Special Education Paraprofessional Interview Questions & Hiring Tips

Apr 12, 2021

6 min read

Updated: Sep 19

I’ve interviewed quite a few special education paraprofessionals over the years, but I still remember interviewing paras as a brand-new teacher and being pretty sure I was more nervous than they were! Thankfully, interviewing gets easier with experience, and you start figuring out what answers make you think, “Yes! This person gets it,” and which ones raise a few red flags.

Glasses, pastel pens, and notebook on white background with text: tips for hiring a SPECIAL EDUCATION PARAPROFESSIONAL.

Before the Interview: Be Honest About the Job

One of the most important parts of interviewing a paraprofessional actually happens before you start asking questions. Be realistic about the position.

Special education paraprofessionals may support students with communication, academics, behavior, mobility, feeding, toileting, personal care, or other individualized needs. The exact responsibilities will vary based on the position and students, but applicants should understand what the job actually involves before accepting it.

I also explain how our classroom operates, what training and support will look like, and what I expect from the adults on my team. Pay attention to the questions applicants ask and how they respond as you describe the position. Sometimes that conversation tells you just as much as the formal interview.

Include Another Person in the Interview

Whenever possible, have another person participate in the interview. This could be another special education teacher, administrator, instructional coach, related-service provider, or another appropriate member of your school team. A second perspective is helpful because you may notice completely different things. Decide ahead of time what you're looking for and use the same core questions with each applicant. Keep detailed notes, as well as an overall "rating," for each applicant you interview. This will help you afterward when making a decision.

What If You Aren't Involved in Hiring Your Paraprofessionals?

Not every special education teacher gets to interview or hire the paraprofessionals who work in their classroom. If that's the case in your school or district, you can still ask to be involved in the process.

Start by talking with your administrator. Ask if you can serve on the interview committee when paraprofessional positions for your classroom or program are being filled. You can explain that you can provide helpful insight into the day-to-day responsibilities of the position and the skills needed to support your students successfully.

If you can't participate in the actual interview, ask if there are other ways you can help. You might be able to:

Help screen applications and identify candidates to interview.
Share suggested paraprofessional interview questions with the interview committee.
Provide administrators with a description of the position's actual day-to-day responsibilities.
Identify the skills or qualities that are especially important for your classroom or program.
Meet potential candidates or participate in a classroom visit when appropriate.
Provide feedback before a final hiring decision is made.

Even if your administrator ultimately makes the hiring decision, your perspective is valuable. You know what the job actually looks like in your classroom, and you know the type of support your students need.

Want to Make Your Next Para Interview Easier?

I've put everything you need to plan and conduct your next paraprofessional interview into a FREE Special Education Para Interview Toolkit! It includes a para responsibilities overview, an interview planning sheet with space for notes and final ratings, and ready-to-use interview questions.

Colorful stationery flat lay with glasses, pens, and a Paraprofessional Interview Planning Sheet form on a bright white background.

Instead of scrambling to come up with questions five minutes before the interview, you can print the toolkit and walk into the interview prepared.

Grab the FREE Para Interview Toolkit here!

Special Education Paraprofessional Interview Questions

You don't need to ask every question on this list. Choose the questions that best reflect your classroom, students, and school expectations.

Tell us about yourself and why you're interested in working as a paraprofessional.

This is an easy place to start and gives you a sense of what attracted the applicant to the position. Listen for more than previous experience. Their reasons for wanting to work with students with disabilities can tell you quite a bit about their perspective.

What do you believe is the purpose of special education?

This is still one of my favorite questions. Listen for answers that reflect access, learning, independence, belonging, individualized support, and high expectations. I would be cautious about responses that focus primarily on controlling students, keeping students separate, doing things for students, or simply "helping the teacher."

What do you think a paraprofessional's role is in a special education classroom?

A strong candidate doesn't need to know every detail of the role yet. You're looking for someone who understands that paraprofessionals work as part of a team and implement plans developed for students rather than independently deciding how students should be taught or supported. This is also a great opportunity to talk about one of the biggest goals of paraprofessional support: helping students become more independent, not more dependent on adults.

What strengths would you bring to our classroom team?

Listen for qualities such as patience, flexibility, dependability, problem-solving, communication, initiative, and willingness to learn. Specific examples are even better.

Tell me about a time you received corrective feedback. How did you respond?

This one has become increasingly important to me. Paraprofessionals will receive coaching. They may need to change how they prompt a student, respond to behavior, collect data, provide reinforcement, or support instruction. You want someone who can hear, "Let's try it this way instead," without treating it like a personal attack.

A student becomes upset, begins yelling, and refuses to participate. What would you do?

I wouldn't expect an applicant without special education experience to give me a textbook-perfect behavior plan. Instead, I'm listening to their thought process.

Do they remain calm? Do they prioritize safety? Do they try to determine what the student may be communicating? Are they willing to follow an established behavior or support plan?

You give a student a direction and the student says, "No." What do you do next?

This question can tell you a surprising amount about someone's approach to behavior. I want to hear some combination of staying calm, allowing processing time, clarifying the expectation, using visuals or choices when appropriate, reinforcing communication, and following the student's established support plan. The goal isn't to find someone who doesn't create a power struggle.

How would you support a student without doing the work for them?

This is one of the most important paraprofessional interview questions you can ask. Paras naturally want to help. But too much help can quickly turn into prompt dependence. Listen for ideas like waiting, modeling, using visual supports, breaking tasks into smaller steps, providing the least amount of prompting necessary, and gradually fading adult support.

If you were supporting a student in a general education classroom, what would you see as your role?

Look for answers that prioritize the student's participation in the class rather than separating the student from peers or completing everything for them.

How would you support a student who communicates differently than you do?

This is also a good chance to talk about AAC and your expectations for honoring all forms of communication. A strong paraprofessional needs to understand that behavior, gestures, pictures, communication devices, signs, and other forms of communication should be respected.

What would you do if you disagreed with how a teacher or another staff member handled a situation?

Working closely with other adults can be one of the hardest parts of working in a special education classroom. You're looking for someone who can communicate concerns professionally, ask questions, receive feedback, and address disagreements privately rather than undermining another staff member in front of students.

What would you do if another staff member, parent, neighbor, or friend asked you about one of the students you work with?

Confidentiality needs to be addressed directly. Applicants should understand that information about students isn't theirs to share, even when someone asking seems to already know the student.

What would you do if the student you usually support was absent?

This question helps you identify whether someone sees themselves as assigned to one child or as part of the larger classroom team. There is almost always something useful to do in a special education classroom. I want paraprofessionals who can support other students, help with classroom routines, prepare instructional materials, complete assigned tasks, or ask the teacher where they're needed.

What would you do if you weren't sure how to handle a situation with a student?

"I'm not sure, so I would ask" can be an excellent answer. I'd much rather have a paraprofessional ask for clarification than improvise something that contradicts a student's IEP, behavior plan, communication system, or instructional plan.

Tell me about a time something didn't go as planned. What did you do?

Special education requires flexibility. Schedules change, students have difficult days, staff members are absent, activities flop. Look for someone who can adjust without completely falling apart when Plan A becomes Plan B...or Plan G.

What Should You Look for When Hiring a Special Education Paraprofessional?

The "best" candidate isn't necessarily the person with the most special education experience. When I'm interviewing for a paraeducator, I'm paying attention to whether the person demonstrates: