personal statement for pgce

What to Include in Your PGCE Personal Statement

How your pgce personal statement should be structured, example personal statement, final thoughts, 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.

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:

Your interests
Qualifications/achievements
What motivates you
Your upbringing
Relevant skills

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:

Work experience
Visits to schools
Teaching assistant roles
Voluntary teaching/supervision roles (like helping out at a scout hut, etc.)
Experience via the Get School Experience service
Classroom observations

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:

Did you manage people?
Did you work within a team?
Did you negotiate?
Have you trained or coached others?
When have you communicated information to different audiences?

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:

Think about how you communicated (presentations, critiquing the work of your peers, etc.)
Give examples of how you organised yourself
Describe times you helped others with their learning

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:

Do you have the ambition to be a headteacher?
Do you plan to take on pastoral responsibilities?

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.

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:

Introduction – Introduce yourself and talk about why you want to do a PGCE
Middle – Use the notes above to cover the key details
Conclusion – Tell the reader why you are the best person for the place they are offering

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.

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.

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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Writing a pgce personal statement.

If you’re applying to train as a teacher you’ll be required to write a personal statement as part of your application.

Take your time writing your personal statement. It’s your first chance to make a good impression so it's well worth investing time to develop a clear structure and style of writing.

It’s a good idea to proofread your statement thoroughly and get others to read through and check for typos, grammatical errors, style, and tone.

What's the personal statement for?

The personal statement is crucial to your PGCE application; it is used primarily to decide whether to invite you for an interview. A poorly written personal statement could end your teaching career before it has started!

This is your chance to demonstrate what you have to offer as a teacher. You should also explain why you want to teach a particular subject or age range, and how your skills and experience will help you become a great teacher. It’s your chance to show your motivation, commitment and teaching potential and an opportunity to show your enthusiasm for teaching a particular subject or age group.

Remember, you only get one opportunity to write a personal statement for both cycles of applications, so it’s important to keep in mind that you should avoid creating tailored personal statements for each university.

How to write and structure your personal statement

The personal statement is split into two sections totalling a maximum of 1,000 words. It’s important to make sure you do not repeat yourself and to take time to ensure that each section is organised coherently. Divide your writing into paragraphs, each dealing with a particular aspect of the question.

Section 1: Why do you want to teach?

(Up to 600 words).

This is the place to talk about why you think you would make a great teacher. You can include:

what has led you to choose teacher training
your understanding of the demands and rewards of the PGCE course and of the teaching profession
the personal qualities that will make you a valuable asset to a school
details of any paid or unpaid experience you have of working with young people and what you learnt
details of any other experiences which you can bring to the teaching profession. Think about any ‘transferable skills’ or qualities which you have developed which may be relevant to teaching.
If you are a career-changer, what have you been doing and what are your reasons for the switch to teaching?
your thoughts on children’s wellbeing and the education system

Your personal statement should tell us why you want to teach, your skills and about any experience you might have of working with young people or in the education sector. If you are taking any exams or additional study before starting the course, particularly if this relates to your eligibility to join the course, we want to hear about it.

It should also show that you understand the education system, what challenges teachers face and that you’re engaged with issues around education.

If you’ve not taught before, think about any other things you’ve done that might demonstrate the skills you’ll need to be a teacher (your transferable skills).

Although it’s a good place to expand on your skills and experience, this shouldn’t be the main focus of your personal statement as the rest of the application will showcase this.

Section 2: Why are you suited to teach your subjects or age group?

Up to 400 words.

Remember to not repeat anything you have already said in section 1!

If you’re writing a personal statement for secondary teacher training, use this section to describe your knowledge and experience of the subjects you’ve chosen. Any work experience in the field will be of interest.

What universities are looking for

Universities want to see your passion for teaching and understand why you think teaching this subject or age group is the right career for you.

Your personal statement should be original and honest. Try and avoid clichés or writing what you think we want to hear. All we really want to hear are the real reasons you’re applying to study a PGCE and become a teacher.

If you’re writing a personal statement for primary teacher training, say why you’d like to teach this age group. If you are particularly interested in certain primary subjects or have relevant experience in them, you can talk about that here too.

You could talk about:

any relevant work or unpaid experience
your degree and degree modules
your other relevant qualifications, such as A levels
any relevant skills, interests or achievements
your understanding of the national curriculum

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 are your strengths?
What experience do you have and how has this influenced your desire to teach?
What skills do you have that would be useful for teaching

The finer details

Your personal statement should be:

no more than 1000 words
written in the first-person
grammatically correct - we suggest writing in a document before adding to your application
your own work, don’t copy from anywhere online
structured correctly with a clear introduction, evidenced paragraphs and a conclusion
proof-read before being submitted

And finally, be prepared to answer questions about what you’ve written in your personal statement at the interview stage!

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How to write a PGCE personal statement

29 th September 2021

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Advice on how to write a PGCE personal statement that shows you’d make a great addition to a teacher training course.

What is a teacher training personal statement?

What to write, pgce personal statement tips.

When applying for a PGCE or postgraduate teacher training, you’ll probably have to write a personal statement. This is your chance to say why you’d make a great teacher by highlighting your relevant experiences and passion for teaching.

If you’re applying directly to a university or school, you should tailor your statement precisely to the course you’re applying for.

If you’re applying through UCAS Teacher Training, you can send your application to more than one university. Therefore, your statement should be more generic so that it applies to each one you’re applying to.

In both cases, make sure that your personal statement reflects the nature of the course or courses you’re applying for. Think about, for example, is it school- or university-based training? What age of students will you be teaching? Will you be specialising in a particular subject?

Before you start writing, look at any information you can find about the course and what you must do to apply. Has the university provided any guidance or topics of what you need to cover?

If not, can you speak to one of the course tutors to discuss what they might want to see in your statement? Or can you talk to a current PGCE student and ask what they wrote in theirs?

When you have a good idea of what admissions tutors will be looking for, create a mind map or list:

Your relevant academic and practical experiences
Areas of the course that you’re most interested in
Anything else the university wants you to include

When structuring your statement, you can use your mind map or list to plan what information to put where.

Your structure can look something like:

Introduction – about yourself and why you want to do the PGCE
Middle paragraphs – relevant information of your academic achievements and experiences of working within education
Concluding paragraph – tying up the main points of why you’re the best candidate for the course

If you’re applying directly to the university, check what the word limit for your personal statement is.

If you’re submitting to UCAS Teacher Training, your personal statement can be up to 47 lines of text or 4,000 characters.

Expanding on your mind map or list from before, think in more depth about why you want to teach.

What qualities do you have that would make you good at teaching?
What do you think are the challenges and benefits of being a teacher?
Why have you chosen this particular age group and/or subject?
What have you learned from your previous experiences in education?
Will you be completing any extra exams or relevant experiences before the course starts?

If you studied education at undergraduate level, your course was probably focused on the theoretical side of the subject. Your PGCE course, however, will be about applying those theories to real-life situations in schools. Your personal statement should reflect your understanding of this.

If you haven’t taught before, what other activities or events in your life suggest that you would make a good teacher? Have you worked with children in different environments?

Admissions tutors don’t just want to see why you think your experiences make you a good teacher. Instead, they want to know that you’re aware of the importance of teaching and the demands that come with it.

Why is it important to reflect on your abilities as a teaching practitioner?
How will you work on your own development to become a great teacher?
What interests you about the education system and its challenges?
Do you have any thoughts are on child welfare and social justice?

When writing, make sure to use evidence and examples to back up your points. Through your tone of voice, try to show that you are positive and passionate about the work.

To see more information on how to style your personal statement, see our postgraduate statements guide.

Ask someone you know to check it through. Even better if you can get feedback from a teacher
See if you can speak to other students applying for a PGCE to share thoughts and ideas of what to write
Similarly, reach out to PGCE staff at your university – or a teacher you know – they have experience that might be valuable to you!
Any time you can spend in a school will be a valuable addition to your application. If you haven’t already, see if you can arrange to volunteer with one locally
If you’re invited to an interview, you’ll be asked about what you’ve written on your statement, so be prepared to talk about it in more detail

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Writing a personal statement for a PGCE

How To Write a PGCE Personal Statement

Your personal statement is crucial to the success of your application and must be well written, concise, well-structured. It must also clearly demonstrate your reasons for choosing teaching and your commitment and suitability for this career in only 47 lines!

Before applying, do your research. Find out what being a teacher is really like. Get experience in a school, talk to teachers and read careers information.

General Tips:

Compose your statement in Word and cut and paste it into your online application. This will allow you to ensure it fits, that you have used spell check and have proofread it to ensure its word perfect. Personal statements with a poor level of written English will be rejected.
Use Verdana 12 as this is the size and font used by UCAS.
Ensure it has a good structure with an introduction, a middle and a conclusion.
Get someone to check your final draft who is knowledgeable in this area and whose judgement you trust.
Research the Training Provider you are applying for. Which skills/experience/qualifications do they expect?

Your Personal Statement should:

be persuasive
be fluent, realistic, relevant and specific
mention young people- it is about enabling them to learn rather than why you want to teach
overuse of short sentences all beginning with ‘I’
general statements and narrative
I feel/think/believe – instead, use positive action words e.g. planned/managed/implemented/organised
making a statement without having evidence to back it up

Sections in your Personal Statement:

Introduction- why teaching and why you?
The relevance of your work experience
What subject you want to teach and why?
Additional factors
Concluding paragraph

1.Introduction

Why teaching?

What is your motivation? What has influenced your decision to teach? Avoid ‘I have always wanted to teach’ or ‘I believe teaching is worthwhile’ or ‘I like children’.
Concentrate on what influenced your decision to teach, how the idea has developed and what can you offer in terms of personal skills and attributes.
Have certain people influenced you? Why? How?
Show your desire to work with young people and refer to evidence.

Make a list of skills and qualities that you have that can be linked to all the key skills that make an effective teacher and how you can demonstrate this with examples:

Organisation
Communication
Energy & enthusiasm
Responsibility
Love of subject
Team player

2.Relevant Experience

School-based experience:

Where? Try to avoid visiting the school you attended as a pupil
How long for? One day is probably not enough time to see what it means to be a teacher, you need enough time to gain a good understanding of teaching and schools.
What did you do? Did you observe lessons, work as a TA, attend meetings/training/ research curriculum/teaching and learning/had a focus on EAL or SEND pupils?
What Key Stages did you experience? Make sure it is relevant to the specific PGCE course you are applying for.
What techniques did you observe? Effective and not effective and why?
Lesson-planning
Classroom organisation
Classroom management
Inclusion/ diversity issues e.g. English as an additional language (EAL); special educational needs (SEND); disadvantaged pupils and gifted and talented pupils.

Always say what you have done and how it demonstrates the skills required as a teacher. For example, ‘reading with a group of pupils showed me that…’ or ‘working with a low ability group allowed me to…’

Other work with young people (paid/unpaid):

Youth groups
After school groups
Summer camps

What if you don’t have any relevant experience?

Highlight the other experiences you have engaged in and use these to demonstrate your understanding of teaching and schools.

3. What subject you want to teach and why?

For Secondary, you need to show that you are passionate about your subject area and passing on that enthusiasm to young people.
Link to relevant work experience, what have you observed and match your skills to this.
Refer to any research you have done regarding your subject and also the curriculum/ examinations you would be required to teach at that Key Stage
Link your qualifications and wider reading to your subject knowledge, if your qualifications are not relevant you need to show how you are going to develop your subject knowledge in order to teach the subject.
State why you have applied to this particular type of PGCE course e.g. school-based/ flexibility/ reputation.

4. Additional Factors

Hobbies linked to the profession/ skill set e.g. value-added skills such as sport, music, language etc.
Additional courses you have completed/ completing e.g. ICT, subject knowledge enhancement course etc.
Further experiences planned for the future prior to commencing a PGCE course.

5. Concluding Paragraph

State your commitment to the course, acknowledge that teaching requires dedication, stamina, time management, being pro-active
Reinforce your reasons for being committed to teaching
Demonstrate awareness of the physical and mental demands of the course and the profession
Career plan – what is your goal for your teaching career?

A teacher’s must-have qualities:

Interpersonal skills
Ability to think of their feet
Good time-management

Background Reading

www.ucas.com/ucas/teacher-training

Times Educational Supplement ( www.tes.com )

www.theguardian.com/education

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Teaching personal statement examples

Giving you the chance to show why you'd be a great teacher, your personal statement is an important part of your application and worth taking the time over

What is a teaching personal statement?

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 qualifications, skills and work experience, your teaching personal statement is where your personality shines through.

Take your time with it. Many candidates often spend a few weeks on this part of the application as you don't have to write it all at once. You should get someone to read over it and be prepared to receive constructive feedback and write a few drafts before you send it off.

It's important to:

use examples based on your recent teaching experience
tailor your personal statement according to the school/age group
use good, clear, written English, using first person terms such as 'my' and 'I'
be original and honest
avoid clichés and general statements, such as 'I've always wanted to teach'
demonstrate a passion for teaching.

While it's crucial to get it right, your teaching personal statement is only a small part of the application process. Find out how else you'll need to prepare to get a teaching job .

How to write a personal statement for teaching

Your personal statement should be between 500 and 1,000 words. It's crucial that you don't copy and that the statement you provide is your own work .

This is your opportunity to:

write about any relevant skills and experience you have
explain your understanding of why teaching is important
detail why you want to become a teacher
list any extra skills or experience you have, such as volunteering or first aid.

See personal statements for postgraduate applications for more guidance.

The nature of your personal statement will vary, depending on the type of teaching you'd like to pursue. Take a look at some of our example personal statements to get an idea of how they differ.

Personal statement for PGCE primary

As well as focusing on roles in which you've gained experience with primary-age children, a PGCE primary personal statement should demonstrate your well-rounded personality and any skills that could be useful for the range of extra-curricular activities primary schools provide (such as the ability to read music for recorder lessons, or drama experience to help with school plays).

Personal statement for PGCE secondary

Many good PGCE secondary personal statements acknowledge the challenges involved in teaching older pupils and provide examples of where the candidate has worked to overcome these problems. As secondary teaching roles are geared towards teaching a specific subject, training providers are looking for more evidence of your subject and degree knowledge.

Personal statement for School Direct

If you're applying for the salaried School Direct route, you should discuss the experience you've gained in the classroom prior to your application. One of your references will need to be from an employer, or someone who can comment on your work ethic and suitability for teaching. Don't worry if your degree is unrelated to the subject you'd like to teach - you may still be able to apply by completing a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course .

Find out more

Discover how to structure a teaching CV .
Find out what it's really like to be a primary or secondary school teacher .
Search postgraduate courses in teaching .

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Writing a personal statement for teacher training

These guidelines apply to applications for a PGCE or Schools Direct which are both made through Apply on the .Gov website

Include the following:

Your reasons for teaching: Avoid clichés like, "I've always wanted to be a teacher".
Choice of programme: Demonstrate that you have made a well-researched and informed choice. Show your knowledge of Initial Teacher Training providers.
Knowledge and commitment to the age range you are applying for: If you are applying for both primary and secondary places in the same application, you need to make a strong case for your preferred option.
Subject specific commitment: Subject tutors read the forms, so if you are applying for secondary it is important to mention this.
Enthusiasm: Selectors look for clear-headed, informed enthusiasm. You need to demonstrate you understand the demands of the profession. Why would you be a good teacher?
the national curriculum, national strategies and subject organisations eg The Association of Science Education
classroom management (behaviour, groups, resources, timing and pastoral care)
teachers roles and responsibilities
classroom organisation
differentiation- special education needs (SEN)
the role of ICT
assessment for learning
awareness of possible gaps - eg if you have a C grade in English and are applying for primary, you need to show that you are willing to polish up
Mention any geographical restrictions you have, as these may be taken into account.
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Writing a Postgraduate Teacher Education personal statement

Updated on 7 July 2023

Guidance on how to write a PGDE/CE personal statement and an example to help demonstrate your skills, experience and motivation for teaching.

A personal statement is a short piece of writing (47 lines/4000 characters) which you are asked to submit in support of your application to study a PGDE/CE made through UCAS. 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. Take your time to carefully plan out and practise your statement. It is a good idea to draft your statement in a word document and get some feedback on it before committing to the final version..

Don't waste space with irrelevant or repetitive information. Be succinct and avoid complicated language and overly long sentences.
Be specific about what you have to offer. Detail what you have gained from your experiences in schools/working with children. Give appropriate evidence of the skills you possess for teaching.
Indicate the relevance of other types of experience or skills you possess, e.g. supervising people or sports
Avoid using negative language. Present any gaps in skills or experience positively.
Finish with a summary of what you have to offer leave the selectors with a clear understanding of your suitability for the course.
Let your enthusiasm for teaching and working with children shine through in everything you say.
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.
If you are cutting and pasting from a word document, remember to check the formatting.

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, what you learned.
What else can you offer? Skills in sports, music, languages, arts and crafts, ICT etc.

This is an example personal statement. There is considerable room for improvement and the notes make suggestions to help you with writing yours.

I am applying for the PGDE course because I have always wanted to be a teacher. I really like working with children and think that I have the right kinds of skills to become a good teacher .

The above statement is far too short: you are allowed 47 lines/4000 characters so use them.
Remember to specify whether you are applying f or primary or secondary courses.
It is not enough to say that you have developed the "right kinds of skills". Be specific about them.
It is important to have a strong opening statement . It is the first thing the selectors will read so you want to make an impact.
Think about why you have always wanted to teach and clearly demonstrate.

New Paragraph

At school, I was involved with the Primary 1 class when I was in final year. I helped the less able children with reading on a one to one basis. I also help out at my local Brownie pack every week, keeping the girls busy with various activities. I have applied to do the Student Tutoring Scheme.

When describing experience with children, make sure you are specific about what you learned from the work and the skills you developed.
You need to demonstrate (by providing evidence) that you have developed/ have the potential to develop skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork, problem solving, organisation, planning and time management.

At school I studied a wide range of subjects but the one I enjoyed most was History so that is what I have studied at university. I also took Psychology and Politics in first year and Politics in second year too.

When describing your studies, remember to show how this is relevant to the subject(s) you will be teaching.

I have been a babysitter for two children for several years and enjoy helping the older child with his homework now that he is at school.

When describing your experience remember to demonstrate the transferable skills you have gained in this role that would be relevant to teaching. For example with babysitting you could link to the skill of 'behaviour management'.

I am very interested in education generally and keep up to date with current issues by reading the BBC website.

It is not enough to say that you 'keep up-to-date' here. Give a summary of what you have to offer and stating why you should be offered a place on the course.

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Primary Teacher PGCE Personal Statement

If you are applying to PGCE Primary, you will need to prepare a good personal statement. Learn how to prepare your application for PGCE from our Primary PGCE Personal Statement example .

Primary Teacher Personal Statement Example

One day, I hope to become a primary teacher. Primary and secondary education have both been highly positive experiences for me. It is my desire to inspire and encourage children of all abilities to achieve their full potential that drives me to apply for primary education.

I gained valuable experience working in a primary school setting from the perspective of a teacher. The uniqueness of each child and the way each day is different is what I enjoyed most about my job. I am also applying for a History degree since this would allow me to study a P.G.C.E. after I complete my undergraduate studies. I have always enjoyed Art, particularly the early modern era up until the 20th century, a period I find fascinating. Researching the history of my family and the local area is my favourite aspect of Art history. I have arranged a work experience placement at a local primary school on Monday morning during my free periods. I have gained a great deal of insight into the challenges and situations primary school teachers face. As a teacher, I have been able to provide extra support to students who are underachieving in literacy and numeracy. I have improved my interpersonal skills immensely as I have had to communicate with children of different abilities, cultures and religions from Primary 1 to Primary 7. In addition to being challenging, it is also extremely enjoyable. I am most enjoying helping with small group work and projects with Primary 3 to 7 classes, assisting the pupils in History and English lessons, and using ICT as an educational and motivational tool. When I see pupils who struggled in these areas improve, it is very rewarding for me.

I have also participated in the school’s Community Care program, where I visited a residential care home once a week and spoke with the residents. Their personal perspectives on childhood experiences and the past were enjoyable to hear. By performing songs on guitar, accordion, and voice for residents, and reading novels and poems to them, I have become more approachable, confident, and trustworthy. I have served as Chairperson of the Eco-School’s Committee for four years in school.

Further, I have enjoyed attending debates and lectures from renowned historians such as Senia Paseta, Richard Grayson, and Philip Orr as a member of the Omagh Academy History Society. In my free time, I’m a member of the Bridge Club of Leeds.

My Queen’s Badge is something I’m aiming toward having recently earned my President’s Award. I assist in the Boy area, which serves boys between the ages of 4 and 7, in order to obtain more experience working with kids. It is my obligation to organize and present drills, games, and Bible tales. I also like to play a variety of musical instruments, such as the lambing drum, accordion, guitar, and flute. I am actively involved in the Omagh Community Youth Choir and am pursuing my Grade 5 on the guitar. I have performed with the choir as a support act for the Red Hot Chilli Pipers at the SSE Arena in Belfast.

I learned how crucial it is for primary school teachers to be able to play an instrument at school concerts and events through my work placement. I have joined the Fintona Taekwondo Club with enthusiasm. It has helped me become more tenacious, determined, polite, and disciplined. Taekwondo has helped me stay physically active, and I intend to continue practising it when I’m in college since I find it to be a wonderful stress reliever. I think I’m a good fit for this profession because I want to be a teacher in the long run. My decision to apply for primary courses has been solidified by my great experiences with work placement and volunteer work with the Boys’ Brigade’s Anchor Boys section.

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The best statements tend to be genuine and specific from the very start. You'll be on the right track if you show your enthusiasm for the subject or course, your understanding of it, and what you want to achieve.

Admissions tutors – the people who read and score your personal statement – say don’t get stressed about trying to think of a ‘killer opening’. Discover the advice below and take your time to think about how best to introduce yourself.

Liz Bryan: HE Coordinator and Careers Advisor, Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College

Preparing to write your personal statement.

Start by making some notes . The personal statement allows admissions tutors to form a picture of who you are. So, for the opener, think about writing down things, such as:

why you’re a good candidate
your motivations
what brings you to this course

If you’re applying for multiple courses , think about how your skills, academic interests, and the way you think are relevant to all the courses you've chosen.

Top tips on how to write your statement opener

We spoke to admissions tutors at unis and colleges – read on for their tips.

1. Don't begin with the overkill opening

Try not to overthink the opening sentence. You need to engage the reader with your relevant thoughts and ideas, but not go overboard .

Tutors said: ‘The opening is your chance to introduce yourself, to explain your motivation for studying the course and to demonstrate your understanding of it. The best personal statements get to the point quickly. Go straight in. What excites you about the course and why do you want to learn about it more?’

Be succinct and draw the reader in, but not with a gimmick. This isn't the X Factor. Admissions tutor

2. Write about why you want to study that course

Think about why you want to study the course and how you can demonstrate this in your written statement :

’Your interest in the course is the biggest thing. Start with a short sentence that captures the reason why you’re interested in studying the area you’re applying for and that communicates your enthusiasm for it. Don't waffle or say you want to study something just because it's interesting. Explain what you find interesting about it.’

It's much better to engage us with something interesting, relevant, specific and current in your opening line… Start with what's inspiring you now, not what inspired you when you were six. Admissions tutor

3. Avoid cliches

Try to avoid cliches and the most obvious opening sentences so you stand out from the very first line . UCAS publishes a list of common opening lines each year. Here are just some overused phrases to avoid using in your personal statement:

From a young age…
For as long as I can remember…
I am applying for this course because…
I have always been interested in…
Throughout my life I have always enjoyed…

And try not to use quotes . Quotations are top of the list of admissions tutors' pet hates.

4. Maybe don't begin at the start?

’Concentrate on the main content of your statement and write the introduction last. I think the opening line is the hardest one to write, so I often say leave it until the end and just try and get something down on paper.’

It may be easier to get on with writing the main content of your statement and coming back to the introduction afterwards –that way you will also know what you’re introducing.

I often advise applicants to start with paragraph two, where you get into why you want to study the course. That's what we're really interested in. Admissions tutor

The personal statement tool image

Don’t be tempted to copy or share your statement.

UCAS scans all personal statements through a similarity detection system to compare them with previous statements.

Any similarity greater than 30% will be flagged and we'll inform the universities and colleges to which you have applied.

Find out more

Joseph bolton: year 2 history& politics student, university of liverpool.

Do talk about you and your enthusiasm for the subject from the very start.
Do be specific. Explain what you want to study and why in the first two sentences.
Do come back to the opening sentences if you can’t think what to write straightaway.
Don’t waste time trying to think of a catchy opening.
Don't waffle – simply explain what you find interesting about the subject and show that you know what you are applying for.
Don't rely on someone else's words. It's your statement after all – they want to know what you think.

One final thought

Think about making a link between your opening sentence and closing paragraph – a technique sometimes called the 'necklace approach’.

You can reinforce what you said at the start or add an extra dimension. For example, if you started with an interesting line about what’s currently motivating you to study your chosen degree course, you could link back to it at the end, perhaps with something about why you’d love to study this further at uni.

Need more advice?

Struggling with the conclusion to your personal statement? Read our guide on how to finish your statement the right way .
Read more dos and don’ts when writing your personal statement .
Discover what to include in your personal statement .
Start your opening sentences with our personal statement builder now.

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My initial interest in primary teaching sparked while volunteering in a summer play scheme run by a local charity for children aged 0-8 in the summer holidays of 2009. I found it extremely rewarding to see the look of satisfaction on a child’s face as they completed a piece of artwork, or took part in a group activity knowing that I helped give the children the confidence and ability to do so. Working closely with both the children and the parents greatly improved my confidence, and by the end of the play scheme I found myself singing along to the songs and joining in with the games with as much enthusiasm as the youngsters.

Through my local primary school I have been able to shadow a teacher of a mixed class of year one and year two pupils for two days. I was able to help the children with reading one-on-one, which I really enjoyed. I was patient and understanding while listening to the children read, and helped them with words they found difficult. I also took part in a maths lesson where the children were weighing different classroom objects. I enjoyed having the responsibility of supervising the children while learning, and interacting with different children. I had the responsibility of a group of children at playtime, in which I was required to keep the children entertained and maintain discipline. This experience gave me an insight into the running of a classroom, and reinforced my desire to teach.

In July 2008 I completed a week’s work experience at a pharmacy. I was punctual and professional throughout the week, and was given the responsibility of sorting medications and dispensing prescriptions. I was polite and communicated well while serving customers, and enjoyed working with the other members of staff. At school I participated in many experiences which I felt was beneficial to me in many ways. I was a member of the Anti-Bullying Campaign (ABC), which involved communication and mediation with younger pupils who had been upset by the actions of other students. The ABC required me to be sympathetic, understanding, patient and considerate with the children.

I also took part in Crucial Crew while at school, I worked as part of a team to explain the impacts of cyber bullying to groups of primary children. I also took part in health and safety demonstrations and food safety workshops as part of this experience. During both Crucial Crew and the ABC I confidently made many presentations explaining the projects in a way which primary aged children could understand and were interested in. I created many power-points and posters using a computer, and helped organise short role-plays to demonstrate. I believe that these experiences allowed me to obtain skills which would be helpful to me in a teaching role.

I’ve been a member of many sports teams from a young age both for school teams and outside of the school. I achieved many badges as a swimmer and a gymnast, attended trampolining classes, was a member of Neath Harriers athletic club and I was a member of the school netball team throughout my school life. I am interested in taking part in a coaching course, which would make it possible for me to be able to run a school sports team in the future.

I am a creative person; I enjoy reading books, making jewellery, and baking at home in my spare time. My school art teacher often complimented my artistic talent during my time at secondary school, and I was delighted to achieve an A* at GCSE for my hard work. I am also a computer-literate person. I enjoyed GCSE ICT, achieving an A*and my school’s Award for Outstanding Attainment in ICT. I have carried the subject on to A level, accomplishing an A grade at AS level. I have often helped my two younger cousins who are both primary aged to use the computer, teaching them how to word process documents and how to surf the internet. I love helping them learn new things, and have played a role in their understanding of numbers, letters, colours, reading and writing.

It would give me great pleasure to play a memorable role in the growth of many children. I understand that teaching is a taxing and tiring job, but I am more than willing to do whatever it takes to reach my goal of becoming a head teacher. I would be thrilled if I was ever able to achieve this, as I believe I have the personality, confidence, organisational skills and ability to become a resourceful, dedicated, appreciated head teacher.

Profile info

This personal statement was written by meldavies for application in 2011.

meldavies's Comments

This is only a first draft, I would love some feedback?

Related Personal Statements

Im doing primary teaching too :).

Fri, 08/10/2010 - 20:24

i love chldren - the work experience showed me that, watching a child grow up is just too coool (mayb the wrong lang) i think your second para is long split it up otherwise it was reallly goood - iv wrote similar things gosh wel in terms of my work experiences and interests but how it relates to children .... where are you applying ?

Mon, 02/07/2012 - 02:18

Amazing Very inspiring, Great to have something to veiw as i was stuck with what to right, Im a New Zealand Student Heading into Primary Education Thankyou!

Omg! I am wanting to go into

Tue, 09/07/2013 - 19:37

Omg! I am wanting to go into Primary Teaching & I think this was the best Personal Statement I have read till date. Wonderful

seriously this is the most

Tue, 09/07/2013 - 21:29

seriously this is the most inspiring ps ive read in my life even my mentor cannot get me to do such a good ps cos hes nt dat clever but this is one :D statement! :)

Thanks for sharing :)

Mon, 30/06/2014 - 21:13

Wow this personal statement has really got me thinking, and has put a few new thoughts in my head as I am currently writing a personal statement with an aim of getting into primary education ultimately. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing

Mon, 26/03/2018 - 16:14

Well written!! This is inspiring. I was stuck up, not making any progress with my effort to write my personal statement

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PGCE personal statement advice

Hey, I am currently in my last year of university studying a degree in maths and I’m currently looking at applying to do a PGCE for next year. I was hoping anyone could offer some advice on how I should write my personal statement and maybe share your experiences as a maths teacher/doing a PGCE whether good/bad. I’d be doing it in secondary maths. I tutor 1:1 privately from GCSE level to A - level further maths so it’s be interesting to hear how other teachers transition from a 1:1 setting to a classroom setting also. One of my modules at uni this year is maths pedagogy and my final year project is about teaching complex numbers so that’s more or less the motivation to get into teaching (and maybe a 26k scholarship :P)

Thanks for the help :)

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PGCE (English)

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How to Apply

About the course

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is a one-year course that offers you the opportunity to train to teach the secondary age group in one of the leading educational establishments in the country.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023 places the University of Oxford’s PGCE as 1st in the UK for Degrees in Education for the eleventh year running. Over many years, it has consistently received the highest possible designation (Outstanding) from Ofsted in inspections. The University of Oxford’s Department of Education has a long history in initial teacher education, dating back to 1892.

The department works in partnership with over 37 secondary comprehensive schools in Oxfordshire and neighbouring counties, with most being within 30 miles of Oxford. The programme has been developed with colleagues from Oxfordshire partnership schools and covers the key professional skills of:

lesson planning and preparation
assessment, recording and reporting
responding to individual learning needs
classroom and behaviour management.

The course works on an internship model (the Oxford Internship Scheme) which recognises the different roles of university and schools in teacher education and the need for a truly collaborative partnership. Such collaboration involves joint responsibility within the partnership for the planning, delivery and assessment of the programme. Student teachers are known as interns during the PGCE course.

In addition to being awarded the PGCE qualification, successful interns are also recommended for Qualified Teacher Status, which indicates that they have met the requirements of the Government’s Teachers’ Standards.

The PGCE Internship programme in English is designed to prepare you to teach the subject in comprehensive schools. It aims to help you make the complex transition from having been a successful student of English in higher education to becoming a successful school teacher.

The English programme has been developed with colleagues from our partnership schools and is based upon the following core principles:

the view that the creative, imaginative and expressive aspects of the subject have a key role in pupils’ learning;
the view that English teachers should write for pleasure, read widely for enjoyment and participate in cultural events in their school and in the wider community;
the view that English teachers should share their experiences as writers, readers, speakers and listeners with their pupils;
the understanding that writing is a practice that covers a wide range of processes, functions, rhetorical situations, and categories of discourse;
a broad view of what constitutes text and the understanding that technological innovation can change both what is considered as text, how text is prepared and how it may be interpreted;
the importance of literature in the development and understanding of human cultures and in personal, social and ethical development;
the importance of diversity in reading practices and the value of a range of interpretative approaches to texts;
an understanding of the English language at word, sentence and text level;
recognition and respect for varieties of language and languages;
a belief that English, as a subject, involves the development of social relationships and collaborative work; and
the inter-relationship of speaking, listening, reading and writing.

English teaching in England is subject to continuous change and development. The Internship English programme is intended to enable beginning teachers to meet the challenges of change confidently and creatively

Course structure

The course begins with an orientation experience in September in a primary school of your choice.

This is followed by the first week in the University of Oxford’s Department of Education. The rest of the autumn term is made up of ‘joint weeks’ with two days spent in the University and three days in school. You will be attached to the same state secondary school for the majority of the year, which makes it possible for you to get to know teachers and pupils in the school and to understand the school’s policies and practices.

The spring term consists primarily of school experience and for the summer term, interns move to a second school so that they have the opportunity to consolidate and extend their understanding and experience of learning and teaching.

This course structure reflects the internship model in that it is designed to:

enable interns to become fully integrated into one school over a long period;
enable interns to learn about their own teaching in the context of the wider school, rather than focusing initially on their own classroom and only later widening their view;
allow schools to offer coherent and challenging professional development programmes over the course of the long placement, and in the short placement focus on preparation for continuing professional development;
enable school-based mentors to see interns’ development from the start of the course to a position of competence; and
offer interns the opportunity to encounter a new school context at a time of the course when they are ready to make critical comparisons.

Course components

There are two interrelated course components: curriculum subject work and the professional development programme.

Curriculum work includes a range of activities related to the teaching of a specific subject in the secondary school. These activities include seminars and workshops in the University, as well as collaborative teaching, solo teaching, observation and discussion in school. The activities are aimed at giving interns competence in teaching their subject, the opportunity to develop a range of teaching strategies, an understanding of wider issues affecting the teaching of those subjects within the whole school curriculum. The work in each subject is organised by the Curriculum Tutor and school mentor for that subject. Part of the work in each subject area is planned for all interns, and part develops from the progress of individual interns.

An experienced teacher (or mentor) co-ordinates the subject related classroom-based activities of the intern. The mentor provides guidance and support and, as the year goes by, judges when and how to increase an intern’s experience and responsibilities. The school-based mentor liaises with the Curriculum Tutor from the University to plan tasks and activities for the interns.

Interns complete two written assignments related to their subject teaching. These all involve school-based investigation and the critical analysis of relevant research and professional literature.

The professional development programme (PDP) involves a range of activities related to important educational issues. These activities include lectures in the University, weekly seminars in school and a school-led project in the second placement, researching an aspect of the school’s provision. These activities are aimed at giving interns an understanding of whole-school and cross-curricular issues, and an appreciation of the contribution which they can make to developing these issues through teaching their own subjects.

The Professional Tutor responsible for interns at the school co-ordinates school-based activities related to general educational issues, called the school professional development programme.

Some aspects of the PDP are planned and organised for all interns by university tutors, who take responsibility for particular issues. The detailed programme for the interns in each school, however, is organised by the Professional Tutor and General Tutor for that school.

The course is full-time and requires attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements.

This course will involve travel to your placement school, although most partnership schools do lie within the Oxfordshire county boundaries.

Resources to support your study

As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of world-class resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources and IT services.

The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK. It includes the main Bodleian Library and libraries across Oxford, including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, provide access to e-journals, and contain outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.

The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities. IT Services also offers a range of IT learning courses for students, to support with learning and research.

The Bodleian Education Library , located at the centre of the Department of Education , specialises in material on Education and related fields. As well as a print collection of books and journals, the library provides access to a wide range of online resources. The library also houses a collection of teaching resources in support of subjects covered by the department's secondary PGCE courses. All main teaching rooms are equipped with a range of IT facilities and interns are able to practice teaching with interactive touch screens in some rooms.

Supervision

Interns are supported in their professional development as teachers by both a university curriculum tutor and a general tutor as well as by a mentor and a professional tutor in each school placement. Academic guidance for assignments is given by curriculum and general tutors.

Assessment of your progress and achievements are jointly carried out by your schools and the university, and you take part in informal and formal discussions about this. Continuous assessment is used throughout the course and there are no examinations.

Interns’ developing practice as a teacher is reviewed at regular intervals, in three-way meetings between the curriculum tutor, mentor and intern, informed by a wide range of evidence. At the end of the course, interns’ professional knowledge, understanding, skills and personal attributes are assessed in relation to the standards for Qualified Teacher Status. Interns also complete two examined assignments, within which they are expected to examine practical issues of teaching and learning from different perspectives – drawing on their own teaching, classroom observation and school-based investigation alongside critical reading of research, policy and professional literature.

Successful completion of these written assignments at master's level carries 60 M-level credits, which may be built upon to achieve a full master's degree. All assignments must be passed at master's level for the award of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), provided that your practice also meets QTS requirements. Those who pass the assignments at Honours level will be awarded a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education with QTS - provided, again, that your practice meets the required QTS standards.

Graduate destinations

The numbers of interns going into teaching at the end of the course is high with most interns having secured a teaching post in a state-maintained school. As of August 2024, 90% of our 2023-24 student cohort have accepted positions as teachers or are seeking teaching roles; of those who had specified their destination 85% are working as a teacher in the state sector and 40% are working in a partnership school.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Your tutors/mentors are likely to change over the course of the year in line with your change of placements from school one to school two. It may also be necessary to assign new tutors/mentors during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2025-26

The department looks for applicants with a good degree in English or a degree in another subject that involves textual study together with further degree-level work (through the Open University, for example) in English. The department welcomes applications from those with degrees in English Language or Linguistics as well as in English Literature.

The full PGCE entry requirements can be found on the University's Department of Education website. Please read them carefully before applying.

Oxford has been a major contributor to the field of education for over 100 years and today the University’s Department of Education has a world class reputation for research, for teacher education and for its graduate courses.

The department combines international standing as a research-intensive department with the highest quality teaching. It’s masters' courses are delivered by academics and research experts, the majority of whom are permanent staff engaged in their fields of research. The DPhil in Education has excellent facilities for the large number of full-time research students who are well integrated into the research of the department.

The department has an outstanding research profile. In the 2021 evaluation of research quality in UK universities, the Research Excellence Framework (REF), Oxford University’s Department of Education had the highest overall percentage of research judged to be 4* (ie world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour) in Education in the UK.

The department has ESRC recognition for its graduate training, and its teacher training was rated ‘outstanding’ by the Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED) in its most recent inspection in 2024. A wide range of funded research projects are based in the department and many of these projects have had a major impact on national policy.

View all courses View taught courses View research courses

The Department of Education website provides details about the funding opportunities for this course .

Annual fees for entry in 2025-26


Home	£9,250
Overseas	£38,410

Information about course fees

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility and your length of fee liability .

Additional information

The course involves travelling to placement schools for approximately 120 days and reasonable school travel costs of around £1,048 should be budgeted.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees and any additional course-specific costs, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

Living costs for full-time study

For the 2025-26 academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between £1,425 and £2,035 for each month spent in Oxford. We provide the cost per month so you can multiply up by the number of months you expect to live in Oxford. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to budget for the costs of a student visa and immigration health surcharge and/or living costs for family members or other dependants that you plan to bring with you to Oxford (assuming that dependant visa eligibility criteria are met).

Further information about living costs

The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. For study in Oxford beyond the 2025-26 academic year, it is suggested that you budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 4% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. For further information, please consult our more detailed information about living costs , which includes a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs.

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs).

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference .

If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide.

The following colleges accept students on the PGCE (English):

To be confirmed

How to apply

Applications for all PGCE courses are made via the UK Government's GOV.UK website. You do not need to contact an academic member of staff in the department prior to submitting your application.

Application procedure Apply via GOV.UK

ADMISSION STATUS

Admission via UK Government's Department for Education

See PGCE webpage for vacancies and deadlines

Key facts
	Full Time Only
Course code	TT_6E_X1
Expected length	12 months
Places in 2025-26	c. 26
Applications/year*	125
Expected start
English language

*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2022-23 to 2024-25)

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the Department of Education

Course page on the department's website
Partnership schools and funding information from the department
Academic and research staff
Social Sciences Division
Residence requirements for full-time courses
Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-related enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page

✉ [email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 274020

IMAGES

Primary Pgce Personal Statement 2020-2024
How to write a maths pgce personal statement in 2021
Writing a personal statement for pgce secondary
How to Write a PGCE Personal Statement [with Examples]
Pgce personal statement example
6 Great Teaching Personal Statement Examples (How to Write)

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Personal statement for PGCE secondary
Learn how to write a personal statement for PGCE secondary with this example from a careers adviser. Find out what to include, what to avoid and how to showcase your skills and experience for teaching.
How to Write a PGCE Personal Statement [with Examples]
Learn what to include and how to structure your PGCE personal statement for teacher training. Find out how to showcase your skills, experience, passion and suitability for the role.
Writing a PGCE personal statement
Learn how to write a good personal statement for your PGCE application, covering why you want to teach and why you are suited to your subject or age group. Get tips on structure, style, content and what universities are looking for.
PGCE Personal Statement Sample
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 ...
PDF Personal statement: PGCE secondary application
Personal statement: PGCE secondary application Throughout school and university I was convinced that teaching was the right career for me. As the first person in my family to go to university I relished my biology degree and looked forward to the opportunity to share my appreciation of the subject with young people. After
How to write a PGCE personal statement
Learn how to write a personal statement for a teacher training course that shows your passion and experience. Find out what to include, how to structure it, and what style to use.
PGCE Personal Statement Examples
A personal statement is a critical aspect of your application and is the deciding factor in whether to invite you for an interview. If your personal statement is poorly written, it can lead to you not acquiring a place on your teacher training. Most PGCE personal statement examples include information about the writer.
PGCE Personal Statement Example for Secondary Education
Personal Statement Example for PGCE Secondary. My twenty-year teaching career has given me extensive skills in training and management, as well as working directly with children. As a result of these roles, I have been able to observe how my experience within teaching has impacted my ability to assess and report on a variety of issues.
How to Write an Effective PGCE Teaching Statement
Clare talks to us about how to write a successful PGCE personal statement. The video will cover the process on applying, show two statement examples and prov...
Writing a personal statement for a PGCE
Learn how to write a persuasive and relevant personal statement for your PGCE application. Find out what to include, what to avoid and how to structure your statement with examples and tips.
Teaching personal statement examples
Personal statement for PGCE secondary. Many good PGCE secondary personal statements acknowledge the challenges involved in teaching older pupils and provide examples of where the candidate has worked to overcome these problems. As secondary teaching roles are geared towards teaching a specific subject, training providers are looking for more ...
Personal statement for teaching (The University of Manchester)
Writing a personal statement for teacher training. These guidelines apply to applications for a PGCE or Schools Direct which are both made through Apply on the .Gov website. Include the following: Your reasons for teaching: Avoid clichés like, "I've always wanted to be a teacher". Choice of programme: Demonstrate that you have made a well ...
Personal Statement Examples For Teaching
Teacher Training Personal Statement Example (Primary PGCE) 1. I have chosen to apply for a primary teaching degree because I enjoy working with children. I have a strong interest in teaching and the learning process of children. This is been confirmed by my work experience report...
Writing a Postgraduate Teacher Education personal statement
A personal statement is a short piece of writing (47 lines/4000 characters) which you are asked to submit in support of your application to study a PGDE/CE made through UCAS. 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.
PGCE Personal Statement Help
PGCE Personal Statement Writing Services. Our company is the UK's leader when it comes to writing and editing bespoke UCAS personal statements for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Our staff are exceptional writers and education experts, with decades of combined experience in writing unique professional statements on behalf of ...
Teacher Training Personal Statement
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. Write in English (or Welsh if you're applying to ...
Primary Teacher PGCE Personal Statement
Primary Teacher Personal Statement Example. One day, I hope to become a primary teacher. Primary and secondary education have both been highly positive experiences for me. It is my desire to inspire and encourage children of all abilities to achieve their full potential that drives me to apply for primary education.
PGCE personal statement. Quick question. : r/TeachingUK
r/TeachingUK • 3 yr. ago. by VixinatorReborn. PGCE personal statement. Quick question. Hi guys! I'm in the middle of writing my personal statement and wanted to get some advice from you guys if that's alright. I was writing about what undergraduate degree I was doing and wanted to add that my plans changed throughout university as it was only ...
How to start a personal statement: The attention grabber
Top tips on how to write your statement opener. We spoke to admissions tutors at unis and colleges - read on for their tips. 1. Don't begin with the overkill opening. Try not to overthink the opening sentence. You need to engage the reader with your relevant thoughts and ideas, but not go overboard. Tutors said: 'The opening is your chance ...
Writing my personal statement for a PGCE : r/TeachingUK
Writing my personal statement for a PGCE. PGCE & ITT. Hi all, (Please remove if this violates Rule 3!) I'm currently working on my application for Secondary School Direct teacher training (secondary science) at my old school in England. I've got limited experience with children (not been able to get classroom experience because of COVID, but ...
Teacher Training Personal Statement Example (Primary PGCE) 4
Teacher Training Personal Statement Example (Primary PGCE) 4. I am currently studying for a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood studies at Birmingham University. It is my ambition to go on to study for a Primary PGCE. I became interested in teaching whilst raising my own children. I have experienced first hand a child's apprehension and delight on ...
Teacher Training Personal Statement Example (Primary PGCE) 5
Teacher Training Personal Statement Example (Primary PGCE) 5. 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 teacher you must have a desire to assist children in the learning process and this is one quality which I feel I definitely ...
PGCE personal statement advice : r/TeachingUK
PGCE personal statement advice. Hey, I am currently in my last year of university studying a degree in maths and I'm currently looking at applying to do a PGCE for next year. I was hoping anyone could offer some advice on how I should write my personal statement and maybe share your experiences as a maths teacher/doing a PGCE whether good/bad.
PGCE (English)
The Bodleian Education Library, located at the centre of the Department of Education, specialises in material on Education and related fields.As well as a print collection of books and journals, the library provides access to a wide range of online resources. The library also houses a collection of teaching resources in support of subjects covered by the department's secondary PGCE courses.

What to Include in Your PGCE Personal Statement

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 Experience

7. What You Learnt During Your Degree

8. Your Knowledge of What Training to Be/Being a Teacher Entails

9. Your Future Plans

10. Extenuating Circumstances

Suggestions in Courses

Suggestions in Events

What's the personal statement for?

How to write and structure your personal statement

Section 1: Why do you want to teach?

Section 2: Why are you suited to teach your subjects or age group?

What universities are looking for

Questions your personal statement should answer

The finer details

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PGCE Primary (3-7) - PGCE

PGCE Primary (5-11) - PGCE

PGCE Secondary Computer Science with ICT - PGCE

PGCE Secondary Computer Science with Maths - PGCE

PGCE Secondary English with Drama - PGCE

PGCE Secondary English with Media - PGCE

PGCE Secondary Mathematics - PGCE

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PGCE Secondary Science with Biology - PGCE

PGCE Secondary Science with Chemistry - PGCE

PGCE Secondary Science with Physics - PGCE

Primary (7-11) (Key Stage 2) - PGCE

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Sections in your Personal Statement:

1.Introduction

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3. What subject you want to teach and why?

4. Additional Factors

5. Concluding Paragraph

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New Paragraph

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How to end your personal statement

Liz Bryan: HE Coordinator and Careers Advisor, Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College

Top tips on how to write your statement opener

1. Don't begin with the overkill opening

2. Write about why you want to study that course

3. Avoid cliches

4. Maybe don't begin at the start?