The Interview Process

Once you have submitted your application, this will be received by us, and we will start to process it. 

First, we will undertake initial checks – so make sure that the following aspects of your application are fully completed: 

QUALIFICATIONS: You will need a degree and GCSEs at Grade C/4+ in English and Maths (and Science for Primary phase teacher training). 

WORK HISTORY: You will need to let us know about any previous employment you’ve had since leaving school. There can be no gaps in your employment history – if there is a period of time when you were not working (for example, when you were travelling or having children), then you need to add this information to your application. 

FITNESS TO PRACTICE: We will check that you are eligible to train to teach – you need to be a UK citizen or have the right to work in the UK, and will need to tell us about any criminal convictions that you hold. 

If any of the above elements are incomplete, we will contact you for further information. 

Once we have checked all of the above, we will then pass your application to one of our Assessment Centres, which includes Nottingham Trent University and a number of schools around Nottinghamshire. If you meet the criteria for entry on to the course, you will then be invited for an interview at an Assessment Centre which will include three elements: 

1. A written assessment. You will be asked to write a response to a broad question relating to teaching and learning on the day of your interview - this helps us to check that your standard of English is sufficient to train to teach. 
2. A mini-teaching activity. You'll be asked to prepare a short activity to deliver either to a group of other teacher training applicants or to a small group of children for between 10–25 minutes. The age of the children will be similar to the age range that you are applying to train to teach. This activity helps us to learn more about your ability to plan and be creative, and your confidence in delivering information to other people. 
3. A face-to-face interview. Your interview will last for around 30 minutes with a range of questions exploring your strengths and understanding of teaching and learning. There will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions that you might have. 

Following your interview, we will review all of your information and will then choose whether to offer you a place on the PGCE course.