview.

Male Teacher Interview Outfits

For males, a nice pair of dress pants and a button-down, dress shirt always look nice. No need to wear a full suit, unless the school you’re interviewing for is prestigious. Aim to find a well-fitted shirt, one you can easily move around in and be comfortable in but isn’t too loose either, and don’t forget to tuck it in. The same goes for your dress pants. Well-fitted and comfortable is key, and once again, don’t forget, they need to be ironed and any belt loops need to be filled!

Now let’s talk male accessories. A long tie or bow tie is always a great touch.. Let’s just make sure the tie isn’t too out there though or too much of a distraction. If you’re going for a more formal look, a tie clip or pocket square, or even a sport coat is also a classic touch. And once again, a belt should be worn if your dress pants have belt loops.

For male footwear, dress shoes are the only answer. Just as I said for the ladies, tennis shoes, Dudes, Converse etc. are not appropriate for an interview.

A Few Interview Outfit Reminders for Both Males and Females

The Do’s of Teacher Interview Attire:

Try on your outfit ahead of time. Make sure it’s comfortable and that there aren’t any holes, stains, wear and tear, etc.
Iron and lint roll your outfit ahead of time
Go for simple patterns and solids.
Wash and style your hair
Dress Modestly
Wear practical dress shoes (Maybe even close toed)

The Don’ts of Teacher Interview Attire:

Wear jeans
Wear casual footwear
Have stains, wrinkles, lint, pet hair, etc.
Wear a smartwatch as they can be distracting
Wear a hat , this causes hat hair before your interview

If you’re questioning it, try something else. If we have to second guess what we are wearing, there is probably a reason why we shouldn’t wear it.

And lastly, the most important thing you can wear to an interview is a smile and an energetic personality. As much as an interview committee wants to see a well-put-together candidate, they also want to see a fun-loving, high-on-life, energetic teacher that’s going to get kids pumped up for learning! If you have more of a shy and reserved personality, practice your smile and enthusiasm for education. Being shy isn’t bad, but sometimes it can give off the impression that you don’t have what it takes to manage a classroom, which I know is totally not true!

If you’re feeling nervous about your interview, be sure to grab this four-week mini-training series filled with everything you need to know to feel confident and successful going into your first teacher interview! And don’t forget to grab this free teacher interview workbook filled with over 200+ teacher interview questions to practice!

How Early to Arrive to an Interview

Now that you know what you’re wearing, it’s time to actually get there. I highly suggest doing a trial drive to the location the interview is taking place. Scope out the entrance, where to park, how long it takes to get there, etc. If you take time to figure things out ahead of time, it’s one less thing to worry about on the day of.

As far as when to arrive to a teacher interview, a good rule of thumb is 10-15 minutes early. And by this, I mean, in the building 10-15 minutes before the scheduled interview. This allows a little extra time in case you are running behind, but also isn’t too early which might catch the interview committee off guard before they are ready for you. If you’re trying to find parking 10 minutes before the interview, you’re already late. If you arrive early, no big deal. Circle around the block or park down the street and practice a few more of your interview questions and answers before you head in. Just make sure you don’t lose track of time! If you’re wondering what you should be practicing, you can checkout this podcast episode!

I hope you know how much I believe in you! I am so excited for this adventure you are beginning and I am so glad to be along for the ride!

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