In recent years the application process has been administered by UCAS. This has tidied the system up and made it easier for applicants to complete and check their applications.
More information on this can be found on the UCAS website
There are a few key aspects to focus on during the process:
- teaching experience
- personal statement
- references
You should have no trouble finding a place on a good PGCE course if you can satisfy these different criteria.
Teaching Experience: This is probably the most important aspect of your application. Not only will school-based experience give you an insight into whether you want to become a teacher, but it show the provider that you are serious about the process.
There are a number of ways to get experience. Firstly, you can contact your former school or schools in your local area. In general, getting experience in your old school is frowned upon. This is because some providers feel that it doesn’t demonstrate sufficient initiative and doesn’t give you a broad range of experience.
It is a good idea to look at schools in your local area. However, schools are notoriously apprehensive about bringing in people they don’t know because of child safety standards. If you do contact any school, make it clear that you are applying for a PGCE, you have completed a CRB (if you have), and you are only looking for short-term experience. Some are happy to let you come and observe, while others may never return your calls or email. Just follow up and follow up.
The best option is to mine friends, family, and colleagues for contacts. You will be surprised by how many fantastic contacts come out of this process. I found numerous contacts that were more than happy for me to come in and observe. Schools are generally more comfortable accepting people with whom they have a tangible connection.
Anther good option is working as a Teaching Assistant (TA). Most of the people I met during interviews had spent a year working as a TA. It is probably the best way to get solid classroom experience.
A final, but more long-term option, would be working abroad as a teacher. You can work in most countries if you complete a reputable TEFL course in Great Britain. The advantage of this route is that you get to experience the buzz and pains of being a classroom teacher. While you might not be teaching the subject that you intend to teach at secondary schools in England, you will gain solid experience of teaching. I have worked abroad, and in London, as an English language teacher and this experience was invaluable during my interviews because it allowed me to give solid answers to questions about my suitability to work as a teacher.
Personal Statement:
This is always the hardest part to get right. You need to be concise, but expansive; proud, but modest; and entertaining, but also serious. The key to a great personal statement is revision. Rewrite it, rewrite it again, and get as many people to check it over as possible. Spelling and grammatical mistakes are seriously frowned for obvious reasons.
The personal statement for ITT is incredibly short. 4,000 characters, or just 27 lines of text. Make sure you regularly copy and paste your answer into the online application form because in practice it works out as a little less than those figures.
One of the best ways to approach a personal statement is to show rather than tell. ‘I’m very organized’ is a hollow statement. ‘I have edited a student newspaper’ demonstrates that you are clearly organized and motivated. Likewise, stating your fantastic intellectual ability is a waste of characters. Simply writing on your application that you have a first, or a 2:1 from a decent university will demonstrate your innate brilliance.
Therefore, list only what is relevant and important. It can be hard to let go of a zinger that your dreamt up while planning out the answer but you must ensure that the characters are used wisely.
It is important to focus on the following:
-Why I want to be a teacher. Perhaps include an anecdote about your inspiration.
-Why I will be a good teacher. Include any experience that demonstrates the required skills.
-Why I have the necessary subject knowledge. Did you take part in university societies? Have you expanded your extracurricular knowledge of the subject?
-What else I can bring to a school. For example, are you a writer? Could you lead creative writing seminars? Etc.
References
This is more complicated than it should be. Once you have finalized your choices, put the finishing touches on your statement, and finally
hit the submit button you will be told that your choices will not receive your application until your referees get back to you.
I have heard some horror stories about this. One guy at an interview told me he had waited two months to hear back from one of his referees. You consequently need to make sure that the people you select know you, and are likely to get back quickly. However glowing the reference is likely to be, it is not particularly useful if it comes through once all of the places on your course have already been filled.
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