Practice 40 Preschool Director interview questions covering leadership, licensing compliance, and parent communication.
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Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
There will always be debate regarding the public versus private education system. The interviewers would like to have a clear understanding of your stance and ensure that you will be fully supportive of their education model. Some factors to consider while forming your response include:
- The academic reputation of the school. Does the school meet the regions' academic standards? Private schools often have more rigorous standards; however, the lines become blurred by the rise of charter schools, which are part of the public school system.
- Classroom sizes. A school that is too large may allow students to slip through the cracks where a school that is too small may not be eligible for beneficial funding opportunities.
- Availability of specialty programs. Public schools are more likely to have resources for students with special needs, where private schools will be more likely to have specialty programs for academically gifted students.
- Overall cost. Private schools come at a tuition that is often very steep. Private schools are free, or nearly free, depending on the region.
- Religious instruction. Depending on the region where you live, most public schools will not allow religion to become part of the academic curriculum. Private schools are allowed to include religious instruction as part of the curriculum.
Base your response according to the school to which you are applying. Be honest about your stance while showing that you are open-minded and understand that every family will have their preference and reasoning.

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"I stand by the opinion that every family is unique and will come across a solution that works best for their values and dynamics. I rarely ever take a 'this is better than that' stance. Instead, I look at debates around public vs. private school and understand that there are too many factors at play to say that one is better than the other. As a Preschool Director in a public school setting, I can appreciate the challenges and benefits of each option. Personally, my children attend public school. I chose public school for my children for two reasons. First, the zoning in our city made it nearly impossible for my children to attend a private school without a long commute or a parent driving them to and from school every day. Second, I have a child with special needs, and I found that our community's public school had a more robust and well-funded special-ed program. I have friends who send their children to private school because they like the smaller class sizes and the fact that their academically gifted children can focus on their niche in a more intimate environment."

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The personal characteristics I have which make my job effective as a director are I am a great listener, and I can map out a problem before solving it.

Rachelle's Feedback
These are essential characteristics, indeed! Are these characteristics most in demand for your role? And, are they characteristics that the hiring company is looking for? They are a bit general so I encourage you to dig deeper. I also recommend providing an example of your characteristics in action.
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Written by Rachelle Enns
40 Questions & Answers • Preschool Director

By Rachelle

By Rachelle