Classroom experience
How can I get classroom experience?
Personal statements
Your personal statement is the key to securing an interview for a PGCE. Use our guide to PGCE personal statements to help you write yours. We're also running personal statement checks until early November.
The more classroom-based experience you have, ideally with the age group you want to teach and across different schools, the more you'll know if teaching really is for you.
Your recent classroom experience will also be a key part of your teacher training application and interview; ask questions and make notes on your experiences and observations.
Training providers want to know that you have the motivation and skills to teach and will often only interview candidates with recent relevant classroom experience in a mainstream school. Some institutions state a minimum period of experience required - aim to get as much as you can ideally with the age group you want to teach and across different schools.
Opportunities to gain classroom experience
- Apply for the Schools Experience Programme if you are considering teaching secondary maths, chemistry, physics, modern foreign languages, history, English, geography, computer science or biology.
- The Primary Experience Programme, which is focused solely on male applicants this year, offers the chance to spend 10 days getting first-hand insight into primary school teaching.
- Talk to a current teacher via the the Teaching Advocate Programme to get an insight into teachers' motivations, career choices, challenges and rewards of day-to-day life in a classroom.
- Look for paid work as a teaching assistant, learning mentor or lab assistant.
- Contact local schools for short-term work shadowing or to become a regular volunteer eg classroom assistant, observing lessons. Contact the head teacher directly - use www.schoolswebdirectory.co.uk to find their contact details.
