How To Apply

How To Apply

We welcome applicants of all ages, from university graduation to mature career changers.

Applications

All applications must be completed through the government Apply system;

https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-teacher-training#:~:text=Use%20this%20service%20to%20apply%20for%20a%20teacher

Further information can be found on: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

Apply now for the best chance of securing your place.

Applications for our 2025-2026 Primary and Secondary programmes (starting September 2025) open on 8th October.

You will need to complete an application form on the government ‘Apply’ portal. The first step is to create an account and then you can begin putting in your details including your course choices, qualifications, any work experience and your personal statement.

When you fill in your application form please look for the “LEAD SCHOOL” in our case it is South Cumbria School Direct, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

Our training provider code is 2KS. You will also need to use the below course codes when applying to ensure that you can carry out your training through us.

School Experience

It is not essential to have school experience. We look for the potential to train to teach, for example excellent communication skills, team-work, responding to feedback and flexibility. However, school experience will obviously be beneficial at interview and once training starts as you will have a greater insight into the profession.  If you can organise some volunteer work or even simply some observation at a local school, this will be well worth it. It is also very important that you know what you are getting in to in entering the teaching profession. Really, the only way to appreciate this is to spend some time in a school setting. We may be able to help you organise this.

What are you looking for in an application form?

There is no fixed ‘recipe’ for a good application and there are very few things which we would consider unassailable obstacles. Obviously, we look for a strong rationale for wanting to teach and be in the classroom and how you feel you have the skills to do the job. This should come through in your personal statement on your application form. We would also like to hear about why you think you’re particularly suited for the age group you are applying for (and why your subject if you are applying for secondary). If, as a secondary applicant, you do not have a degree in the subject you are aspiring to teach, it is useful to explain how you are qualified to teach the subject. It may be necessary for you to follow a Subject Knowledge Enhancement course prior to commencing the training course. We will discuss this with you at interview. Whilst not essential (as detailed above), it is always encouraging to see applicants have spent some time in a classroom either through volunteer work or some observation.

Help with your application

1) Your personal details

Be sure to fill in all your details accurately, particularly your contact details. All alerts from the portal and initial contact from us including invitations to interview will come via the email address you enter. It is therefore crucial that the address is input accurately and that you check that inbox regularly otherwise you may miss key information and deadlines. If you have changed name for any reason, we may need to see proof of any changes e.g. deed poll, marriage certificate. Please enter course details accurately. A full list of our courses and codes can be found on this page.

2) Your work history and experience

Here you should fill in all details of your career to date, including any voluntary work you have done. Be sure to indicate if your jobs have required you to use skills transferable to teaching and/or if they involved work with children. If there are breaks in your list of jobs, even if you were studying during this time, the system will flag these up for us to check at interview as part of our safer recruitment procedures. Please give all necessary information to explain any such gaps. It is not essential to have classroom experience, although if you are able to complete some observation at the very least, this would be useful. Experience of working with children in any capacity is of great benefit, so be sure to include this if you have done it. If you don’t have this experience, we can discuss at interview how this might be arranged.

3) Your qualifications

The minimum requirements for our courses can be found on the relevant courses page (normally an honours degree at 2:2 or above and GCSEs at 4/C or above in English and maths. Primary applicants will also need GCSE science at 4/C or above). If your qualifications are from outside the UK, you will need to obtain ENIC certification of their equivalences within the UK.

4) Your personal statement

We are looking for a number of things in your personal statement:

  • A good standard of written English.
  • Your rationale for teaching and motivation for the profession.
  • An explanation for your chosen age phase/subject and why you are particularly suited for this.
  • Any experiences of working with young people and what you have learnt from these.
  • Any transferrable skills that you can bring to the teaching profession, for example communication skills, team-working, management and creativity.
5) Your references

You will be asked to supply two referees to support your application. It is always helpful to have one academic and one personal/professional reference. It is good practice to contact your referees before putting them forward so that they are in agreement to provide a reference and so they know what to expect. We will check references and may ask for additional references if those supplied do not provide the necessary information.

 

Subjects

We are recruiting for the following subjects for 2024-2025

Primary

General Primary

(5-11 yrs old)

Secondary

Further information about Initial Teacher Training can be found on the DfE’s Get Into Teaching website.

Interested in becoming a teacher?