teacher personal statement pgce

I read hundreds of UCAS applications for teacher training every year, and I cannot stress how important the personal statement is. Claire Harnden, Director of Initial Teacher Training at Surrey South Farnham SCITT

What to include

You do need to think carefully about the things that all your chosen providers will want to know about you. You’ll probably want to include things like:

These are the things all training providers want to know – whether they’re School Direct, a university or a SCITT – so there’s no need to worry that you can’t write different personal statements. Read what SCITT director, Claire Harnden, looks for in a teacher training personal statement .

In addition to the details you give in the school and work experience section, you can also expand on your experience of teaching, such as visits to schools, classroom observations or working as a teaching assistant. To help, read Chris Chivers' tips for completing your teacher training application .

Whatever the route, the process will have similar elements, which are worth considering, so that the appliation has the greatest chance of making an impression. Chris Chivers, experienced ITT tutor and mentor

How to write it

You can use up to 47 lines of text (4,000 characters) in your personal statement. Some word processing packages calculate line counts differently from the UCAS Teacher Training system, so you might need to redraft your statement if there’s a discrepancy between the counts.

Don’t copy!

Don’t copy anyone else’s personal statement or from statements posted on the internet. Make sure your personal statement is all your own work.

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PGCE Personal Statement Examples for Aspiring Educators

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A PGCE is a Postgraduate Certificate in Education that may or may not require Master's credits. It can be offered in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. The program is a course that spans one year and enables the holder to train to be a teacher.

PGCE Personal Statements

Applications for the PGCE can be made between September and June in order to begin coursework in September. Most applicants should file their application with the Graduate Teaching Training Registry.

One part of the application process involves creating a personal statement . The personal statement is fairly brief, covering no more than 47 lines. The personal statement should include:

Some examples of statements that could be part of your PGCE personal statement include:

Hopefully these examples will help inspire you to prepare your own personal statement for your application.

PGCE Personal Statement Sample

Learning is natural, necessary and nurtured aspect of life. Being a teacher will allow me to become an important figure in this process, where I endeavour to impart knowledge, expand perceptions and provide life tools during a critical stage in development. Work experience, interpersonal skills and a solid grounding in childhood, family and education studies, make me an ideal candidate to embark on a PGCE Primary, the next step in my career to become a successful teacher.

To further explore the teaching role and environment, I have undertaken a variety of placements in different year groups. Completing a full school year placement as a reception class assistant at Birchfield Community Primary School, I was responsible for a range of in-class activities, such as reading, creative play and one-to-one mentoring. Here I developed my communication skills with children who were just entering education. The reception age group presented a wide range of personalities, levels of structure, obedience and social skills. This highlighted my ability to effectively communicate with children from diverse backgrounds, encouraging positive social skills, and showing reward for achievement required for the next year of learning. Being patient and understanding, was essential to providing effective guidance through tasks children were finding difficult. This long term placement allowed me to evaluate the pupil’s and class progress over a long period of time. Completing this placement confirmed my passion for teaching, feeling a sense of achievement in my role.

Contrasting to reception age, I volunteered for four weeks in year five. This age group presented a myriad of challenges which required alternative communication and creative skills. This experience allowed me to immerse myself in a classroom containing a range of behaviours, levels of intellect and underlying issues which contributed to the learning environment. English as a second language also presented another learning dynamic which reflected the cultural diverse country we live in. I was fortunate enough to observe lesson plans, which requires a high level of understanding of the age group and creativity to best present new ideas and concepts in an interesting way. This experience developed my interpersonal skills, broadened my teaching styles and class management.

During these experiences, I developed and enhanced skills which are important for becoming an effective teacher. My genuine enthusiasm throughout my experience was reflected in my teaching style, where I feel pupils are more likely to learn from those who have a passion for what they are imparting. I have also honed my communication skills with pupils, co-workers and parents, all important figures in the child’s development. Creativity, initiative and organisation are skills which I believe are critical to successful management groups of children. I believe these are core skills to help children develop their confidence and ability, both academically and socially. I thoroughly enjoyed these placements, providing great insight and reinforced my desire to teach.

Studying BA (Hons) Childhood and Family Studies and Education Studies, I have gained a deeper understanding of child development and psychology, which has supported my communication skills with challenging classroom behaviours. My knowledge of families, communities and culture allows me to explore different approaches to learning, where I will be able to adapt teaching styles to suit the class learning process. Group projects and presentations have highlighted my teamwork and leadership skills, as well as presenting information in a clear and articulate manner.

I enjoy regular exercise, such as football and running, teaching me that a healthy mind and body is essential to managing stress, being the best I can be as a teacher and role model. My experience has shown I have the dedication, creativity, resourcefulness and passion to become an inspirational teacher.

This PGCE Personal Statement sample will hopefully aid you in your quest to gaining the education that you so desire.

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Teacher Training Personal Statement Examples

Our teacher training personal statements below, and top rated example personal statements , will inspire you to write your own unique statement, and help you understand how students have successfully applied for a PGCE course in the past.

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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:

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:

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:

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:

Further information

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

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.

What to Include in Your PGCE Personal Statement

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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.

How Your PGCE Personal Statement Should Be Structured

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:

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.

Example Personal Statement

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.

Final Thoughts

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.

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COMMENTS

Personal statement for PGCE secondary
Example personal statement for PGCE secondary · What inspired you to choose teaching. · Why you wish to teach at secondary level. · Your knowledge of the pressures
Teaching personal statement examples
Your personal statement is used to explain why you want to become a teacher and your suitability for the role. While your application form briefly outlines your
Writing a PGCE personal statement
Questions your personal statement should answer · Why do you want to be a teacher? · Why do you want to teach a particular subject, Key Stage or age group? · What
How to write a teacher training personal statement
What to include · your reason(s) for wanting to teach · evidence that you understand the rewards and challenges of teaching · details of your previous education
PGCE Personal Statement Examples
What is a PGCE personal statement? · Why do you want to be a teacher? · Why do you want to teach a specific subject or age range? · What are your
PGCE Personal Statement Examples for Aspiring Educators
I have a passion for education and believe it to be the foundation of any civilized society. As such, I want to be a part of transforming the lives of youth to
PGCE Personal Statement Sample
I enjoy regular exercise, such as football and running, teaching me that a healthy mind and body is essential to managing stress, being the best
Teacher Training Personal Statement Examples
I am a hard-working, responsible, friendly girl with a strong passion to pursue a career in primary school teaching. I believe that to become an excellent
How to Write a PGCE Personal Statement [with Examples]
1. About You · 2. Why You Want to Teach · 3. Why You Are the Best Candidate · 4. Why a PGCE? · 5. Teaching-Related Experience · 6. Other Professional
How to write a PGCE Personal Statement
Why you and why teaching? ▫ Think about your opening sentence – avoid: „I have always wanted to teach‟. „I believe teaching is very worthwhile