If you want to study for a teacher training degree that leads directly to qualified teacher status (QTS), then you'll need to write a strong personal statement reflecting your ambition and experience.
Remember, if you're applying to a non-QTS degree and planning to qualify as a teacher through the PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) route then your experience in schools is less important at this stage, but will be crucial in three years' time.
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Think about why you want to study the subject
- Have you been inspired by someone, a news story, a documentary, or a podcast?
- Do you have career aspirations in this area of study?
- What interests you about the subject – be specific; rather than saying you enjoy it or are good at it, try to explain the ‘why’ behind your reasoning.
- What do you already know about the subject and what are you looking forward to learning more about?
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What makes you suitable to study the subject?
- Have you done projects or essays in this subject at school or college?
- Think about who you are as a person; your personality, your strengths, your experiences in life – how do these make you suited to study the subject?
- How have you shown an interest in the subject outside of school or college – have you done extra reading, online courses, been part of clubs or competitions?
- Your current subjects and grades will be included elsewhere in your application, so try to think about specific things you’ve learned during your studies that relate to the subject, rather than listing your grades and subjects.
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Look at the bigger picture
- Have you done any work experience, an internship or had a part-time job in this subject area or related? Most job or work experience will give you transferable skills, even if it’s in a different industry.
- Do you have any hobbies you can mention that might relate to your chosen subject? Many hobbies show that you can be motivated outside of school to achieve and succeed in something you’re interested in.
- Think about how your life and personal experiences have helped make you the person you are today, and how these challenges and experiences can support your application by evidencing essential qualities for certain subjects.
- If you’ve got ambitions and goals for your life and career, can you express how this subject will help you reach these goals?
Guidance and examples you can use
Question 1: Why do you want to study this course or subject?
This is your opportunity to showcase your passion and knowledge of your chosen subject area and to demonstrate to universities and colleges why it’s a good fit for you and your future ambitions.
Examples:
- Explain why you want to teach, why you’re interested in your chosen age range, and (if appropriate) why your specialist subject. Try and avoid clichés like ‘I love children’ and instead write about what difference or impact you feel teaching can make.
- Comment on any current professional issues you’ve read about in, for example, the Times Educational Supplement (TES), whether around safeguarding, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or teaching methods.
- Your insight into what it is to be a teacher is crucial. Outline your classroom experience and reflect on what you did, what you observed, and how it has informed your understanding of the role of teachers, the challenges they face, the nature of teaching and learning or the interaction between the two.
Question 2: How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
This is your chance to shout about the relevant or transferable skills you’ve gained from your formal education and highlight your understanding of how they will help you succeed in this subject area.
Examples:
- Say something relevant about your academic studies and demonstrate your own enthusiasm for learning. You could reference a teaching style you appreciated from a college tutor and how it helped you learn, or talk about your love of English literature and how you hope to instill a love of books into the children you’ll teach.
- Think about the skills teachers need and how you’ve picked those up through your studies, such as effective planning and time management, good communication skills, and creativity.
- Have you done any online courses to boost your knowledge in the subject? For example, why not try Subject Spotlights or Virtual Work Experiences from Springpod to grow your skills and interest?
Question 3: What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
This is your chance to talk about any other activities you have undertaken outside of your formal education, or personal experiences which further demonstrate your suitability for the course. This section is likely to be highly personal to you and anything you do include should reflect on why you’re including it.
Examples:
- Degree courses that lead to QTS usually require you to meet certain criteria over and above their entry grades, often asking for you to have built up experience of working in a classroom or learning environment. Universities may insist you have a minimum of two or three weeks’ classroom experience, and they will want this to be recent or current. If you have worked in two or more contrasting schools or with different age groups, that’s all the better. If you've had additional experience of working with children or students in other settings, that may also provide some useful content for your statement although it won’t be sufficient on its own.
- Describe some of the skills or qualities you’ve seen teachers use in the classroom and show how you’ve demonstrated some of them yourself. That could be how you’ve built positive relationships through being part of a sports team or school project, or it could be conflict resolution you’ve learned through friendships or sibling relationships.
- Mention any personal accomplishments or extracurricular activities you might be able to contribute to a school community, whether that’s drama, a musical instrument or sports skills.
- Expand on any relevant skills or qualities you've demonstrated in a part-time job, such as interpersonal skills, patience, and adapting to different people’s needs.
- Do relate any examples back to the subject you’re applying to – make it relevant
- Do make it personal – admissions staff want to get to know who you are
- Do use a spell-checker and grammar-checker to ensure there are no errors
- Do ask people for feedback, whether that’s family members or teachers
- Do your research to find out what universities are looking for, and make sure you include evidence to show how you are suitable for the course
- Don’t just list out examples, subjects you study, or experiences you’ve had without any evidence
- Don’t copy something you’ve seen online or use AI to write something for you
- Don’t make things up just because you think they’ll make you look good on paper
- Don’t leave it until the last minute – you need time for several drafts
- Don’t worry about making each section the same length; as long as you hit the minimum character count, you can use the 4,000 characters across each answer in the way that suits you best
How to set yourself apart
The key to setting yourself apart in your application is to remember how important the ‘personal’ bit is to your personal statement. What makes you, you?
Write about any hands-on experience you’ve had working with children of different ages, ideally in a formal setting, and reflect on what you personally took from it. For example, maybe you went back to work-shadow at your own primary school, and it allowed you to see teaching and learning from a new perspective. Or maybe you’ve done some private tutoring locally – give an insight into how you prepared your lessons, and adapted your style to different children or age groups.
It’s even better if you can relate what you’ve said back to something you’ve learned in your English, maths, or psychology studies, or heard on a podcast such as Mr Barton Maths podcast or TES News podcast, or read on the BBC Teach website.
Tell admissions tutors what makes you tick
Some more tips to consider
- Examples of your relevant skills: Can you describe situations where you’ve demonstrated relevant skills like planning, people skills, good time management, communication, and the ability to reflect on your working style?
- Make your work experience count: Highlight any experience you’ve had in a school or education setting, alongside any other experience you’ve had working with children, such as mentoring or sports coaching. Make sure you spell out why it’s relevant and what you personally gained from it.
- Avoid bland clichés: Avoid phrases like 'I love children,' 'I was born to teach,’ 'I am passionate about teaching,' 'I have wanted to be a teacher from a young age' – or the word ‘babysitting.' Be unique and reflective instead.
- Don't forget the basics: The coherence, spelling, grammar, and punctuation of your statement will be crucial.