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How to write your teacher training personal statement

Your teacher training personal statement should express why you'd make a great teacher and spell out your experiences, qualities and skills. We've got the inside track from Admissions Tutors on how to go about writing a good teacher training personal statement, what to do and what not to overlook...

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Let's start with a look at when to apply for teacher training. Places on teacher training courses are filled on a first come first serve basis. This is due to two factors. Firstly, the Department for Education set the maximum number of trainees on some courses. But the thing that really limits the number of places available is ensuring that there are enough school placements for all trainees. Training providers can only recruit up to a number that is manageable in terms of providing the trainees with the placement experiences they need.

Places for the most popular subjects tend to go early, for example, Physical Education (PE), Primary and Psychology. Shortage subjects such as Chemistry, Computing, Maths and Physics don’t fill up so fast.

The route you are taking into teaching may also influence when you apply. School Direct is run by the schools themselves and they can only take as many trainees as they can train within their schools. They may only have the one place available for your chosen subject and once those placements are gone, they’re gone. Universities tend to have larger and wider networks of partner schools which provide school placements. This gives them more options for finding school placements so they may have places available for longer. Unlike School Direct you don’t get to choose exactly which school you go to, though they’ll try to match your school placements to your preferences as much as possible. If you apply late you run the risk that all the placements are gone.

So, you want to apply as soon as you can, with a brilliant personal statement that reflects who you are and why you want to become a teacher. So, what does that look like?

Your teacher training personal statement broadly needs to convey four things:

• Your passion for wanting to become a teacher and commitment to the profession.
• Your reasons for wanting to teach your chosen subject.
• The skills and experience that you’ll bring to the role of teacher.
• Your awareness of the realities of what lies ahead - it’s a challenging but rewarding role so you need to be realistic about this and be aware of some of the hot topics facing the sector.

Kate Brimacombe, Associate Professor of Education and Associate Director of the Teacher Education Partnership at Plymouth Marjon University, explains what she is looking for in a teacher training personal statement:

“It's really lovely to get something that's individual and firstly I want to see that passion for wanting to work with children. You absolutely can get that across - it comes off the page.

“It can’t feel half-hearted, it needs to feel committed. If independence, motivation, and self-reliance don’t sing off the page, then that's an error in a sense. You need to get your personality into the written word, I’m looking for that fire that says ‘this is absolutely what I want to do’. One common mistake is being too short so that it doesn’t get that passion across. The lack of content and desire are the main reasons I don't shortlist candidates.”

You must convey why you want to teach your subject. What is your expertise? Why do you love it? What are the challenges facing teachers of your subject? Why do you want to teach this? Think about the age group you’ll be teaching and discuss why you want to teach them. What relevant experience do you have? How does your experience to date influence your thinking?

Ultimately, you’ve got to inspire others to love your subject, so be clear about how your own relationship to it is going to enable this.

The ingredients of a convincing teacher training personal statement are:

• Passion for teaching. Express your drive and fire on the page.
• Be individual. Stand out in a positive light; one tip here is not to waste characters on quotes, they don’t say anything about you.
• Convey your desire to work with children. Explain where this comes from.
• Prove it. Include the things you have actively done, what you’ve learnt from real life experiences in schools and/or working with children, and what you got out of it.
• Demonstrate the qualities of a teacher. Point out your commitment, empathy, independence, innovation, motivation, patience, self-reliance, and tip-top organisation skills.
• Depth. Don’t cut it too short, you’re allowed up to 4000 characters which is around 600-700 words, so write until you’re thereabouts, and then edit it so that it reads even better.

In addition, for a strong personal statement you’ll want to demonstrate some awareness of the national curriculum for your subject and then highlight how your subject knowledge maps to it.

Back to Kate for another crucial tip: “The other big thing is that we’re checking the accuracy of your spelling and grammar, it must be correct if you’re going to be a teacher. To be fair, we don't get a lot of mistakes because I think people understand that expectations around written and verbal communication are high in teaching.”

Some aspiring teachers know they want to teach but are uncertain on the age group or subject. For example, maybe you love sport and are keen to be a secondary PE teacher, but you also enjoy working with younger children at sports clubs so you’re feeling split. In this scenario, try to settle this before you apply but if you can’t then write honestly about the situation and take extra care to ensure that neither option comes across being the fallback one that you’re not really committed to.

The magic ingredient: Examples from your own experience

There's no one way to structure your teacher training personal statement but be sure to back up every point you make with evidence. A great way to do this is give real life examples of what you actually did, and what you learned from it. It’s not enough to just list your work experience, you need to explain what you learned and how this experience will help you as a teacher.

You don’t need school experience to apply for a teaching course, though it helps. But if you don’t have school experience then you at least need some transferable skills, so any other experience of working with children is valid here, things like helping with sports teams and youth clubs are valid too. Use your examples to demonstrate the skills you’d bring to the role of teacher.

You could also refer to a teacher who made a difference to you at school, or who influenced your love of working with children and helping them to learn.

By discussing examples, you can also demonstrate that you are realistic about the role, in that is challenging as well as rewarding. For example, you might discuss a session you observed or taught, reflecting on what went well, how you adapted to the situation and how you would improve on it.

This is how to make effective use of real life examples, according to Julie Stevens, course leader for PGCE Secondary Education at Plymouth Marjon University: “I want to read about how you’ve helped a pupil to make progress. What did you change? How did you recognise they weren’t learning? What did you adapt to help them understand? Maybe you modelled it or talked it through? How did the child respond? You might talk for example about why a child was messing around or why a seating chart was put together in a certain way. It’s really encouraging when a candidate offers insights into teaching and that sense of self-reflection”.

You can talk about that examples that demonstrate transferable skills. For example, maybe you had to be resilient to get your Duke of Edinburgh award, maybe you’re a leader on the sports field or maybe you’re a dedicated musician with the music exams to prove it?

In addition, the way you talk about children is really important, the training provider needs to know that you see them as individuals and that you want to help them become independent thinkers. Back to Julie again for more about this: “I want to see candidates who talk about children as individuals and how you can help them make the best progress they can. Helping young people to make decisions for themselves and become independent learners, so that they take responsibility for their own success is essential for adulthood.

"It’s great when someone can talk about innovative things, like how to use social media for good outcomes. Anything like that is powerful because it means they understand our role as educators – we aren’t just filling them with knowledge, we're trying to get children and young people to understand how to develop themselves.”

Get your referee geared up

References really do matter. Julie and Kate report that in practice most of barriers to shortlisting a candidate come not from the personal statement, but from references that are too short. They’ve seen references as short as three lines and that doesn’t tell them enough about you and your suitability for a career in teaching. You could be an impressive candidate, but you can’t be offered a place until your reference checks out.

If you’re applying for undergraduate teacher training through UCAS then one reference is required. If you’re applying for postgraduate teacher training then you’ll need two references. If you’re at university, or have been within the past five years, then one reference must be from someone at your university. The other reference can be from someone who knows you from work, and if you’re applying for School Direct then one of your references must come from your current employer.

A good reference says good things about you and backs up some of qualities and skills you’ve outlined in your personal statement. Your referee needs to talk about your character and why they think you could be a great teacher. The training provider is looking for insight; a different perspective on you, and hopefully one that that verifies the impressions they’re taking from your statement.

You can do a lot to make sure your reference is on point. First ask your referees if they are willing to be your referee and if they think you’ve got the potential to be a good teacher. Next you need to arm them with all the arguments as to why you’ll be a good teacher, they probably don’t know everything you do. Ideally they would read your personal statement so that they can write a reference that complements it.

If applicable, ask your referee to comment on your academic abilities, including your predicted grades. If possible, go through the reference with your referee as you might see something they’ve missed. If so, ask if they are willing to add it, it’s up to them but you can suggest things.

A good teacher training personal statement shows passion and love for teaching, as well as that you’ve done some research and that you’re dedicated to teaching career. Show your personality; show them the teacher you could be. @marjonuni

Back to Kate for closing advice: “Speak with honesty and speak from the heart. I’m looking for passion. I'm looking for somebody I think the has the potential. Then when you come to interview, I already know that you have that passion and so you just need to add the shine to that and tell us more about it in-person, one to one. In that way your teacher training personal statement is the stepping stone into the interview, if it does its job then we’ll be excited to find out more about you”.

You’ve got this. Follow the advice above and you’ll have a brilliant teacher training personal statement in the bag. The next step will be your teacher training interview, so why not check out our articles on how to ace your teacher training interview and teacher training interview questions .

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How to Write a Compelling Teacher Training Personal Statement

Writing a personal statement for a teacher training application can be daunting, especially if it’s been a few years since you’ve had to write something like this. Whether you’re applying through Apply or through a provider’s website, this is your chance to show that you’d make a great trainee teacher.

Here are our top tips for writing a personal statement that will wow assessors.

• Start early

Your personal statement is a way to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively and clearly, a key skill for teachers, and it’s the only part of your application that allows your personality to shine through. It’s therefore really important that you take the time to get it right.

We recommend making a start on your application at least a few weeks before you’d like to submit it, to ensure you have plenty of time to work on it gradually.

• Write it in a separate document

Have a document open that you can work on and come back to, rather than trying to type something straight into the application form. This way, you can send it to others for feedback and proofreading, ensuring it’s in the best possible shape before pasting it into the application.

• Make a list

If the blank page in front of you seems intimidating, start by writing a list of things that you want to mention. This could include:

• Why you want to become a teacher, and why you want to teach your chosen subject
• Your understanding of teaching as a profession
• Any experience working in schools, or any other work with young people, such as coaching a sports team or volunteering at a summer camp
• The skills you have that are transferable to teaching, such as presentation skills or leading a team

Checking how your personal statement should be structured will help you to make lists. If you’re applying through Apply, the statement is split into ‘Vocation’ (why you should be considered for teacher training) and ‘Subject knowledge’ (why you should be considered for teaching your subject), so you’ll need to bear this in mind at the offset. If you’re applying through a provider’s website, check if they need you to structure your statement in a certain way.

• Add details

Flesh out the points on your list by adding notes, specific examples or phrases. Then, take one point at a time and use it to form a sentence or paragraph. Don’t worry about perfecting it at the moment – that will come later. Just make sure that what you’re saying is a fair representation of you and your experience.

Don’t be afraid to be enthusiastic about your passions and achievements, but equally, don’t exaggerate.

You should now have a page of writing, separated into a few paragraphs. Give the whole document a read through to see how it flows. You might need to rearrange the order of your points or add linking words to ensure a smooth transition from one point to the next.

This is also a good time to think about how you start and end your statement. A good personal statement will draw the reader in with the first sentence and conclude with a memorable ending. Your ending might sum up your unique qualities or emphasise why you want to join the profession.

• Check the length

Is your statement within the word limit? If you’re a long way over or under the limit, you’ll have to consider taking out or adding in some paragraphs. You might think that being far below the limit isn’t as bad as going over, but providers may infer from this that you don’t have enough to say, or that you haven’t made an effort to add more detail. A good place to aim would be between 90-100% of the word limit.

• Proof, proof, proof!

Correct spelling, grammar and punctuation is of the utmost importance when applying for teacher training, so don’t just rely on a spellchecker. If you’re not sure about something, look it up or ask someone you trust.

This is the perfect time to get trusted friends involved – often, a fresh pair of eyes will help you spot spelling and grammar errors that you might not have noticed. You can also ask them to check the content – questions you could ask are:

• Does my passion for teaching/my subject/working with young people come across?
• Do my examples demonstrate what I want them to?
• Do I need to explain anything more clearly?

If you know any teachers, you could also ask them to read it and give you some feedback.

• Final checks

This is it! You’ve put the hard work in and you’re almost there. Do a final check to make sure you’re close to the word count but not above it. Now you can copy and paste it into your application form. Check whether the formatting of your statement is correct in the box you’ve pasted it in – you may need to add your paragraph spaces in again.

• Keep it safe

Make sure you’ve got your personal statement document saved and you know where you’ve saved it. If you’re applying through a provider’s website (such as United Teaching) and they end up offering you a place, they may ask you to complete an Apply form before you can accept the offer. Having your statement saved will come in handy.

We wish you all the best with your personal statement and teacher training application.

If you need any further advice, please don’t hesitate to  get in touch .

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Personal statement for PGCE secondary

If you want to teach children aged 11 and over you'll need to apply through the Department for Education's (DfE) Apply for teacher training service

This example should be used for guidance only. Copying any of this text could significantly harm your chances of securing a place on a course.

Example personal statement for PGCE secondary

I became interested in teaching after realising how much I had benefited from excellent and passionate teachers. They exuded a real sense of enthusiasm for learning, which inspires me to pass on that passion.

My love for computing developed during my A-levels after discovering an aptitude for programming and networking. This drove me to study more, going on to gain a 2:1 in BSc Computer Systems and Network Engineering from the University of England. Studying at university developed my passion for computer sciences and taught me a range of transferable skills that I believe are fundamentally important to teach young people. This is demonstrated in my dissertation, which was awarded a first, investigating The Internet of Things (IoT) and how it can help shape educational establishments of the future.

While at university I decided to volunteer as a teaching assistant in a mainstream school. By my final year I was able to take responsibility for running activities in the classroom, balancing the needs of each child and managing behaviour issues. In addition, I regularly helped run the lunchtime computer club. In working with more vulnerable students such as SEN learners I saw the role played by support staff in maintaining control of the classroom, particularly with those who can be disruptive when under stimulated. I learned the importance of differentiating lesson plans to educate and engage students with special needs and the power of strategies such as a well thought out seating plan and friendly competitiveness in learners. I saw students develop within the classroom as a result of my determined support and these good working relationships are beginning to result in higher grades. I have liaised well across several departments to communicate information about students in an organised and diplomatic way.

One highlight was when I supported a young person with ADHD who attended computer club. They had been struggling to remain focussed and on task in class but were able to focus well when completing tasks on a computer. As a result, they suffered from poor behaviour, disengagement and low self-esteem. I negotiated with some class teachers to allow this pupil to use a tablet during their lessons. The pupil could then access any PowerPoint presentations being delivered to enable them to go back and reread specific slides. They could also access links to visual resources to enhance their understanding of the subject being taught. Homework was posted online for them to complete and submit electronically. This was such a success that the school invested in more tablets to be used by a range of students across the school. This further inspired me to want to become a teacher to enable me to support others who may be facing barriers to learning that could be tackled through the introduction of technology.

To support my professional development further I undertook short work placements in two other schools. Volunteering in Key Stages 1 and 2 confirmed my desire to teach Key Stages 3 and 4. I became aware of the many demands placed upon teachers and their time and I believe that the project management, communication and problem-solving skills gained during my degree will be invaluable assets within the classroom and beyond. I was exposed to a range of pedagogical models and teaching methods, which is something I look forward to learning more about on a PGCE.

One of my hobbies is to make short films about how to use different forms of technology and software packages. I post these on YouTube as instructional videos. These have proved to be very popular and I am considering how I can use this type of activity to benefit the students I teach. One option is to support students to create their own videos to help deepen their understanding of a subject, which they can then choose to upload to the school's virtual learning environment to aid their peers if they wish.

During school placements I witnessed the challenges and rewards present in a school environment. Teachers need to be resilient particularly when working with students who find school difficult, do not want to engage and do not want to accept support. However, I look forward to working in the education system and believe I could help and inspire students to develop their future aspirations.

While researching for my dissertation I spoke with secondary school teachers about the challenges their students faced and one that came up often was digital poverty. In many inner-city schools, pupils do not always have access to up to date and reliable computer technology to allow them to keep up with the advances in technology that they’ll face when seeking employment. One of my aims would be to investigate how the use of integrated technologies, as well as fostering links with local companies and the community, could result in a cost-effective solution allowing all students equal access to computer technology.

Technology has become its own form of literacy due to its prevalence in everyday life. Numerous careers use at least one aspect of Microsoft Office or Google Drive daily; balancing budgets on spreadsheets, creating slides to be presented, or attaching documents to emails to communicate important information. Allowing students to learn and refine these skills prepares them for life beyond the classroom.

With technology being present in many classrooms, and not just to teach computing skills, the introduction of the IoT could enhance learning activities even more. It could provide improved connectivity, introduce artificial intelligence and virtual reality to the learning environment as well as cloud computing platforms. I am excited about the future of education and how I can be an active part of it.

When writing your personal statement, you need to include:

• What inspired you to choose teaching.
• Why you wish to teach at secondary level.
• Your knowledge of the pressures and rewards of teaching.
• The personal qualities and skills that will make you a good teacher.
• How you might contribute to the wider school environment such as running extra-curricular activities and clubs.
• Any experience of working with children and what you learnt through doing this.
• Evidence of your knowledge related to the subject you hope to teach.
• Any relevant work or unpaid experience.
• Your degree, degree modules and dissertation topic where relevant.
• Any relevant skills, hobbies and achievements.

Find out more

• Read all about applying for teacher training .
• Get prepared with our teaching interview questions .
• See more examples of teaching personal statements .

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How to write the perfect teaching personal statement

Application and interview, tes editorial.

When applying for a new job, you may be competing with tens or hundreds of other applicants in a race for the role.

The HR manager or headteacher recruiting for the job will be scrutinising every detail of your application to make sure they are bringing in the right people for interview.

The application form is the first hurdle you have to get over and sets the first impression of you as a person in the recruiter’s mind.

• Advice on honing your job search
• How to write a personal statement for teacher training
• How to write a must-read CV

The personal statement: why does it matter? 

The personal statement presents the perfect opportunity to show you are an exceptional candidate, understand teaching and know the school you are applying to.

It is not an easy task and is a tricky thing to get right. It requires being concise and clear – it shouldn’t be too long or read like a list.

You should talk about yourself and your professional achievements, while at the same time apply those experiences to the school itself.

We spoke to Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders , about what goes into the perfect personal statement. Here's what he said:

What does a great teaching personal statement look like?

"In general, I would say no longer than two sides of A4 – typescript. It needs to be well structured and linked to the specific school. It will need to include a number of key areas, including behavioural management, educational philosophy, subject expertise, pedagogy, personal organisation and skills and enrichment activities that the candidate can bring."

What should it contain?

"I would recommend that candidates include three elements in each of the key areas:

• What their beliefs/philosophy/approach is – i.e., the theory
• Their experience in that area
• How they would use that experience in the school they are applying to and specific to the job they are applying for

The statement should also include something personal in terms of their outside interests to indicate that they live an interesting and well-balanced life."

What are school leaders looking to read in a good personal statement?

"They will want to see something of the person’s character come through. It must not be just a list of achievements or repeat of the CV. It needs to be well-written, error-free and mention the school they are applying for – but not too many times. It should read as if it has been specifically written for the school and job they are applying for. I would be looking for something similar to the approach I have indicated above, covering all of the key areas and indicating that they have a vocation for working with young people. Somehow I would like to see a ‘generosity of spirit’ come through in the statement."

How can a candidate stand out in a personal statement?

"A good personal statement needs to include something of the person themselves. It has to make the reader believe that the candidate has something special without bragging or appearing arrogant – but something a bit above what other candidates may offer. A really good introduction and ending are important, and it's worth spending a great deal of time crafting those sections of the statement. Hook the reader in at the beginning and finish on a high note so that they want to meet the person and explore what has been written."

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How to write your personal statement for teacher training.

Gemma Fairclough

28 Sept 2023, 09:24

The information in this article is based on the Apply for Teacher Training service personal statement, with hints and tips that will be useful when completing the form.

In partnership with:

Your personal statement is a crucial part of the application and your chance to stand out from the crowd. You should write between 500 and 1000 words for your personal statement. See two sample personal statements at the end of this article.

Your statement must be concise, enthusiastic and sell your potential to be a successful teacher. It should explain why you want to teach, your suitability to teach that age group, and/or your chosen subject (if you’re applying for secondary teaching). Here are some ideas on what to write about in your personal statement:

• Your interest in the subject or age group you want to teach.
• An appraisal of the demands and rewards of teaching, with evidence of your motivation, showing an understanding of teacher training and the role of a teacher.
• The skills and qualities that would make you an effective teacher, such as communication, teamworking and leadership. You can evidence how you have developed these using examples from your degree and work experience.
• How you could contribute to a school outside of the classroom, for example, giving details of any specific skills that you have, that could be useful for the range of extracurricular activities the schools provide.
• Any school work experience you have. You might discuss areas of the national curriculum you observed, age groups you worked with, subjects you covered and types of schools you visited (and for how long).
• Any other experience working with children or young people, and what you learned from this.
• Any other activities you have undertaken, such as first aid courses or volunteering, reflecting on how the skills you have gained will help you become an effective teacher.
• Your thoughts on welfare and education.
• The subject of your undergraduate degree and/or relevant modules you studied as part of your degree. You could also talk about your A Level subjects, postgraduate qualifications (if applicable), or expertise you’ve gained at work if this is relevant for the subject or age group you want to teach.
• If you are applying for primary courses, you could mention any specialist knowledge relevant to teaching the range of subjects in the national curriculum.

If you do not currently live in the UK, explain why you want to study in the UK; if relevant, provide evidence (through UK ENIC for example) that your qualifications are at the required standard. Check that your language skills are sufficient to complete the training programme as requirements vary between institutions.

Explain anything not made clear elsewhere on the application, such as reasons for gaps in your education or working life.

Tips for writing and checking your personal statement

• Remember that you can only write one personal statement for all your choices, so make sure it reflects the route or routes you have applied for.
• Give yourself enough time to write a few drafts.
• Write your statement using a word processing programme so you can check it for spelling and grammar errors. Cut and paste it into the application form as you go along to make sure you do not go over your word limit.
• Keep it simple and natural in style.
• Personalise your statement by writing in the first person, using 'me', 'I' and 'my'.
• Use action verbs such as 'coordinated', 'established' and 'managed'.
• Provide evidence of your motivation, experiences and qualifications as well as your understanding of teacher training and the role of a teacher.
• As the word count is limited for each section, make sure each sentence contributes something useful.
• Show your personal statement to a school recruiter, careers adviser or tutor for feedback.
• Copy your application, particularly the personal statement, before sending it so that you can remind yourself of the content when going for interviews.
• Make sure the personal statement is all your own work, as all statements are put through the CopyCatch similarity detection system.

Discover our top tips for writing a more refined personal statement by reading how to write a great personal statement for a teaching job .

Note: if you’ve already started to apply before the next application cycle begins in September 2023, you may see two sections for your personal statement instead of just one. This includes a section on “why you want to teach” (maximum 600 words) and “your suitability to teach a subject or age group” (maximum 400 words). If your application is unsuccessful this time and you apply again, the two sections of your personal statement will merge. When this happens, you will be asked to review your statement before applying again.

Primary school teacher training personal statement

Read this example of a personal statement for primary school teacher training.

Secondary school teaching personal statement

Read this example of a personal statement for secondary school teaching.

Next: search graduate jobs, schemes and internships

• View graduate teaching jobs .

Written by Gemma Fairclough, Manchester Metropolitan University, July 2023

In partnership with

Occasionally targetjobs will work with another organisation to provide impartial careers content. This is to provide you with the most relevant information to make the best decisions about your future. As such, ‘in partnership’ content has been written or sourced by the partner organisation and edited by targetjobs as part of a content partnership.

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Your teacher training personal statement

Your personal statement is your chance to make yourself memorable with teacher training providers and show them why you’ll make a great teacher.

You do not have to write it all at once – you can start it and come back to it. Successful candidates often take a few weeks to write their personal statements.

How long should my teacher training personal statement be?

Your personal statement can be up to 1000 words. 90% of successful candidates write 500 words or more.

You could include:

• skills you have that are relevant to teaching
• any experience of working with young people
• your understanding of why teaching is important
• your reasons for wanting to train to be a teacher
• any activities you’ve done that could be relevant to teaching (such as first aid courses, sports coaching or volunteering)

Teacher training providers want to see your passion and that you understand the bigger picture of teaching.

How to write your personal statement

When writing your personal statement you should make sure you check your spelling and grammar in your application. You want to make the best possible impression.

You can use ChatGPT or other artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help you write your personal statement. You should not rely on it to write your entire statement because:

AI tools use bland language and will not be able to give details about you as a person. Using them may result in your application being unsuccessful

your account to apply for teacher training may be blocked if you consistently submit personal statements that look like they have been written with AI tools

Do I use the same personal statement for each application?

You can use the same personal statement for every course you apply to.

However, there may be some instances where you’d like to tailor it to different courses.

For example, if you want to apply to train to teach maths and also to train to teach physics. In this case, you might want to change your personal statement to talk more specifically about the subject you’re applying to train to teach.

Should my personal statement be different if I’m training to teach primary or secondary?

You should use your personal statement to explain why you feel passionate about teaching a specific age range or subject.

If you’re applying for a primary course with a subject specialism, or you’re particularly interested in certain primary subjects, you can talk about that, too.

If you’re not sure if you want to teach primary or secondary, you can find out more about teaching different age groups .

Do I need school experience?

You do not need school experience to apply for teacher training, but it can help strengthen your personal statement.

Teacher training providers like to see that you have a good understanding of teaching, how the school system works and what your transferable skills are. You need more than just good subject knowledge and school experience can be a great way to get this.

Getting some school experience can also be a good way to make sure teaching is right for you before you apply for a course.

Find out how you could get school experience .

Get help with your personal statement

You can get help with your personal statement from our teacher training advisers . They have years of teaching experience and can give you free, one-to-one support by phone, text, or email.

Advisers can also help you understand more about what teaching is really like, which can help improve your application.

Having a teacher training adviser was really beneficial when editing my personal statement and preparing for interviews. My top tips for the application process would be to get an adviser, and to think about what transferrable skills you have when writing your personal statement and answering interview questions. Felix, former teacher trainee

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Whether it's just an idea or you're ready to apply, you could get personalised support from an adviser with years of teaching experience. Chat to them by phone, email or text as little or as often as you need.

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If you want to study for a teacher training degree that leads directly to qualified teacher status (QTS), then you'll need to write a strong personal statement that reflects your ambition and experience.

Remember, if you're applying to a non-QTS degree and planning to qualify as a teacher through the postgraduate route then your experience in schools is less important at this stage, but will be crucial in three years' time.

Teaching training: experience is essential

Degree courses that lead to QTS usually require you to meet certain criteria over and above their entry grades, often asking for you to have built up experience of working in a classroom or learning environment.

Universities may insist that you have a minimum of two or three weeks’ classroom experience, and they will want this to be recent or current. If you have worked in two or more contrasting schools or with different age groups, that’s all the better.

If you've had additional experience of working with children or students in other settings, that may also provide some useful content for your statement, although it won’t be sufficient on its own.

How to expand on your classroom experience

• Outline your classroom experience and reflect on what you did, what you observed, and how it has informed your understanding of the role of teachers, the challenges they face, the nature of teaching and learning, or the interaction between the two.
• Most importantly, describe some of the skills or qualities you’ve seen teachers use in the classroom, and show how you’ve demonstrated some of them yourself.
• Reflect on any effective strategies you have seen teachers use to create a motivating and engaging learning environment, the way they interact with and inspire pupils, the way the classroom is managed, the way behaviour is managed, the way the curriculum is planned, or anything else that has made an impact on you.
• Also reflect on anything significant you have gained from any experience of working with children in other settings.

More teacher training statement dos and don'ts

• Explain why you want to teach , why you are interested in your chosen age range, and (if appropriate) why your specialist subject?
• Say something relevant about your academic studies , and demonstrate your own enthusiasm for learning.
• Mention any personal accomplishments or extra-curricular activities that you might be able to contribute to a school community.
• Expand on any relevant skills or qualities you've demonstrated in a part-time job.
• Comment on any current professional issues you’ve read about in, for example, the Times Educational Supplement (TES).
• Don't forget the basics – the presentation, organisation, coherence, spelling, grammar, and punctuation of your statement will be crucial.
• Don't include bland clichés such as 'I love children,' 'I was born to teach,’ 'I am passionate about teaching,' 'I have wanted to be a teacher from a young age' – or the word 'babysitting.'

If you are applying for a general degree in education that doesn’t lead directly to QTS, then demonstrate that you understand what the course involves, explain why you’re interested in it, and relate your academic interests and experiences to it.

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Writing a Postgraduate Teacher Education personal statement

Updated on 7 July 2023

Guidance on how to write a PGDE/CE personal statement and an example to help demonstrate your skills, experience and motivation for teaching.

A personal statement is a short piece of writing (47 lines/4000 characters) which you are asked to submit in support of your application to study a PGDE/CE made through UCAS. It is your opportunity to demonstrate your skills, experience and motivation for teaching.

Before you start

Remember that this is a very important part of your application. Take your time to carefully plan out and practise your statement. It is a good idea to draft your statement in a word document and get some feedback on it before committing to the final version..

• Don't waste space with irrelevant or repetitive information. Be succinct and avoid complicated language and overly long sentences.
• Be specific about what you have to offer. Detail what you have gained from your experiences in schools/working with children. Give appropriate evidence of the skills you possess for teaching.
• Indicate the relevance of other types of experience or skills you possess, e.g. supervising people or sports
• Avoid using negative language. Present any gaps in skills or experience positively.
• Finish with a summary of what you have to offer     leave the selectors with a clear understanding of your suitability for the course.
• Let your enthusiasm for teaching and working with children shine through in everything you say.
• Check grammar and spelling thoroughly! Do not rely on the spelling and grammar check on your word processing package alone. Ask someone to proof read it for you.
• If you are cutting and pasting from a word document, remember to check the formatting.

Questions to consider when structuring your Personal Statement

• Why do you want to be a teacher? - What has inspired you; who/what influenced you?
• Why do you want to work with young people? - What appeals to you about working with this age group; what skills do you possess that will help you?
• Why do you want to teach your subject? For primary: demonstrate a breadth of knowledge across a range of curriculum areas. For secondary, show how your subject knowledge is relevant to the curriculum.
• What have you gained from working with young people? - Have you had any experience in schools or working with children in other settings? Reflect upon what you did, what you observed, what you learned.
• What else can you offer? Skills in sports, music, languages, arts and crafts, ICT etc.

This is an example personal statement. There is considerable room for improvement and the notes make suggestions to help you with writing yours.

I am applying for the PGDE course because I have always wanted to be a teacher. I really like working with children and think that I have the right kinds of skills to become a good teacher .

• The above statement is far too short: you are allowed 47 lines/4000 characters so use them.
• Remember to specify whether you are applying f or primary or secondary courses.
• It is not enough to say that you have developed the "right kinds of skills". Be specific about them.
• It is important to have a strong opening statement . It is the first thing the selectors will read so you want to make an impact. 
• Think about why you have always wanted to teach and clearly demonstrate.

New Paragraph

At school, I was involved with the Primary 1 class when I was in final year. I helped the less able children with reading on a one to one basis. I also help out at my local Brownie pack every week, keeping the girls busy with various activities. I have applied to do the Student Tutoring Scheme.

• When describing experience with children, make sure you are specific about what you learned from the work and the skills you developed.
• You need to demonstrate (by providing evidence) that you have developed/ have the potential to develop skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork, problem solving, organisation, planning and time management.

At school I studied a wide range of subjects but the one I enjoyed most was History so that is what I have studied at university. I also took Psychology and Politics in first year and Politics in second year too.

• When describing your studies, remember to show how this is relevant to the subject(s) you will be teaching.

I have been a babysitter for two children for several years and enjoy helping the older child with his homework now that he is at school.

• When describing your experience remember to demonstrate the transferable skills you have gained in this role that would be relevant to teaching. For example with babysitting you could link to the skill of 'behaviour management'.

I am very interested in education generally and keep up to date with current issues by reading the BBC website.

It is not enough to say that you 'keep up-to-date' here. Give a summary of what you have to offer and stating why you should be offered a place on the course.

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How to write a teacher personal statement

Your personal statement is your first opportunity to show the school you’re a great fit for the job, and gets you closer to being shortlisted for an interview. The more you show how your skills and interests match the school’s ethos and values, the better. We’ve spoken to a range of teachers to get their top tips for success.

What experience do you have?

Schools want to hear about your trainee experience with different subjects, key stages, types of school, and working with a range of pupils.

Think about your approach to teaching, how you keep pupils engaged, and how you communicate with different kinds of people (children, staff, parents and carers). Ensure you provide evidence for how you have improved student engagement and built positive relationships with pupils.

Schools will be interested in your approach to behaviour management, so think about your go-to strategies.

Are you engaged in teaching theory and research?

Think about any research that has affected your teaching practice. Explain what has worked well and if it didn’t, what you learnt.

Are you up to date on safeguarding statutory guidance?

You need to demonstrate your awareness of the importance of safeguarding and the requirements of Keeping Children Safe in Education . Include any examples of how you worked with a Designated Safeguarding Lead.

What are your skills and qualities?

Are you a well-organised, confident, and motivated teacher? Say it, and provide examples! Schools are looking for great communicators, team players and relationship builders. Make sure you say how you create a positive learning environment, and consider skills like time management, organisation, and flexibility. Schools will also want to know how you overcome challenges.

How can you contribute to wider school life?

Set yourself apart by showing how your hobbies and achievements could contribute to the wider school community. Could you run an after school club or organise school trips?

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Teacher training personal statement example (primary pgce) 10.

I am applying to study within the education department because I have a keen interest to work with younger children and pursue a career as a primary school teacher. I believe primary school teachers are extremely important as they support children through their first experience of going to school, giving them their first insight into education. I believe Primary school teachers can have a very positive impact and become a memorable role in children’s life.

Being the youngest child within my family, I rarely encountered children younger than me apart from at school, until 2010 when my cousins began to have children, this is what initiated my interest in younger children, I would jump at any opportunity to see and care for them, playing and looking after them seemed to come naturally, it was amazing to watch how quickly they developed, and nothing could beat the feeling of seeing a child conquer a new skill and knowing you helped them reach a new milestone.

In 2014 I was able to gain further insight into what it would be like to work with children, as I completed two weeks’ work placement at Tudor Court Day Nursery allowing me to see all areas of working with children aged 0-4yrs, although it was only two weeks I was able to independently motivate groups of children whilst working alongside them to assist them in their learning process.

For additional experience, I worked at Little Stars’ Day Nursery over Summer 2016, each day I turned up on time and remained professional whilst taking the time to build relationships with the children and staff. My time at the nursery was extremely beneficial as I was able to work with groups of children, using my creativity and confidence to come up with and complete various activities with the children. This gave me an insight as to what it would be like to cater and care for a group of child of differentiating abilities, reinforcing my desire to teach as the older children within the nursey were due to start school in the September.

I have experience with children of Primary school age as I have been caring for two children aged 5 and 10 since October 2015, this children has proved that I am responsible as I am the sole career for them from when I pick them up from school until their parents return home, it also has given me the opportunity to further access what it would be like to work with primary school children as we regularly complete their homework, allowing me to see some of the activities a Primary school teacher teaches.

The Subjects I took at A- Level have enhanced many of my skills, by taking four subjects at A-level and working, it has engaged and improved my organisation skills. Taking Film Studies taught me to delve deeper into the meaning and reasoning for things, which not only do I feel is a good life skill, it helped me to improve my analysis and assessment skills. Film studies also largely improved my creativity and my research skills.

Philosophy and Ethics A- Level also helped improve my skill of assessing, but helped more so to applying the assessment to real life situations, rather than films. It also aided me in my essay writing skills and my written communication. Studying Health and social care enabled me to independently research into the role of Primary school teacher, improving my knowledge of the job role, and accessing¬¬¬ my suitability for the role which only furthered my interest in becoming a Primary school teacher myself.

Throughout my time at school one subject I have always enjoyed is maths, which is why I took it as an A – Level, it has furthered my maths skills and made my aspiration of specialising in maths more certain. I’m a confident friendly person, which has been essential whilst working at Tesco’s, I also have developed good communication skills which has really helped whilst helping the Year 9’s at Breakfast club.

I have a variety of different hobbies that I look forward to continuing whilst studying my degree, including caring for animals, of which I have two dogs and three cats. I also enjoy cooking, especially experimental cooking which is a skill I developed during GCSE hospitality, I enjoy the challenge of throwing random ingredients together in order to see what works and what doesn’t. in my spare time, I like to read, when things get hectic picking up a book is just the right thing to take my mind of things and escape into the world that the book is creating.

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