What makes a great interview?
Before tutors can go live on Spires, we need to see that you can deliver a professional, engaging and effective 1:1 online tutorial.
Your interview will include a 10–15 minute mock tutorial on a subject and topic of your choosing. A member of the Spires team will act as your student. The mock tutorial is an important part of the interview. We are assessing how you tutor, not simply how much you know about your subject.
What should I prepare?
Choose a specific topic, concept, question or problem that you could realistically teach to a student at one of the levels you have applied to tutor.
If you tutor across school and university levels, we recommend a school-level focused tutorial.
If you only tutor at university level, we recommend you ensure this is at an introductory level.
At the beginning of the mock tutorial, briefly tell your interviewer:
The subject and topic you are teaching
The level of the student you are teaching (for example, GCSE, A Level or undergraduate)
What you would like the student to understand or be able to do by the end of the session
You should plan to teach the interviewer as though they were your student. However, you should bear in mind that the topic you have chosen may be new to them and that they may not be from the same subject background as yourself.
You only have 10–15 minutes, so choose something focused enough to allow you to demonstrate your tutoring approach within the available time.
What are we looking for?
A strong mock tutorial should demonstrate active 1:1 tutoring.
We want to see you:
Engage with the student rather than simply present information to them.
Ask questions to establish their existing knowledge and check their understanding.
Explain concepts clearly and at an appropriate level.
Encourage the student to participate, think through problems and reach answers themselves.
Respond to the student’s answers and adapt your explanation where necessary.
Check understanding rather than assuming that something has been understood.
Use the online classroom effectively, where appropriate, to support your explanation.
Build rapport and create an encouraging environment in which a student would feel comfortable asking questions or making mistakes.
Manage the time effectively and keep the tutorial focused
What should I avoid?
The mock tutorial should not be a presentation or lecture.
For example, we do not want to see you spend 10 minutes talking through a PowerPoint while the interviewer listens.
You should also avoid:
Giving a generic introduction to your subject or field
Delivering a pre-prepared speech or lecture
Talking continuously without involving the student
Asking questions without responding to the student’s answers
Asking closed questions, such as do you understand, or any questions that don't accurately test the students understanding/knoweldge
Choosing a topic that is too broad to teach meaningfully in 10–15 minutes
Spending most of the session explaining what you would normally do with a student rather than actually demonstrating it
Slides, diagrams, questions, examples and other resources can absolutely be used, but they should support the tutorial rather than limiting opportunities for engagement and interactivity.
Professionalism
We will also consider how professionally you conduct yourself throughout the interview. Tutors on Spires work independently with students and families, so clear communication, reliability, appropriate conduct and good judgement are essential.
Tutors are expected to communicate and conduct lessons through Spires and comply with the terms of the Spires Tutor Licence Agreement and Code of Conduct. Private arrangements with students introduced through Spires are not permitted.
Preparing for your interview
Your interview tutorial will be conducted online using Lessonspace (guide), a digital whiteboard integrated into Spires. There’s no need to create a Lessonspace account; you can explore and test the platform using the demo classroom provided.
Please note this is for testing only; adding resources to be used in the interview will not be saved.
To help you prepare, we strongly recommend the following steps:
1. Familiarise yourself with the Spires dashboard & Lessonspace. A general guide and video on how to tutor online can be found here: How to Tutor Online. This includes how to access the classroom and use Lessonspace effectively.
2. Test the Platform Before Your Interview
You can test the classroom environment in advance by going to the ‘Classes’ tab, clicking ‘Open Classroom’, and then selecting ‘Test Classroom’.
3. Use of Tools During the Interview
• For quantitative subjects (e.g., Maths, Science, Economics, Computer Science), we expect the use of an online whiteboard (Lessonspace or Bitpaper) and a digital pen to demonstrate equations and diagrams effectively.
• For qualitative subjects, tools such as Google Docs, screen sharing, and other collaborative platforms are encouraged.
4. Starting Your Interview
More information on how to begin your interview at the scheduled time can be found here: Starting your Spires Interview.
Finally, please ensure you’ve reviewed the rest of the tutor guide before your interview. Familiarity with the platform and preparation go a long way in making a strong first impression.
Cancel or reschedule your interview
Cancellations must be made with a minimum of 48 hours' notice and only in the case of an emergency. Only one cancellation/rescheduling request is allowed within the notice period. Further cancellations will result in your application being terminated.
Why?
We use the interviews to assess a tutor's ability, but also as a test of professionalism and dedication to the profession - we want to know how you would behave with a student. The quickest way to generate complaints is to miss your scheduled classes with a student, which is why we take cancellations so seriously.
Please only book your interview if you are fully equipped and ready to proceed with the interview; otherwise, you are preventing us from interviewing someone else. This is your chance to get to know the team and to learn more about how Spires works, and how you can be introduced to students all over the world.