Teacher Training Application - PGCE For The 2024 Entry

There are a lot of different pathways to get into teaching. From Early Years training to the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), you’ve got a lot of options to enter teacher training.

Building an application is about your ability to communicate your goals and hopes for the future. You also need to explain why a PGCE course is right for you at the current time.

If you want to submit a UCAS application and get into teacher training, then you need to be able to write a good personal statement.

We’ve put together some tips and tricks to help you apply to a PGCE course, so let’s get started.

How to Apply for PGCE In The 2024 Entry

The application process is different to a typical UCAS application.

When you apply for a PGCE, you get your choice of three different courses. You’ll be expected to interview to get a place on the course.

As is the case with any type of application, you’ll need a good statement. This course is demanding and competitive from the beginning of your application form.

Submitting a PGCE Secondary Application

We’ve put together a list of tips and tricks for applicants who want to send a postgraduate teacher training application.

Let’s take a look at them.

Manage Your Time and Plan Properly

When submitting an application, you need to put the time in for writing your statement and filling out your details.
Ensure that you watch out for the character limit with your writing.
You only have 4000 characters, which includes spaces.
Keep an eye on the PGCE application deadline and any tuition fees.

Talk About Your Motivations

Teaching is not a career; it’s a vocation. You need passion and commitment to teaching.
When you’re submitting an application, you need to talk about your motivations.
Try and avoid using any cliche words or phrases. The admissions team for a PGCE course will know if you are being disingenuous.

Talk About Your Experience

Successful applicants for the PGCE courses will have some work experience. Ideally, they have undertaken a placement within a teaching environment already.
Hands-on experience is the best way to demonstrate your ability. It also helps you stand out from other applicants.
Talk about what you have learned during your experience. If possible, discuss how it could help future placements.

Talk About Your Subject

To complete a secondary PGCE, you will need to have first obtained an undergraduate degree. This will often be part of your entry requirements.
It’s important that you talk about the subject you studied for your degree in your application.
The assumption is that this is the subject you will want to teach. You should talk about why you want to teach your subject.
This should form the core of your application and statement.

Prepare For an Interview

Your interview will be an important part of the process. If you want to be a teacher, you have to get the interview right.
You should prepare yourself to give real answers to personal questions. The interview panel will want to know why you are studying to become a teacher.

Stay Calm

You need to make sure that you stay calm when submitting your application.
Being able to remain calm under pressure is a vital characteristic for any teacher.
Take your time answering questions during your interview, and make sure you re-read your application before you submit it.

Writing a UCAS Personal Statement

If you want to create a statement for your PGCE admission, then you should pay attention to these ideas:

Focus on Language and Tone

Your application is an important part of becoming a teacher. You will be judged on your English language skills and tone.
You will be expected to demonstrate a professional tone with sensible language.
Regardless of what kind of teacher you want to be, your statement should be the epitome of professionalism.

Be Genuine

You need to make sure that you are genuine when talking about your application.
Don’t try to use quotes or clever sayings. Be honest and sincere.

Tailor Your Statement

You can apply to three different courses through UCAS each time you go through a year. However, you can only submit one statement for all three
With this in mind, make sure that you are preparing a generic statement that presents a balanced view of yourself, without cleaning, too heavily towards one university or provider.

Make Constant Edits

Any statement which contains grammatical or spelling errors will not be well received.
You need to make sure that your statement is well-written and articulate.
The best thing you can do is to ask a neutral third party to look for you. They will catch edits that you might miss.

Getting Help Applying For Postgraduate Teaching Courses

It’s normal to be nervous about writing a statement to submit in your application. Many people, despite having the potential to teach, lack confidence in their writing ability.

Your application needs to be at a high standard to succeed. It’s understandable that you would feel a lot of pressure trying to do this. Both UK and international students struggle

We are an industry leader when it comes to writing and editing UCAS statements. All of our team are experts in writing statements, with years of experience.

If you have a document already written, we are happy to provide you with an edited version which has been checked by our team. Alternatively, we’re happy to create something for you from scratch - whatever we can do to make you feel accommodated is fine by us.

We can’t stress enough how much you need to get your application right when you want to get your PGCE. It’s normal to want to use a professional service to get it right - we’re happy to help.

Using a professional service can help to free up your time for other things - you could hop on social media and find some open days, for example.

Speak to Us Today

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or queries about what we can provide for you. A team member would be happy to discuss your specific needs and help you to write a statement.

The best way to get a good shot at an interview is to play it smart. You want to focus on doing sensible things to improve your chances, like delegating the writing of your statement to the professionals.