How to interview a shadow teacher

Have the school's recommendation, the individual education plan if one exists, and any assessment reports to hand. Write down the three things you most want to change in the next term: staying in class, following instructions, joining group work, whatever the school has flagged. Decide the hours, the start date and the pay range. Tell the candidate in advance what the child's needs are so they can prepare; how they use that information is itself a signal.

1. Tell me about a child you supported with needs like mine. What did a typical morning look like? 2. What was the hardest moment with that child, and what did you do? 3. How did you work with the class teacher, and what did you do when you disagreed? 4. How did you reduce support over time, and how did you know it was time? 5. What do you do in the first two weeks with a new child? 6. How do you handle a meltdown or refusal in front of the class? 7. How do you keep the child included with peers rather than isolated with you? 8. What would you write in a weekly note to me? 9. What training have you had, and what would you like more of? 10. What questions do you have about my child?

Listen for specifics: names of strategies, what happened next, what they changed. Vague answers about patience and love are not enough.

Good signs: the candidate asks about the plan, the school and the child's strengths, not only difficulties; describes fading support as a goal; talks about working under the inclusion lead without resentment; has references from a school. Warning signs: promises rapid results; blames previous schools or families; cannot describe a single concrete strategy; is unwilling to provide police clearance or attested certificates.

Our guide on qualifications in the UAE explains which documents to verify.

Ask the school whether the candidate can spend a morning in class before you commit. Most will allow a visit once the basic documents are in. If not, arrange a session at home on a task the child finds hard. Watch how the candidate introduces themselves, how quickly they read the child, whether they prompt too much or too little, and how they handle the first refusal. Ask the class teacher's impression afterwards.

If the candidate is currently working, a trial may have to be at the weekend or in the early evening. That is fine; what you are watching for does not depend on the setting.

Ask for one reference from a school and one from a family, and call both. Ask the school reference how the candidate worked with staff and whether they would have them back. Ask the family reference what changed for the child and why the arrangement ended.

Hours, pay and payment date; holidays and what happens on school closures; sick cover; a probation period; the weekly note; who the candidate takes direction from at school; and how either side ends the arrangement. Put it in a short written agreement. Then hand the school the candidate's documents so they can start the approval process described in our guide on how schools add a shadow teacher to their approved-staff list.