Applying for teacher training

The entry requirements for teacher training are:

• For all routes into teaching GCSE (or equivalent) in English and Maths at grade 4 or above; also Science at grade 4 or above if you want to teach in the primary phase (or an equivalent qualification).
• For undergraduate routes UCAS points - these vary according to the University you apply to.

• Relevant experience in a school either through work experience, volunteering or paid employment is not essential but it will help you get a flavour of teaching today and whether a career in teaching is for you.
• For postgraduate course a 2:2 or above is generally accepted, but do check other providers.

Applications are now open for teacher training courses. It is advisable to apply early to secure your place.

In the last cycle we saw increased postgraduate applications and closed applications for some courses because all places were taken.

Use your personal statement to sell yourself and your passion for teaching as a career. You could refer to a teacher that made a difference to you in school or your love of working with children and helping them learn. You could consider how other careers have developed transferrable skills that could serve you well in the classroom or how previous study has developed a passion for a particular subject area.

Talk about your strengths both academically and personally. Have you achieved something amazing e.g. Duke of Edinburgh gold or school awards, music qualifications, sporting success? Talk about your interests so we can see a little bit of your character coming through.

Most interviews involve a range of activities, e.g. you leading an activity, taking part in group discussion, carrying out a literacy and numeracy activity and having a formal interview. If you are asked to lead an activity practice it on friends or family. Talk to a teacher and find out what they really enjoy about their job and also what big initiatives are impacting on it, e.g. changes to curriculum.  Revisit your numeracy and literacy knowledge perhaps visit the BBC website GCSE bitesize to brush up on subject knowledge and get an understanding of curriculum content.

Go to the DFE website and look at the national curriculum for the age or subjects you are applying to, you are bound to be asked a question on this. Ask a careers adviser/ teacher or work colleague for a mock interview – dress up in smart clothes for this and think about what you say and what your body language says about you.

Let your referees read your personal statement so they can write something that supports what you say about yourself and make sure they know you are applying for a programme that could lead you to become a teacher.

Ask your referees to comment on your academic capability including your predicted grades. Also ask them to talk about your character and how they think it will help you become a great teacher.

You should make sure to get some experience in a classroom so that when you talk at interview you can give examples from this e.g. what did you see teachers doing, why did they do it that way, how did the pupils respond.

Using the Get into teaching website you can search for schools offering school experience days. If possible, visit a number of different schools so that you have wider experience to draw upon at your teaching interview.

In some cases funding is available towards teacher training courses and here is a link to funding opportunities for the academic year 2021 to 2022.

For those aspiring to Early Years Teacher Status the Postgraduate diploma in Early Years with Initial Teacher Training has historically been fully funded, and we await publication of the government's early years ITT funding guidance for academic year 2021 to 2022.