Qualities We Look For In Our Trainees

  • A desire to teach and enthuse young people
  • Commitment
  • Strong subject -based academic background
  • Good communication skills
  • Experience working with young people
  • Flexibilty and humour
  • Energy, perseverance and stamina
  • Ability to work collaboratively
  • Ability to learn and act on advice

How We Select Our Trainees

Applicants are required to meet the following criteria in order to be offered a place on the PGCE course:

  • Good communication skills, specifically the ability to express yourself well both orally and in writing
  • Strong subject based academic background which equips you to teach across the national curriculum for primary applicants or to teach your subject across the full secondary age and ability range for secondary applicants
  • Candidates should have an aptitude to undertake an intensive and intellectually demanding course at Master's level
  • Recent experience of working with children of an age appropriate to the applicant's PGCE course age range. The experience should normally be in state maintained schools and should be sufficient to enable the applicant to demonstrate understanding of teaching and learning
  • Candidates should articulate their reasons for becoming a teacher and demonstrate flexibility of ideas
  • Candidates should demonstrate positive personal qualities which are relevant to teaching, including organisational skills, a broad range of interests including examples of responsibility, sensitivity and support of others, the ability to reflect upon their experience and communicate in an appropriate professional manner.

We gain evidence that applications meet our entry criteria from both the GTTR form and interview process.

GTTR Application:

We select for interview using the information you supply on your GTTR application and we look for the following in the GTTR application:

  1. Strong subject based academic background
  2. Experience of working with children
  3. Well written personal statement
  4. Supportive reference which should indicate academic ability and personal qualities.

Interview:

All of our trainees are interviewed in person. You will be asked to take part in one or more of the following activities at interview and we will inform you of what is required in our letter inviting you to interview:

  • individual interview
  • group discussions and/or activities
  • presentations (either prepared in advance or on the day)
  • written tasks

The purpose of our interview is to allow you to demonstrate that you have the qualities we are looking for (see above).

We will tell you the outcome of your interview within 2 weeks.