How to Talk About Your Teaching Experience in Interviews

Many clinicians underestimate the value of their teaching experience in interviews.

They assume teaching only matters for educator jobs, formal teaching fellow posts, or portfolio scoring. In reality, teaching can be one of the most versatile examples you can use in interview settings. It can help you demonstrate communication, leadership, organisation, teamwork, adaptability, reflective practice, and commitment to developing others.

That matters because interviewers are rarely only interested in whether you taught. They are usually trying to understand how you work, how you think, and what you would bring to the role. NHS England’s specialty recruitment guidance, for example, makes clear that applicants need to show both their reasons for applying and what they bring in terms of skills and personal attributes. And from a professional standards perspective, the GMC says doctors should be willing to share their knowledge, skills and experience through teaching, training, mentoring or coaching.

So the real question is not: “Have you done teaching?”

It is: “Can you talk about your teaching in a way that shows value?”

Why teaching is such a strong interview example

Teaching is powerful because one good teaching example often demonstrates several qualities at once.

A single session you organised and delivered might show that you can:

• identify a need

• plan and prioritise

• communicate clearly

• adapt to your audience

• respond to feedback

• reflect and improve

• contribute positively to your team

That is exactly why teaching examples travel well across different interview types. Even if the interview is not specifically about education, teaching can still be used to answer questions about leadership, teamwork, service improvement, communication, professionalism, or career motivation.

It also carries credibility in healthcare because teaching is not some optional extra detached from practice. The GMC’s professional standards explicitly describe sharing knowledge and supporting colleagues through teaching, training, mentoring, or coaching as part of good professional practice.

The mistake most candidates make

The common mistake is to describe teaching too superficially.

They say things like:

“I delivered some teaching to junior doctors and medical students.”

That is not wrong. It is just weak.

It tells the interviewer almost nothing about your level of involvement, your thinking, your impact, or your development.

A stronger answer shows:

• what the teaching was

• why it was needed

• what you actually did

• what changed because of it

• what you learned

• how that experience is relevant to the role

In other words, interviewers are usually less interested in the label “teaching” and more interested in the evidence of competence underneath it.

What interviewers are often really assessing when they ask about teaching

Even when a question sounds like it is about teaching, it may really be assessing one or more of the following:

Communication

Can you explain ideas clearly and pitch them to the right level?

Leadership and initiative

Did you spot a need and act on it?

Organisation

Did you plan a session, coordinate people, or build something sustainable?

Teamworking

Did you teach collaboratively or support colleagues effectively?

Reflection and improvement

Did you gather feedback, reflect on it, and change your approach?

Commitment to the profession

Do you contribute beyond your immediate tasks?

That last point matters in particular because the GMC’s revalidation guidance emphasises that simply collecting evidence is not enough; reflection on supporting information is central to development and appraisal.

A simple structure that works in almost any interview

A useful way to talk about teaching is this:

What I noticed

What gap, problem, or need did you identify?

What I did

What teaching did you plan, deliver, or improve?

Why I did it that way

How did you tailor it to the audience?

What happened

What was the outcome, feedback, or impact?

What I learned and changed

How did you improve your approach?

Why it matters here

How does this example relate to the role you are interviewing for?

This keeps your answer practical, reflective, and role-focused.

A weak answer versus a strong answer

Weak version

“I did some ECG teaching for juniors on the ward. It went well and they found it useful.”

Stronger version

“On our ward I noticed that junior colleagues were often unsure how to approach common ECG patterns out of hours, so I designed a short case-based teaching session focused on a practical stepwise framework rather than theory-heavy slides. I delivered it to a mixed group of foundation doctors and clinical fellows, and afterwards I collected feedback which showed that the session was clear but still a little too dense in parts. I then simplified the structure and added more single-best-answer style cases for later sessions. What I took from that experience was the importance of tailoring information to the audience’s immediate needs and using feedback to improve. I think that is relevant to this role because it reflects clear communication, responsiveness, and a commitment to supporting team development.”

Same teaching. Very different impact.

What counts as a good teaching example?

You do not need to have run a formal regional programme to talk about teaching well.

Good interview examples can include:

• bedside teaching

• ward-based teaching for juniors

• simulation teaching

• teaching medical students

• exam preparation sessions

• induction teaching

• patient education

• designing handouts or learning resources

• mentoring or coaching newer colleagues

• contributing to a recurring teaching programme

Formal certificates can help in some contexts, but what usually makes the example strong in interview is not the certificate alone. It is the combination of ownership, insight, feedback, and improvement.

How to make ordinary teaching sound credible without exaggerating

A lot of candidates worry that their teaching is “too small” to mention.

Usually, the issue is not that the example is too small. It is that they are not framing it properly.

For example, instead of saying:

“I gave a presentation once.”

You could say:

“I recognised that new starters were repeatedly struggling with X, so I put together a short practical session focused on the common pitfalls we were seeing in day-to-day practice.”

That sounds stronger because it shows awareness, initiative, and relevance.

You should still stay honest. Do not inflate one informal session into a major educational leadership role. But equally, do not undersell valuable work just because it was local or small-scale.

If you have feedback, use it properly

Feedback strengthens interview answers when used well.

Instead of saying:

“I got good feedback.”

Say:

• what kind of feedback you collected

• what theme emerged

• what you changed afterwards

For example:

“Feedback suggested the session was useful but too content-heavy, so for the next session I reduced the slide count, added more clinical cases, and left more time for questions.”

That shows maturity. It signals that you are not just delivering content; you are engaging in reflective improvement. That aligns well with the broader professional expectation that clinicians reflect on supporting information and use it for development.

How to adapt the same teaching example to different interview questions

One teaching activity can answer many different interview questions.

If asked about communication

Focus on explaining complex ideas simply, adapting to the audience, and checking understanding.

If asked about leadership

Focus on identifying a need, initiating the session, organising it, and influencing others.

If asked about teamwork

Focus on working with colleagues to deliver teaching or support a department learning need.

If asked about quality improvement

Focus on how feedback or observed gaps led you to modify future teaching.

If asked about commitment

Focus on contributing beyond minimum requirements and helping develop others.

If asked why you are suitable for the role

Link the teaching example to transferable skills: clarity, organisation, reliability, initiative, and support for colleagues.

This is why teaching is such a useful interview asset: it is flexible.

A model answer

Here is a version you could adapt:

“One example that stands out was a teaching series I developed for junior colleagues around common acute cardiology presentations. I noticed that people were often confident with the theory but less confident with practical first steps on call, so I designed the sessions around real-world cases and focused on decision-making rather than just guideline recall. I delivered the sessions in a short, accessible format to make attendance easier, and I collected feedback afterwards. One of the key things I learned was that even when the content is good, it needs to be pitched very carefully to the audience’s stage and immediate needs. Based on feedback, I simplified later sessions and made them more interactive. I think this experience is relevant to this role because it shows communication, initiative, and a reflective approach to improvement, as well as a genuine interest in supporting colleagues.”

If you do not have much formal teaching experience

You can still answer well.

Think broadly about teaching-related experiences such as:

• informal support of juniors

• mentoring new starters

• explaining processes to colleagues

• induction help

• patient education

• creating practical resources

• coaching peers before exams or presentations

The key is not whether it was branded as “teaching.” The key is whether it involved helping others learn, perform, or improve.

Final tips for interview delivery

Keep it specific.

Keep it honest.

Keep it reflective.

Keep it relevant to the role.

A good teaching answer should make the interviewer think:

“This person does not just know things; they can communicate, improve others, and contribute well to a team.”

That is what makes teaching such a strong interview theme.

Conclusion

Teaching experience is far more than a portfolio line.

When presented well, it can become one of your strongest interview examples across a wide range of roles. It helps show not only that you have contributed to others’ development, but also that you can communicate clearly, recognise needs, act on feedback, and improve your practice over time.

And that is often exactly what interviewers are trying to find.

Want teaching experience that is easier to discuss credibly in interviews?

Our Teach the Teacher course helps clinicians build practical, portfolio-friendly teaching skills they can use in real clinical settings, and speak about with confidence at interview.