teacher training personal statement template

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Teacher Training Personal Statement Examples

What is a teacher training personal statement?

The teacher training personal statement is your opportunity to let training providers know about your qualities, skills and expertise, and why you want to teach.

While your application form briefly outlines your qualifications, skills and work experience, your teaching personal statement is where your personality shines through.

Take your time with it, be prepared to receive constructive feedback and write a few drafts before you send it off.

How do I write a good teacher training personal statement?

To help you write a successful teacher training personal statement, we recommend you include:

• use examples to back everything up, based on your teaching experience so far
• tailor your personal statement according to the age group you wish to teach
• write using concise English, using first person terms such as 'my' and 'I'
• be original and honest - don't embellish the truth or lie outright
• avoid clichés and general statements, such as 'since a young age' or 'I've always wanted to be a teacher'
• demonstrate your passion and enthusiasm for teaching.

You have up to 4,000 characters to write a memorable opening, middle and conclusion.

Don't waste your valuable space on writing about things that are already on your UCAS form elsewhere, such as your qualifications.

What should I include in my teacher training personal statement?

When planning out your personal statement, ask yourself what it is your training providers are looking for. Make sure your statement answers the following questions:

• Why do I want to teach? - show that you know about the challenges and rewards of teaching, and remember that everything has its ups and downs. Maybe talk about any lessons you have observed/taught, what went well and how you would have improved on them. Discuss teaching styles used and the use of technology in the classroom.
• Why do I want to teach this age group/at this level? - what appeals to you, and what experience do you have teaching these students/children?
• What are my strengths? - include the relevance of your degree and subject knowledge.
• What experience do I have? - include any experience you have of volunteering with children, such as teaching a sports team, youth work or working at a summer camp? Give examples of how this helpd develop your teaching skills.
• What personal skills/abilities do I have? - these might include research, creativity, time management, IT skills, problem solving, managing people, organisational skills, listening skills, leading or working in a team. To strengthen your application, make sure you back everything up with examples.
• Are there are any location restrictions? - if you don't currently live in the UK, why do you want to study here? Are you willing to move away from your current home town/city for your degree?

You only have up to 47 lines (4,000 characters including spaces) in which to persuade your chosen initial teacher training (ITT) providers to offer you an interview. The statement must be concise, enthusiastic and sell your potential to be a successful teacher.

For more help and advice on what to write in your teacher training personal statement, please see:

• Personal Statement Editing Services
• Personal Statement Tips From A Teacher
• Analysis Of A Personal Statement
• The 15th January UCAS Deadline: 4 Ways To Avoid Missing It
• Personal Statement FAQs
• Personal Statement Timeline
• 10 Top Personal Statement Writing Tips
• What To Do If You Miss The 15th January UCAS Deadline.

What is a teacher training degree?

Teacher training degrees combine the study of curriculum subjects with learning teaching techniques and putting these into practice during hands-on school placements. The course leads to QTS (qualified teacher status) to enable you to teach in a school or college.

How long is a teacher training course?

To teach in England and Wales you need to gain QTS. You will obtain this on an ITT programme, which could be school or university-based and takes approximately one year to complete.

How do I become a teacher with a degree?

To teach as a qualified teacher in England, you'll need qualified teacher status (QTS). If you already have a degree, you can complete a postgraduate teacher training course to achieve this. Additionally, you'll need to have a GCSE at grade C/4 in maths and English, as well as science if you want to teach primary.

Can I train to be a teacher without a degree?

Unfortunately no - you cannot become a teacher without a degree.

But if you are an undergraduate or have a degree in a different subject than what you want to teach, there are options to help you get into a teaching career.

Will I get paid for teacher training?

There are three types of funding available for teacher training - depending on your circumstances, you could receive all three:

• Tax-free bursary or scholarship.
• Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan.
• Extra financial support if you're a parent, have an adult dependant or a disability.

Further information

For more tips and advice on teacher training personal statements, please see:

• GetIntoTeaching
• The Complete University Guide

Related resources

Teacher training interview questions.

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Applying For Teacher Training Courses

6 Personal Statement Writing Tips

How To Apply To University

UCAS Adjustment: How Does It Work?

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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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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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Crafting a Compelling Teaching Personal Statement

Your teaching personal statement needs to give an insight into your personality, teaching style & unique qualities only you hold. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of writing a compelling teaching personal statement.

The best personal statements are more than just a list of experiences and achievements. A personal statement which tells a compelling story will always compel the reader to want to find out more. If you keep your philosophy as the central theme and ensure that you use examples of practice which link back to that, it will ensure that your personal statement is a coherent and interesting piece of writing.

What Inspired You:

Begin by reflecting on what motivated you to become a teacher. Headteachers want to understand your background, inspiration, the reason you trained as a teacher and why you want to teach your specialism. Highlight your passion for teaching and your genuine desire to make a positive impact on students’ lives.

Showcase Key Achievements:

Highlight your career achievements, qualifications and teaching milestones that you’re most proud of. Demonstrate your ability to drive student progress and results through concrete examples throughout your teaching personal statement. If you’re an early career teacher, discuss your teaching placements, voluntary work, or even include any quotes from observation reports.

Showcase Teaching Skills:

Demonstrate your teaching skills by providing specific examples. Discuss successful teaching strategies you’ve employed, innovative lesson plans you’ve created, or how you’ve adapted to meet the needs of diverse learners. Highlight any extracurricular involvement, such as coaching sports teams or leading clubs, which showcases your dedication to students’ holistic development.

Keep It Concise and Well-Structured:

Teaching personal statements should be clear, concise, and well-structured. Aim for a maximum of 500-600 words. Use headings or bullet points to organize your content. Start with a captivating opening paragraph and conclude with a strong summary of your qualifications and enthusiasm for teaching.

Proofread and Edit:

Thoroughly proofread your teaching personal statement to eliminate grammatical errors, typos, or awkward phrasing. Consider seeking feedback from mentors, colleagues, or friends to ensure clarity and impact. Editing is crucial to present yourself as a professional and detail-oriented teacher.

Show Enthusiasm:

Infuse your teaching personal statement with enthusiasm and optimism. Convey your passion for teaching, showcase your qualifications, and demonstrate your commitment to fostering student growth. A positive and enthusiastic tone can be infectious and leave a lasting impression.

To conclude, your teaching personal statement is your chance to shine as a teacher. Get personal. Write about what makes YOU in the classroom.

For further support and tips, please reach out to Gemma Yates.

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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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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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• Personal Statement Tips

TIPS FOR PERSONAL STATEMENT

How to write an effective personal statement.

Please take time to read the following information which is designed to help you to write your personal statement effectively.

• Remember , the function of the personal statement is to secure an interview • Wring value out of every sentence you put in, cut the waffle • Be clear – don’t make assumptions about the reader’s knowledge • Use concrete examples . If you did something, say exactly what you did (e.g. As a TA I have supported children to develop a range of skills in mathematics. I used a cookery lesson to teach my Y5 pupils about weighing and measuring and have taught volume and capacity to Y1 pupils as part of a topic on looking after our fish) • Say what you learned (e.g. Whilst observing in a Y3 class, I was impressed at the way the pupils responded to the Learning Objectives. I understand how important it is to make these explicit as it helps the children to …) Broadly, the statement should cover these areas: • Why you want to become a teacher • your transferable skills, knowledge and experience relevant to teaching and what they will enable you to offer a school • your philosophy of education – what it’s all about (and this might be where you want to include your thoughts on things like inclusion); • what other transferable skills, knowledge and experience you can offer, including extra-curricular. • Try to include something ‘desirable’ – that little something which will make your application stand out e.g. Willing and able to coach the school football or netball team.

Final Do’s and Don’ts

Don’t: Go over the character limit – the form will just cut you off mid-sentence. Do: • Keep a copy of your application form – you will be asked questions based on it at interview • Draft your statement on Word first then cut and paste. • Proof read very carefully – errors in written English are frowned upon • Get someone else to read over your form before you press send Good Luck!

“LDBS SCITT was genuinely the best year of my life.” – Jade Corrick

© 2024 | Teaching London: LDBS SCITT | 2 West End Lane, Kilburn, London, NW6 4NT | 0207 932 1126 | [email protected]

What to Include in Your PGCE Personal Statement

How your pgce personal statement should be structured, example personal statement, final thoughts, pgce personal statement.

Updated November 24, 2021

A PGCE personal statement is written as part of the application process for teacher training and gives candidates an opportunity to showcase their skills and attributes.

PGCE candidates will only write one personal statement, which is used to apply for all of their preferred choices. Students upload their personal statement to the UCAS Teacher Training system, and it is submitted for all choices in both phases of the application process (‘Apply 1’ and ‘Apply 2’). No changes can be made once it is submitted.

The personal statement is often used as the deciding factor for choosing whom to invite to interview . This piece of writing should explain the experience you have and how this translates into your abilities in the classroom.

It should also present what you might be like as a teacher – how will your personality and interests help engage students and get them enthused about the subject?

A lot is riding on your personal statement and writing it can be a daunting task. This guide will outline what your PGCE personal statement should contain and how to structure it for the best chance of success.

The admissions team will want to know about the skills, experience and personal qualities you have that would make you perfect for a teaching career. They need to see you have the dedication and passion to complete your PGCE and have a successful future.

Simply saying, “I would be good at this role and am well suited to it” isn’t enough. The PGCE provider needs to read real examples that demonstrate your skills and abilities and meet their requirements.

Here are some details you may want to include in your personal statement:

1. About You

A teacher’s personality and personal experience will be highly influential, therefore your own experiences are relevant to your application.

Before you start writing, it’s a good idea to spend a few minutes jotting down some key facts that are relevant to teaching. These might include:

• Your interests
• Qualifications/achievements
• What motivates you
• Your upbringing
• Relevant skills

Remember to include examples in your list. Coaching a sports team in your spare time suggests you are experienced in motivating young people and getting the best out of them. Maybe you play an instrument and use music in class. Including qualities like these will make your application stand out.

2. Why You Want to Teach

A key element of your application is explaining why you have chosen teaching as your future career. Show an awareness of how teachers can inspire individuals and also the benefits you might see in yourself.

Try to broaden your answer further than simply saying you are passionate about teaching or children. Every applicant will say they are passionate.

Give details of experiences that moved you towards this career or, perhaps, even the moment you realised this was what you were born to do. By using genuine examples, your passion and excitement will shine through.

3. Why You Are the Best Candidate

Try not to pull out a cliché like “I am passionate, dedicated and reliable” – make your application stand out by using a paragraph that the provider won’t see in any other application that day.

Think about what makes you different from any other candidate. Other applicants may say they can take charge of a class and have experience dealing with challenging children, but will they sing an entire lesson just to get the pupils to engage with them, like you did in your work experience? Or will they bring in a structure made out of Lego to demonstrate osmosis, like you did on your degree placement? Think of what makes you, you.

4. Why a PGCE?

Include details of why you have chosen to go down the route of a PGCE rather than doing a full teaching degree. Perhaps you dipped your toe into teaching while travelling after your degree and realised how much you love it, or maybe you are passionate about biology and wanted to decide at a later date whether to go into teaching or industry.

Show that you have done your research and understand the structure of the PGCE and what will be required.

5. Teaching-Related Experience

Include details of any experience you have gained working in schools or with children in another environment. This might include:

• Work experience
• Visits to schools
• Teaching assistant roles
• Voluntary teaching/supervision roles (like helping out at a scout hut, etc.)
• Experience via the Get School Experience service
• Classroom observations

With every experience you discuss, note the skills you gained and how they will benefit you as a teacher and how they have improved your understanding of the education system.

6. Other Professional Experience

Teaching demands a range of different skills – it’s not simply a case of delivering information.

Talk about past positions you have held:

• Did you manage people?
• Did you work within a team?
• Did you negotiate?
• Have you trained or coached others?
• When have you communicated information to different audiences?

The skills you have gained throughout your education, work and personal life can be highly relevant to your application. Be sure to include details of why these skills will make you excel as a teacher.

7. What You Learnt During Your Degree

Whether your degree was in the subject you intend to teach or not, it’s important to talk about the skills you developed throughout your learning and how they will benefit you as a teacher.

If you’re struggling to find transferable skills , here are some ideas:

• Think about how you communicated (presentations, critiquing the work of your peers, etc.)
• Give examples of how you organised yourself
• Describe times you helped others with their learning

Remember to talk about the benefits your initial degree will bring when studying for your PGCE and how your interest in it has inspired your desire to teach.

8. Your Knowledge of What Training to Be/Being a Teacher Entails

It’s important to stress your commitment to your training. To do this, you should demonstrate that you have done your research and are fully aware of what is to come.

Although teaching is a highly rewarding career, no one applying for teacher training will do so without being aware of the challenging nature of the profession.

There is no need to ignore these challenges in your application; actually, it will work in your favour if you show that you have thought about these challenges and are sufficiently prepared.

Talk about the positives and negatives that you expect to experience in your training and within your career, and how your core strengths will help you deal with them.

9. Your Future Plans

Discuss your plans beyond the PGCE:

• Do you have the ambition to be a headteacher?
• Do you plan to take on pastoral responsibilities?

Show a keenness to immerse yourself in the school system and be open to opportunities that come your way.

10. Extenuating Circumstances 

Your personal statement is the place to openly discuss any extenuating circumstances, such as low grades or large gaps in employment/education. Make sure you show how you have overcome these challenges and what you learnt from them.

Write your personal statement in Word (or equivalent) and make sure you are happy with it before copying and pasting it into your application on the UCAS system.

You need to keep your personal statement to no more than 4,000 characters across a maximum of 47 lines of text . The UCAS Teacher Training system may differ slightly to your word processor, so be prepared to amend slightly once you have copied it into the UCAS page.

To keep to the character limit and cover all the suggested material above, you will need to be succinct. Make sure you only talk about topics that are relevant and delete any waffle.

Your opening statement should be strong and memorable – a good idea is to state why you have decided to get into teaching. Back up all details with examples and be sure to say what you learned from the experience or how you can bring the skills you developed into the classroom.

Split your statement into three sections:

• Introduction – Introduce yourself and talk about why you want to do a PGCE
• Middle – Use the notes above to cover the key details
• Conclusion – Tell the reader why you are the best person for the place they are offering

Avoid using bold, underlining or italics, and write in English (or Welsh if applying for Welsh PGCEs). The UCAS system will strip all special formatting out of the personal statement (except paragraph breaks) so ensure you keep it simple.

When you are happy with the content, make sure you ask someone to check your work . Spelling and grammar in personal statements should be accurate. Make sure you have not copied anyone else’s work at all – UCAS screens all applications for plagiarism.

Below is an example personal statement which covers all of the key points you should include in this piece of writing:

A teacher at my secondary school single-handedly transformed my passion and ability for maths; I was predicted an ‘F’ at GCSE and in a matter of months, she helped me achieve a ‘B’ and start to enjoy the subject. I can’t think of a more satisfying job than one in which you can inspire young people in the way my teacher inspired me. After achieving a ‘B’ in maths at A-Level, I went on to study the subject at University College London and graduated in 2018 with a 2.1. It was in the final year of my degree that I had my first taste of teaching the subject, as several of the modules involved presenting topics to large groups of first-year students. I was thrilled when students asked to see me afterwards to share their observations of what I had been discussing – it was clear my enthusiasm had rubbed off on them and they were excited by maths, which is exactly why I want to teach. I currently work as a teaching assistant at St Andrew’s School, where I have been for six months. This position has given me a great insight into the skills needed to be a fantastic teacher; the school has several SEN pupils and I have been exposed to the more challenging side of the profession. Being trusted to run activities with the entire class has helped me build confidence and learn how important it is to adapt lesson plans to engage students who have different abilities. I have gained valuable skills in implementing strategies such as gentle competitiveness between pupils, and tactical seating plans to get the best out of each student. Before working at St Andrew’s, I completed a work experience placement at Bell Lane Academy where I shadowed teachers working across the five different year groups. This experience helped hone my skills in addressing different age groups in different ways. My ability to get the best out of students is further strengthened by the experience I am currently gaining in the position of assistant coach at my local netball team. Having worked with the girls for the last 18 months, I have developed different ways of motivating individuals, helping push them outside of their comfort zones and encouraging them to take on new challenges. In my spare time, I enjoy playing netball and rugby and would be keen to take on extra responsibilities at a school in the form of after school clubs or teams. I also have a keen interest in management styles and personality types. The knowledge I gain from books on these topics helps me understand pupils and their differing learning styles – what works for them and what doesn’t. It also helps me look inwardly, analysing my own leadership style and methods of teaching. I have chosen to do a PGCE because I am passionate about maths, and I wanted to spend three years of a degree course exploring the subject further, rather than embarking on teacher training straight from school. My degree course has helped me with my confidence and my ability to speak in front of large groups of people. Teaching first-year students during my degree course helped me think about how to deliver the subject in an exciting and creative way. The experience I have had so far has clearly shown that teaching is an extremely challenging profession, but one which I believe is undeniably my calling in life. I adore maths and I want to bring the subject alive, helping children learn in an exciting, rewarding environment. A few weeks ago, I took it upon myself to ask the headteacher for permission to get the whole year group involved in a human percentages exercise – the children loved it. I believe I should be offered a place on your PGCE programme because I can commit to dedicating myself to a role in which I will strive to inspire and excite every pupil I teach.

The personal statement is your one opportunity to capture the attention of the PGCE provider and set yourself apart from other candidates. Teaching is about bringing your personality into the classroom and inspiring students, so avoid a formulaic application and speak from the heart, giving a full picture of who you are.

Your answers should convey enthusiasm for inspiring young people, a passion for teaching, creativity, excellent organisational skills and energy.

Demonstrate an awareness of this challenging profession but conclude with excitement and enthusiasm for your chosen career path.

You might also be interested in these other Wikijob articles:

Or explore the Postgraduate / Further Study sections.

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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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• mrsstrickey
• Jan 16, 2021

Writing a Personal Statement

Going for your first NQT post can be a daunting prospect... especially when in teaching, you need to write a personal statement to support your application form.

Schools use your personal statement to help short list candidates for a position by checking off the criteria of the person specification that they can see in your statement. It is always a good idea to write your personal statement alongside the person specification, ensuring that you have included all the "essential" criteria and as much of the "desirable" criteria you can that are assessed through the application.

Where possible, you should also use the language of the school you are applying to - their vision, values, mission and ethos statements will help you here and should be available on the school's website. You will also sometimes find these in the application pack. Read this carefully and then read it again, reading between the lines of what they might be looking for.

Here is an example of the structure of a personal statement for a trainee teacher applying for their first NQT job:

Begin with an impact statement that summarises your philosophy on teaching or that refers to the mission/vision/values/ethos of the school you are applying to:

I believe that it is, as Einstein said, the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. As a passionate teacher, dedicated to ensuring the very best outcomes for all students I teach, this statement resonates with me as I endeavour to awaken joy in all of the learners within my classroom. It was your belief all young people have the right to a transformational educational experience, that will enable them, no matter what their starting point, to fulfil their potential and realise their ambitions that first attracted me to your school as it aligns with my own personal and professional philosophy on education.

Throughout my practice, I constantly encourage pupils to participate and contribute in an atmosphere highly conducive to learning. I have consistently set high expectations of pupils in different training contexts. There are high levels of mutual respect between me and pupils. I am very effective in promoting learners’ resilience, confidence and independence when tackling challenging activities. In my lesson, I generate high levels of enthusiasm, participation and commitment to learning.

Back this up with an example from your training.

I have also assumed a high level of responsibility for the attainment progress and outcomes of the pupils I have taught. I have demonstrated confident judgement in planning for pupil progression both within individual lessons and over time and I am able to articulate a clear and well-justified rationale as to how I am building on prior achievement. Within my lessons, I seek to actively promote engaging and effective methods that support pupils in reflecting on their learning. I have demonstrated that I am able to set appropriately challenging tasks, drawing on a sound knowledge of the pupils’ prior attainment, which has been obtained through systematic and accurate assessment. I regularly create opportunities for independent and autonomous learning. As a result the majority of pupils make very good progress.

In order to plan effective lessons, I draw on my in-depth subject and curriculum knowledge of [your subject or phase] to plan confidently for progression and to stimulate and capture pupils’ interest. Throughout my training, I have demonstrated very well-developed pedagogical subject knowledge, by anticipating common errors and misconceptions in my planning. I am astutely aware of my own development needs in relation to extending and updating my subject, curriculum and pedagogical knowledge in my early career and have been proactive in developing these effectively during my training. I always model very high standards of written and spoken communication in all professional activities. I also successfully identify and exploit opportunities to develop learners’ skills, in communication, reading and writing.

I plan lessons that often use well-chosen, imaginative and creative strategies, and that match individuals’ needs and interests. I am highly reflective in critically evaluating my practice. I am able to accurately judge the impact of my practice on individual and groups of learners and can use my evaluation to inform future planning, teaching and learning. During my training, I have shown initiative in contributing to curriculum planning and developing and producing effective learning resources in my placement settings.

I have been able to quickly and accurately discern my learners’ strengths and needs and I have been proactive in differentiating and employing a range of effective intervention strategies to secure progression for individuals and groups. I have an astute understanding of how effective different teaching approaches are in relation to impact on learning and engagement of learners

I can confidently and accurately assess pupils’ attainment against national benchmarks. I use a range of assessment strategies very effectively in my day-to-day practice to monitor progress and to inform future planning. In my practice, I systematically and effectively check learners’ understanding throughout lessons, anticipating where intervention may be needed and do so with notable impact on the quality of learning. I have shown that I am able to assess learners’ progress regularly and work with them to accurately target further improvement and secure rapid progress.

I have been able to rapidly adapt to the different circumstances in which I have trained, working confidently within the frameworks established in different settings and applying rules and routines consistently and fairly. I have also demonstrated an ability to adapt to remote working and remote delivery in response to the Global Pandemic. I consistently have high expectations and understand a range of strategies that experienced teachers use to promote positive behaviour and apply these very effectively, including use of school sanctions and rewards, and use of praise, in order to create an environment highly supportive of learning. I am able to manage pupil behaviour with ease so that learners display very high levels of engagement, courtesy, collaboration and co-operation. Where it is needed, I actively seek additional support in addressing the needs of pupils where significantly challenging behaviour is demonstrated.

During my training, I have been proactive in seeking out opportunities to contribute in a significant way to the wider life and ethos of the school. I have built strong professional relationships and have demonstrated that I am able to work collaboratively with colleagues on a regular basis. I have taken responsibility for deploying support staff in my lessons and for seeking advice from relevant professionals in relation to pupils with individual needs. I deliberately seek out opportunities to develop my own professional learning and respond positively to all the feedback I receive. I have also demonstrated that I can communicate very effectively, both verbally and in writing, with parents and carers in relation to pupils’ achievements and well-being when required to do so formally, but I am also proactive in communicating in relation to individual pupils’ emergent needs.

I always treat pupils with dignity, building relationships rooted in mutual respect, and at all times observing proper boundaries appropriate to a teacher's professional position. I realise the need to safeguard pupils' well-being, in accordance with statutory provisions. I show tolerance of and respect for the rights of others. I do not undermine fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. I always ensure that personal beliefs are not expressed in ways which exploit pupils' vulnerability or might lead them to break the law. I am always punctual and have good attendance. I have attended numerous CPD sessions and will continue to do so. I have also completed a weekly duty (before school and at break} and attends daily briefings (whole school, subject or pastoral). I have taken on board the policies of the school and maintain a high standard in all my practices. I have a good understanding of the framework within which I work and my professional duties

End with a statement that implies/assumes you will be invited for interview:

I would relish the opportunity to work at your school and look forward to discussing this further with you at interview.

You can download the word version of this

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PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE Primary Education Personal Statement

Submitted by Lily

Do you want to inspire young people and help change lives?

Choose to study Education at Roehampton, one of the UK's leading providers of teacher education.

Primary Education Personal Statement

“Let’s play teachers, I’ll be Miss Lily”: the words that led me to realise I wanted to be a primary school teacher . It was ‘Miss Lily’ as somehow Miss ‘surname’ seemed too formal as well as being a little too complicated for 4 year olds to call you on work experience. During this period, I worked with children from reception through to year 6 and met many different children. I mainly worked with children one on one, helping those who found the work more challenging as well as listening to KS1 children read, helping to prepare class materials and helping with sports day. Some children I worked with were very challenging and I was asked to take some them out of the class and work with them one on one in the library, I soon realised how difficult it must be for teacher’s to help children who are particularly struggling (or troublesome!) as well as teaching and supporting the whole class. I did find it challenging myself trying to get unwilling children to do their work but I loved the sense of achievement when I finally got through to them, helping them to learn and understand things and realised that perhaps I was in fact cut out to teach. On a separate occasion I also helped out at an after school photography club at a primary school, I loved how I could combine something I enjoyed doing whilst working in a school environment with the children.

As I have interest in a wide range of subject areas and activities such as religious studies, history and geography I believe this would benefit me, and the students, as I will be passionate and enthusiastic when I teach them. I believe I possess many of the skills required to be a good teacher, many that were developed further during my work experience; my organisation, patience and positive energy being just a few examples. I love the idea that I will somehow be able to shape the future of young children and play an important role in their development. I also understand just how challenging and demanding the role of a primary school teacher is but I think it is a very rewarding career that I would be very suited to.

I am a very caring person making me well-suited to working with children and I believe I have a positive personality and cheerful disposition that can engage children effectively as well as being able to maintain a good rapport with the students. At college I study classical civilisation, modern history and BTEC law. As well as this I decided to do an EPQ which further demonstrates my diligent attitude.

I am confident that all the transferable skills I have acquired during my EPQ such as time management and research skills will be incredibly beneficial to me and will prepare me for my time at university. I also work part-time at The Card Factory which has really developed my confidence in recent months.

My communication skills have also improved and I have gained a sense of responsibility I didn’t have before, knowing people rely on me and depend on my hard work and commitment to providing good customer service. I believe I am incredibly well suited to being a primary school teacher possessing many important qualities and I am sure that it will certainly prove to be a rewarding and fulfilling, albeit certainly challenging career.

I hope that studying primary education at university will equip me with the skills that will allow me to be a successful teacher and that my enthusiasm stands out allowing me to proceed on the pathway to becoming a qualified teacher.

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501 courses

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634 courses

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645 courses

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672 courses

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186 courses

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468 courses

Goldsmiths, UOL

344 courses

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761 courses

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390 courses

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340 courses

886 courses

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432 courses

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548 courses

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656 courses

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503 courses

UWE, Bristol

497 courses

709 courses

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584 courses

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1400 courses

Leeds Arts University

Wrexham Uni

289 courses

Staffordshire Uni

472 courses

Kingston Uni

617 courses

Uni of Winchester

259 courses

Coventry Uni

480 courses

Queen's Uni

635 courses

ARU Writtle

104 courses

Escape Studios

Uni of C.Lancashire

798 courses

Uni of Reading

685 courses

Anglia Ruskin Uni

808 courses

Bath Spa Uni

520 courses

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668 courses

Uni of Hull

498 courses

Edge Hill Uni

383 courses

Nottingham Trent

912 courses

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