Informational Interview Report: Ipswich Girls' Grammar School Teacher

This report details an informational interview conducted by a student with a teacher from Ipswich Girls' Grammar School, exploring various aspects of the teaching profession. The interview covers the teacher's career path, responsibilities, and daily routine, as well as the required qualifications and job satisfaction. The report also delves into the negative aspects of the job, including challenges related to student behavior and workload. Additionally, the interview provides insights into the economic status and growth potential within the field of education. The report concludes with the student's reflections and an action plan based on the information gathered, offering valuable insights for individuals considering a career in teaching.

Running head: REPORT ON INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW
Report on informational interview
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1REPORT ON INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW
Executive summary
An informational interview is a kind of informal conversation with a person working in a
field that interests a job applicant. The person will provide advice and information on the aspects
of the job. The interview in this report will act as an effective research tool in exploring the
duties of a teacher.

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Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................2
Details of the interview........................................................................................................3
Career planning reflections..................................................................................................8
My Action Plan..................................................................................................................10
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
An informational interview is the procedure of researching my future career field
systematically, by a series of in person visits to a workplace of some people who are already
employed in similar jobs. It will function as a valuable career tool for me and will assist me
in understanding the organization, position, and education industry in which I intend to
pursue a career. It will help me clarify and evaluate whether I am looking for this type of
career position (Ford, Van Sickle and Fazio-Brunson 2016). The interview will give me a
clear understanding of the extra qualifications and skills I would require to have to secure a
similar position in my career and will also provide me hints for my résumé. Moreover, it will
provide me the opportunity to establish personal contacts for job search networking. This will
prove to be a best method for obtaining a position in the education industry. I preferred using
LinkedIn to find contacts whom I intended to meet for this informational interview. I
searched the names by using the key terms like ‘Biology teacher in Queensland’ and once I
had shortlisted a number of prospective teachers who had a vast experience in the profession,
I reached them out over emails. In the email I mentioned how I got her name through
LinkedIn. I said that I was not looking for a job through her recommendation. I was rather
looking for information related to the teaching profession owing to my interest in the field
and my intended career goals. I asked her if it was a god time to talk for a few minutes where
she could help me learn more about the profession. I asked for a convenient time for a 15-20
minutes appointment that would help me in understanding about her career position, the
career progress of a teacher and provide me some advice on how to enter the field.

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Details of the interview
The interview was scheduled to occur at her house in Deebing Heights, Queensland at
2:00 p.m. Her name was Theresa Fraser. She had been teaching at Ipswich Girls’ Grammar
School, Queen Victoria Parade, East Ipswich for many years and was at the present a leading
teacher. The school is one of the eight original Grammar Schools located at Queensland and
celebrated 125 years recently aims to deliver a positive, personalized education program for
students so that they are well prepared for higher learning, global citizenship and life. Some
of the questions that I asked her were as follows:
 Describe how did you get into this position?
I got into this profession about 11 years ago. I had completed my Masters degree in
Educational Studies from the University of Queensland, Australia. My degree had a
specialization in Guidance and Counselling. I knew from the very beginning of my academic
career that I wanted to pursue a job in the field of education (Ness 2016). It took me some years
of my undergraduate and postgraduate studies and inquires from acquaintances in the similar
field to decide which avenue of education I wanted to be a part of. Eventually, I decided to get
multiple subject credentials that will enable me to teach students coming from diverse
backgrounds from Kindergarten grade to the 8th grade (Cappella et al. 2016). I focused on
effective student counseling strategies, English Language skills and guidance programs that will
enable success of students through proactive learning process. I was confident of my desire to be
part of a system in which I could help several individuals obtain knowledge, confidence and
skills that will help them empower their lives (Acevedo et al. 2016).

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I belonged to a family of professors and educators. My aunt had said me something one
fine day which I still remember as a lesson and always try to offer. She had said, “You can lose
valuable possessions, house and money in the course of life. However, you will fail to lose your
wisdom, education and intelligence, even if you try to.” This inspired me to offer education to
others. I realized that education is a powerful tool that can change a person’s perception and
intellect (Condie 2014).
 What are your responsibilities? How would you describe a typical day at work?
There is no actual typical day in the field of public education. Everyday my students
arrive on time at the school and I work to manage and create new opportunities of providing
them information in their subjects (Glaus 2014). Generally, I have 6 periods of instructions each
day. I teach English Literature and Value Education to 6th-8th graders. I have a forty minutes
lunch break and two preparation periods every day. I utilize the prep periods to analyze student
test results, grade their papers and prepare future lessons. I often have to attend meetings after
school. During the prep periods I arrange meetings with the parents of my students and try to
discuss solutions to a myriad of problems that hinders the progress of the students. I am asked to
serve several school committees as well occasionally. For example, I am a part of the Curriculum
and Syllabus framing committee where I am expected to implement several decisions on framing
the instructional and curriculum material (Wright and Gotwals 2017). My role as an educator
requires multifunctional individual performance. Sometimes I have to console my students who
are distressed or suffering from emotional disturbances, at other times I need to act as a strict
disciplinarian. I need to act like a cop to ensure the safety of my students by closely monitoring
their activities (Yurkofsky, Blum-Smith and Brennan 2016). On the other hand, my duties also
expect me to function as a nurse and provide immediate relief to students who have suffered

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from any injuries or wounds in the school premises. I often help my students acquire new
language and grammar skills. I motivate and inculcate moral values and positive psychology in
the students through interactive sessions during the value education classes. During the
examinations, I grade and mark hundreds of answer scripts and judge the shortcomings of my
pupils accordingly. I try to model a sense of respect, integrity, humility and responsibility in my
students (Hamman et al. 2013). My typical day is all about putting the needs of my school and
students as a first priority and not thinking of my own wants and personal desires.
 What educational qualification would you recommend for a person interested to
pursue a career in this field?
I would always recommend studying the subject you love in order to pursue a career in
providing education to others. If a particular person wants multiple subject credentials, then he
needs to successfully complete internship in multiple subjects like Language and Psychology or
Mathematics and Science. If a person wants credentials in a single subject, then he should get a
postgraduate degree with good marks in his area of passion. English teachers should have a good
degree in English Language and Literature. Any second grade teacher is expected to have an
undergraduate degree in any subject. However, Psychology, Liberal Studies, Sociology,
Community Studies, Anthropology, Latino Studies are best suited subjects for multiple
credentials. The person also needs to find a regular teacher credential course program. Online
courses should not be used for these programs. I would recommend the person to get a Masters
degree along with a credential from a recognized University.
 How much do you love your job and how would you rate it on a scale of 1 to 10?

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I absolutely love my job! It has been more than 10 years in this profession and I am
gradually becoming fond of teaching students with each passing day. No matter how rigid a day
at my work is, I always find the job of teaching new lessons and basic values to my students
interesting. My work schedule has positively affected my lifestyle (Yannuzzi and Martin 2014). I
love the process of learning new techniques and strategies of imparting education, that come up
during extensive discussions with my colleagues about the classroom programs. My interaction
with the colleagues, school authorities and children help me to gain vast knowledge on a range of
subjects. I love being surrounded by many people all throughout the day. The profession gives
me an opportunity of working with people coming from diverse ethnic, cultural and educational
backgrounds. Some days are stressful when I have to take continuous classes for long hours
without any prep periods or lunch breaks. However, I would give my job a rank of 10 despite all
the hurdles and stress.
 Did you work for any other organization?
I applied for a teaching profession at middle school because I had found that I was
comfortable with pre-teens and my niche was imparting education and working for betterment of
the awkward and unruly students who are about to enter their adolescent phase. I think my
experience and self evaluation of the teenage years always made me feel empathetic towards the
students belonging to that age group. Before joining this school, I had worked with disabled
adults and acted as a volunteer healthcare giver for a child with Autism. Prior to that, I had also
worked for the local community centre to aid children take part in physical activities and sports
during their vacations. My work at the community centre also made me involve the students in
afforestation programs to restore the number of trees in our surroundings.

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 Are there any negative aspects of your job that you like the least?
There are certain things about my job which I like least. One thing which I dislike are the
short lunch breaks, the pace with which I have to cater to the needs of the school and the students
everyday and the number of times I need to present a new teaching method or change in
curriculum before the authorities to prove their efficiency. I dislike the fact that the time given to
carry out my tasks is quite small when compared to the amount of students who need to be
served. I feel if I am allotted two hours extra then I will be able to work more proficiently in
meeting the student’s demands and needs. Though I am always empathetic towards my pupils
and confer education in a friendly manner, I dislike the sudden episodes of violence which are
portrayed by few students. Their behavior may be a result of the transition into adolescence
(Vidourek, Woodson and King 2017). The fact that family members offer little or no support to
understand their emotional requirements make my students displays a violent and aggressive
behavior which becomes difficult to control at times ((Fleischmann 2015). Another negative
aspect that can crop up is the sudden occurrence of drug abuse or early teen sex among pupils.
The parents and teachers should be equally responsible for monitoring them and preventing any
such unwanted incidents. I face difficulty at times in keeping a close watch on all my students.
 What is the economic status and growth potential in this job?
An Australian high school teacher receives a starting annual pay of more than $65,500.
This profession provides me a stable monthly salary with many perks and benefits. Every year
there are hundreds of teachers who are recruited by different public and private schools. Finding
a job is not a difficult task. One just needs to have necessary qualifications and training to secure
the job. This field provides lifelong learning opportunities and there is always scope for

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promotions and advancements. Within a few years one can become the Head of their respective
departments and can also be promoted to the profile of a subject coordinator.
 Are you able to balance your job and personal commitments?
I always need to juggle my personal and professional life to ensure success in my job. I
consider myself lucky to have supportive family members who understand the importance my
work life and assist me in striking a balance between the two. On my way to the school, I
effectively utilize my travel time to sort the things that need to be done the following week to
reduce some pressure (Palmer 2017). I try not to get bogged down by my responsibilities and to-
do things. During the time when I am in my school from 8 a.m., I rarely leave the school
premises before 5:30 p.m. I try to complete as much work as I can possibly get done to ensure
that I do not have to work at home after my job hours. I try not to work on any matters related to
the school on weekends unless it is urgent (Paul and Elder 2013). I catch up with my family and
friends on those days. This helps me socialize and relieves my stress as well.
Career planning reflections
My career choice reflection focuses on the teaching philosophy and the career path of an
educator whom I interviewed to get an idea about the profession where I aspire to join. The
varied experiences of the teacher within her academic career and her experience of more than 10
years of imparting education to children at her school helped me in identifying my career choice
and its associated aspects (Russell and Korthagen 2013). I found that a teacher or educator
should always be proficient in managing fluidity that will make the classroom sessions unique. A
teacher is supposed to foster an open and a safe learning environment and appreciate the context
of the students. The informative interview helped me realize that I will not only be responsible

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for teaching lessons and imparting knowledge on new subjects but will also play an essential
part of shaping the future generations of my students. My job profile would require me to help
young pupils develop into good citizens of the nation (Olsen 2015). In addition to creating
exciting and innovative lessons, I shall have to teach my students good habits, team work and
resilience. It would be satisfying to watch the students grow and make new connections with the
world around them. I will also be able to meet new people each day and learn varied aspects of
new culture and aspects beyond the boundaries of geography, race, gender and ethnicity. The
interview also helped me understand the need of developing management and leadership skills to
retain the interest of students in the learning process (Ruohotie-Lyhty 2013). My sound
knowledge of the subject and communication skills will help me carry out these tasks efficiently
in this profession. However, the shortages of time allotted for engaging students in the learning
process and the display of violent behavior by several students were some of the occupational
information that surprised me. I have never dealt with unruly adolescents. If such a situation
arises, I would require learning their psychological needs and emotional conditions before
approaching them. The interview helped me re-ascertain the choice of teaching profession as my
career goal.

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My Action Plan