Advice and Tips on Personal Statements for
Teacher Training Applications (PGDE/CE)
What is the personal statement?
The personal statement is a short piece of writing (47 lines) which you are asked to submit
in support of your application. It is your opportunity to demonstrate your skills, experience
and motivation for teaching.
Before you start:
Remember that this is a very important part of your application. The personal statement
and your reference will be the main factors in the selectors’ decision, once you have met
the entry requirements.
Take your time to carefully plan out and practise your statement. It is a good idea to draft
your statement in a word processed document and get some feedback on it before
committing to the final version.
You can save and return to your statement as often as you like, so remember to make a
note of your username and password.
Questions to consider when structuring your Personal Statement:
Why do you want to be a teacher? - What has inspired you; who/what influenced you?
Why do you want to work with young people? - What appeals to you about working with
this age group; what skills do you possess that will help you?
Why do you want to teach your subject? - For primary: demonstrate a breadth of
knowledge across a range of curriculum areas. For secondary: show how your subject
knowledge is relevant to the curriculum.
What have you gained from working with young people? - Have you had any experience
in schools or working with children in other settings? Reflect upon what you did, what you
observed and what you learned.
What else can you offer? E.g. skills in sports, music, languages, arts & crafts, ICT etc.
Top Tips:
Don’t waste space with irrelevant or repetitive information. Be succinct and avoid
complicated language and overly long sentences.
If ‘cutting and pasting’ from a word processing programme, carefully check the formatting.
Be specific about what you have to offer. Detail what you have gained from your
experiences in schools and working with children. Give appropriate evidence of the skills
you possess for teaching.
Indicate the relevance of any other types of experience or skills you possess, e.g. working
with people, sports or languages etc.
Avoid using negative language. Present any gaps in skills or experience positively.
Check grammar and spelling thoroughly! Do not rely on the spelling and grammar check
on your word processing package alone. Ask someone to proof read it for you.
Finish with a summary of what you have to offer – leave the selectors with a clear
understanding of your suitability for the course.
