www.liv.ac.uk/careers Examples of PGCE personal statements

Examples of PGCE personal statements
The purpose of a personal statement is to inform the teacher training provider about your relevant skills, knowledge
and experience for a career in teaching and to persuade the admissions tutor to offer you an interview.
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. Find out what skills are required and give evidence of how you can
demonstrate the skills requires. Our leaflet “Getting started in teaching” can give you links to useful sources and
ways to get experience. Copies are available in the Careers & Employability Service and on our website.
Your personal statement
The GTTR form is an online application. The personal statement section gives you just 47 lines in which to impress
the admissions tutor! The section asks you to:
Describe briefly your reasons for wanting to teach, giving the relevance of your previous education and experience,
including teaching, visits to schools and other work with young people.
Ensure you give evidence of your experiences and education to support your statements.
Think about what skills make an effective teacher. Which of these skills do you have?
Reflect on what you have observed in any work experience in state schools.
o How did the teacher manage the class, set different tasks, assess work, work with other staff?
o Give examples of what you did. What did you learn from it?
What else have you done to show you enjoy working with young people or children? In a team? With
parents?
Comment on work experience in other settings, such as voluntary work and extracurricular activities, and
show how the skills you gained will help you become an effective teacher.
State how the skills gained from your undergraduate degree will help you in the classroom.
Reflect on what subject knowledge you have, how you developed it and how it is relevant to the national
curriculum.
Include language skills, including community languages such as Urdu or Punjabi.
Don’t forget your interests, like photography, ICT, sport, drama or music that can link into school experience.
Include skills you have gained in other employment.
Show that you understand that it is a challenging profession......but that it is a rewarding one.
Skills for the teaching profession that you can add in to your statement:
an ability to relate to young people;
good interpersonal and listening skills;
the capacity to be alert, creative, imaginative, energetic and enthusiastic;
an ability to be adaptable and versatile;
a sense of responsibility and reliability;
an ability to work with others;
good time management and organisational skills;
ability to cope with pressure;
resilience, motivation and tenacity; and
a desire for self-development.
Avoid saying: I like children. I have always wanted to be a teacher. I want to teach because I love my subject. Your
evidence should show this.
Further information on completing a personal statement is available from:
TDA website www.tda.gov.uk/Recruit/thetrainingprocess/makingyourapplication/applicationassistant.aspx
Graduate Prospects www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pgce
National Curriculum Online http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/
AGCAS leaflet “applying for a PGCE” available in the Careers & Employability Service and on our website.
www.liv.ac.uk/careers

Examples of personal statements
Primary (example 1)
I believe teaching is an essential profession and that those in it, along with a school’s support staff, have a great
responsibility as educators. Teaching will offer me the challenge and diversity I seek from my career. I feel I have the
right abilities to make that difference in a young person’s life. I also feel I possess the skills that will enable me to
make a positive contribution to teaching.
I have had placements in 2 schools, Liverpool High School and St Helen’s Primary School. Having worked within both
primary and secondary age groups I have found that I got more enjoyment dealing with the formative years. I felt
more satisfaction at seeing younger children grasp the fundamentals behind a topic. For example how a particular
student with encouragement and patience can come to terms with the idea of doubling and halving or how easy it
was for the students in year 9 to use a search engine to find out facts in an I.T. lesson. I particularly enjoyed the
results of instilling confidence and self belief in students, seeing them feel they can achieve and should try to do so.
Watching the teachers at work has illustrated that children respond differently to a variety of teaching methods. I
observed that a teacher’s approach to the class can have a profound effect on the learning ability of those children.
The teacher constantly changed the way she taught the class to maintain their interest and focus on activities. She
encouraged and praised children who were finding activities difficult giving them confidence to try and in many
cases achieve. Her positive attitude towards the children gave them belief in themselves leading to a positive
learning environment. These experiences have also opened my eyes to the demands put on teachers outside the
classrooms: the struggle for financing, pressures on time management and dealing with the teacher/ parent
relationship. There are also clerical duties, which need to be completed whilst not taking away from the teacher’s
effectiveness within the classroom, which is where I believe they make the greatest difference
Providing this variety represents a huge challenge in an environment with more than thirty pupils, but I am confident
that it is a challenge I will be able to meet. Through my role as an admin assistant for my local council and through
being secretary of a drama society I have developed the skills which will enable me to cope with the challenges
facing those in the teaching profession. I have learnt to be organized and to manage my time in order to meet the
demands of my degree and extra-curricular activities. I also ensure that in all my roles I communicate with colleagues
in an appropriate manner.
My studies to date have given me a firm grasp of my subject, examining the ancient history of several civilisations
(including Greece, Rome, Egypt and ancient Britain) which are all relevant to the national curriculum for Key stages 1
and 2. I was also required to study literature and extrapolate relevant information as a core part of my course which
coupled with my previous experience at GCSE and A level has given me a good grasp of English. A module of my
course together with my current employment has also developed my computer skills.
I would like to make a contribution to the wider school community by continuing my interests in sports and music. I
have played netball throughout my time at school and university and feel that sports in schools are essential as they
encourage team work, as well as being crucial for health and fitness. I have qualifications in flute and saxophone and
would welcome the opportunity to develop pupils’ musical education.
From my experience I have seen that teaching provides extensive and sometimes exhausting challenges for which
the rewards more than justify the effort. It is a profession which I would relish, giving me the chance to make a
difference in the lives of others at their most impressionable.
Primary (example 2)
I am passionate about teaching children and my extensive experience in a classroom environment has demonstrated
that I will find working with children extremely rewarding and that I would be well suited to being a primary school
teacher. My studies to date have given me a firm grasp of my subject, examining the ancient history of several
civilisations (including Greece, Rome, Egypt and ancient Britain) which are all relevant to the national curriculum for
Key stages 1 and 2. I was also required to study literature and extrapolate relevant information as a core part of my
course which coupled with my previous experience at GCSE and A level has given me a good grasp of English. A
module of my course together with my current employment has also developed my computer skills.
I have a good understanding of core subjects including Mathematics, English and Science and feel that I would be
able to convey these subjects to children in a creative, enjoyable and exciting way.

I have had two periods of relevant classroom experience since 2008. I have had a total of five weeks experience as a
Classroom Assistant in Liverpool Primary School where I worked with a mixed class of year 1 and year 2 children.
Within this role I listened to pupils reading one to one, supervised smaller groups within the classroom situation to
complete set tasks and helped the children to complete work in the classroom.
Between March and June 2009 I undertook a position as a classroom assistant in St Gregory’s, a challenging
Liverpool primary school, for an afternoon a week. I was working with a mixed class of year 5 and 6 pupils, assisting
the Teacher in the classroom with all lessons. I also helped to supervise the children on a trip to a local art gallery
which they very much enjoyed. I found the contrast between this school and the other primary school I have had
experience in interesting, and found that different styles of teaching were used for different children. Attending the
school over a long period of time enabled me to see the development of the children in the class. Many of them
were working towards their SAT exams and I saw them develop their skills during the time I was working with the
class.
These experiences have shown me the demands put on teachers both inside and outside the classrooms, for
example pressures on time management, dealing with the parents and undertaking administrative duties, whilst still
maintaining effectiveness within the classroom. Through my roles both as a classroom assistant and events organiser
for a small charity I have developed these skills which will enable me to cope with the challenges facing those in the
teaching profession.
I am a confident person, with good communication skills. I am organised and punctual, qualities which I feel would
be vital to both the PGCE course and the role of a teacher.
Secondary (Modern Languages)
I have been interested in a career in teaching for some years and over the last year in particular have endeavoured
to develop the qualities necessary to be a successful teacher and now believe I am in a position to develop as a
Spanish and French teacher within the framework of a PGCE.
Modern Languages is a subject that can be immensely rewarding for children at all levels and an extremely relevant
life skill in the modern world. Secondary level is particularly crucial for both developing the ability of pupils to
complete basic linguistic tasks as well as stimulating their interest to pursue their study of language further. With
Spanish and French no longer compulsory at Key Stage 4 it is essential that language teachers can convey the
excitement of learning languages and maximise their accessibility to students.
I hope to be able to convey my own passion for languages in a context that will appeal to the diverse age groups in
secondary schools. This will require a number of core skills. Observing lessons and discussions with a number of
teachers has emphasised the importance of class room management. Having coached football to groups of children
during my time in Latin America I have an understanding of the balance required between maintaining discipline
without stifling individuals.
I am qualified as an FA level 1 football coach and a number of the skills integral to that course will be beneficial in a
classroom environment. These include Child Protection, Best Practice and perhaps most importantly the ability to
plan lessons and evaluate your own performance and that of the children. This is vital to ensure a consistent
provision of quality structured lessons. Watching language teachers at work has also illustrated that children
respond differently to a variety of teaching methods. Providing this variety represents a huge challenge in an
environment with more than thirty pupils, but I am confident that is a challenge I will be able to meet.
After four years at university studying Spanish, I believe that my technical level is such that I could teach pupils up to
and beyond A Level standard. As well as a class room education in the subject I have used Spanish extensively in
different situations during a year in Argentina undertaking research for my dissertation, 3 months travelling in South
America during my gap year and a number of trips to Spain.
I also have an A level in French which will enable me to offer a second subject as a language teacher. I read French
language newspapers and watch French language films in order to improve my knowledge and understanding of the
language and I am confident that I will be able to teach French alongside Spanish as part of the school curriculum.
I hope to contribute fully to school life and to continue coaching sports. As not all students learn languages formally
I would welcome the opportunity to run language clubs so all students can enjoy learning about language and
culture in an informal setting. I would also hope to take a role in drama productions, something I enjoyed greatly
during my own time at school and sixth form.

I understand the challenges of teaching as both my mother and grandfather taught but I am confident that I possess
the ability to meet these demands and pursue this rewarding career.
Secondary (English)
I believe that teaching is an essential profession and that those in it have a great responsibility in their role as
educators. I come from a teaching background; my father is a retired foreign languages teacher, so from an early
age I have known what it entails to be a teacher.
My first experience of working with children came in 2007, when for two weeks I worked as a Classroom Assistant in
Liverpool Primary School. I spent this time with a Year 2 class undertaking a number of responsibilities; I worked
both individually and with small groups of children, helping with reading, writing and arithmetic. On a day trip to a
zoo I was in charge of a group of approximately five children. As I am a keen artist, the teacher allowed me to create
a number of different things with the class. These two weeks gave me the basic understanding of a working
classroom and the knowledge that working with and educating children would be something that I would like to
continue in future.
When I was in my second year I went on the Student Tutoring Scheme where I gained experience working with
pupils in Key Stage 3 and 4. I was a supervisor at break and lunchtimes and had to ensure that the pupils were in a
safe environment. As I attended a weekly boarding school, every evening I also supervised a group of pupils of
varying ages taking prep, making sure they worked and helped them if this was needed. I found these
responsibilities satisfying, as, although it was sometimes hard work, I gained the respect of those I worked with, and
I was able to develop a good rapport with them. During this time I also worked in the school office and so have
experience of the clerical duties involved within a school environment.
My studies have covered a wide range of the content involved in teaching this subject at Key Stages 1 and 2. As well
as my degree broadening my knowledge of grammar, literature, and drama I have demonstrated my communication
skills through giving presentations, both individually and in groups. I feel that I now have excellent writing skills, and
that I am good at picking up mistakes in the work of others. Furthermore, I took the ‘Introduction to Teaching English
as a Foreign Language’ module, which gave me a further insight into teaching; within this I learnt more about
teaching strategies and lesson plans. Through my degree I also gained time management, organisation skills and
computer skills; all important qualities for a teacher to have.
I would like to make a contribution to the wider school community by continuing my interests in sports and art. I
have played netball throughout school and University, and feel that sports in schools are essential as they encourage
teamwork, as well as being crucial for health and fitness. I am a keen artist and would be happy to continue this
interest through my role as a teacher; whether it is running art clubs or helping out with school plays.
I understand that the responsibilities of a teacher do not just end with the school day, and that there are many other
issues that must be dealt with. From previous experience I have seen that teaching provides extensive and
sometimes exhausting challenges, but feel that the rewards far outweigh the negatives and I look forward to being
able to contribute to this profession.
Secondary (Maths)
Teaching will offer me the challenge and diversity I seek from my career. I feel I have the right abilities to make that
difference in a young person’s life. I also feel I possess the skills that will enable me to make a positive contribution
to teaching.
I have always enjoyed and excelled at Maths, gaining a grade A at A level and a 2.1 at degree level. Maths is
important in everyday life, which is why it is an important subject to learn. I love the fact that we use maths in many
of our day-to-day simple decisions (i.e. from buying a bus ticket to buying a house). It is a problem solving subject
which I enjoy doing and my enthusiasm for the subject will be reflected in my ability to pass my knowledge on.
Since 2006 when I volunteered for Community Volunteers I realised that I enjoyed working with young people.
Active8 is a program run every year, for two weeks by North Moors Youth Club during the summer. I worked as a
coordinator of a few mini tournaments for the 11 – 16 years old to participate in. I had to apply my supervisory skills
to ensure no problems arose and when a problem occurred I then dealt with the situation in a calm manner to
ensure a happy outcome.
In May 2008 I was invited to observe lessons at St Mary’s High School. I found this extremely valuable because it
gave me a true insight into teaching and classroom life. I realised that there is a need to get the attention of the class
and maintain it for a successful lesson. The ability to control the class is important to allow everyone the opportunity

to learn without disruption. I have just started to volunteer as a student tutor; this gives me more experience within
a classroom. It has also allowed me to see the level of maths that should be attained by each key stage ability.
In 2007 I worked as an exam invigilator at North Moors College which was a good insight into examination processes.
It also showed me the type of pressures and problems that exams have on young people.
Communication is an important aspect of teaching; I have developed this skill from working at Brighton Summer
School in July 2008. I worked as an assistant in the summer holidays) and had to interact with the teachers and help
run the different activities. In August 2009 I was again an assistant at the summer school. This time I was given the
opportunity to invent an idea for an activity for the children. It had to be based on maths and the environment, with
an aim to produce evidence of the work the children did. I needed to be very patient whilst working with the
children especially when helping with any problems with the maths. I needed to think on my feet when trying to
solve these problems and try to explain concepts in a different way. At this summer school I took on more
responsibilities and this involved sorting out problems between the children when they arose this involved using
good listening skills and an ability to be very diplomatic.
Since I have been at university I have gained excellent time management skills especially when I have been working
to supplement my income. This year I have taken on the role of organising special events for my course like the
initiation get together and the Christmas Dinner. I enjoy this role because I feel it is important to keep control on
how things are progressing and to make sure that delegation of responsibilities occurs if required.
I feel that my enthusiasm for Maths and the skills I have gained through my degree and classroom experience can
contribute to a young person’s learning. I am willing to continue to work very hard to become an excellent teacher.
The Careers & Employability Service
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Call in, give us a call, drop us an email or visit our website if there’s anything
else you need to know.
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University of Liverpool
Tel: 0151 794 4647
Email: careers@liv.ac.uk
www.liv.ac.uk/careers
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© University of Liverpool Careers & Employability Service, August 2010.
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