Teaching and research: NHS Consultant Interview Questions

Teaching was one of the most frequently reported topics in the survey behind this bank, and research plans follow close behind. Panels want real teaching experience, a plan that fits the job plan, and honesty about what research you will actually do.

Updated 26 October 2026

How to answer

Say what you have taught, to whom and how you know it worked, then propose something specific for this post. For research, be realistic: supporting trials and supervising projects is a credible answer. Name what makes a good educational supervisor from your own experience.

Frameworks: STARR for teaching examples

  • STAR Situation in a sentence, Task: what you had to do, Action: what you did in the first person, Result: the outcome with a number where there is one. Add Reflection for STARR. Full guide →
  1. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the Royal College representativeSTARR

    Tell us about your teaching experience, and how you would develop it in this post.

    Describe what you have taught, to whom, and how you know it worked. Then propose something specific for the post: a teaching session, a simulation programme, a role as a supervisor. Match it to the job plan.

  2. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical leadSTARR

    How do you teach within the constraints of a busy consultant job?

    • Follow-up: How do we balance teaching against service provision?

    Be honest that service pressure limits teaching, then describe how you make it happen anyway: bedside teaching on every round, feedback in the moment, protected sessions, sharing the load. Give one example.

  3. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the medical directorSTARR

    What are your research plans if appointed, and what would you do with any research time?

    Be realistic. If you will not run research, say so and describe how you will support it: recruiting to trials, supervising projects, audit. If you will, describe the question, the collaborators and what the time would produce.

  4. Often askedUsually asked by the Royal College representativeSTARR

    What makes a good educational supervisor?

    Available, interested, honest and organised: regular meetings, clear expectations, feedback that is specific, and support when things go wrong. Give one example of supervising a trainee well.

  5. Often askedUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialtySTARR

    How would you teach the whole team, including nurses, ODPs and theatre staff, not only the doctors?

    Describe teaching that fits the whole team: simulation, handover teaching, skills sessions, teaching on the shop floor. Mention what you have learned from nurses and ODPs in return.

  6. Often askedUsually asked by the Royal College representativeSTARR

    The GMC survey found most trainees are unhappy. What makes a good training environment, and what would you change here?

    Name the things trainees say matter: supervision, feedback, rota predictability, being valued, learning on the job. Then say what you would change in this department and how you would know it worked.

  7. Often askedUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialtySTARR

    How would you support a trainee in difficulty?

    Use the trainee in difficulty framework: notice early, talk privately, find the cause, involve the educational supervisor and the training programme director, make a plan, and follow up. Give an example if you have one.

  8. Often askedUsually asked by the university or academic representativeSTARR

    Tell us about your most significant research output and why it matters.

    Explain the question it answered, what it found and what changed as a result, in plain language. If it was small, say what it taught you about doing research. Do not oversell.

Other topics

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Recently interviewed? Tell us what you were asked. Every reported question goes into the ranking that decides which questions appear here and how often they come up in practice sessions.