Your Personal Statement

This is your first opportunity to show the school what a great fit you would be for them.  Spend a little time exploring your ethos as a teacher.  Share information from previous teaching experiences or if you are an ECT from your teaching practices – age ranges and subjects taught, extra curricula activities which you may have lead or taken part in.

You should provide examples of your good practice – are you an inspirational teacher – what does this look like to you?  Are you well organized? Highly motivated? A team player? Do you create a positive learning environment?  A fabulous personal statement does not just say this about you but provides examples of how you demonstrate this.

Set yourself apart from other candidates by showing what you could offer to the wider school community – your hobbies, achievements, your ability to run a club or maybe organize a school trip.

Your personal statement can provide a breakdown of your strengths and experiences, showing what you can offer to a job role, but you should also remember to keep it fluid and tailor it to the specific school, year group and job role you are applying for,  highlighting your experiences with year 6 SATS and helping students to transition to secondary school will not emphasis the skills you can bring to a position as a year 1 class teacher.

Research the school you are applying to and ensure that you are incorporating their ethos and values into the statements you are making.  It is very easy to read a personal statement and tell if the applicant has worked to apply for your specific job or is just churning out information from previous applications in a ‘one size fits all’ attempt.

Your CV

Your CV should be concise – no more than 2 sides of A4.  Presentation matters, the easier it is to read the more information the recruitment team will be able to take in.  Pretty is nice – professional is better!

As a guide you should include:

A brief personal statement – 4 or 5 lines which describe your teaching skills, experience and aspirations for your career.

Your Career history – previous teaching experience is a must, schools worked in, ages taught and any additional responsibilities.  Your history must not contain any gaps, if you have taken a career break to travel, have children or write a novel this should be noted. 

Your Education and qualifications – this should include details of any graduate and post-graduate qualifications, A Levels and any qualifications which could benefit the school in extra-curricular activities – languages, music, drama, sports coaching, math specialisms etc. This is also a place to list safeguarding training, first aid qualifications, youth leader training etc.

Additional information should be used to tell the school anything that will make you stand out as a candidate – academic achievement, interesting travel information, group leader roles, DofE qualifications etc.

Don’t forget that you can call us or drop in if you want any help with this are of applying for a job.