Primary ITE Interviews
Our courses fall in line with the Department for Education (DfE) statutory guidance and criteria and give students the opportunity to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
This means that applicants will be required to comply with specific entry criteria as well as taking part in a selection process which has been designed to assess their suitability to train to teach.
The interview process
The interview is designed to give you the best opportunity to demonstrate your readiness and desire to train to teach and is made up of different activities with this in mind.
If you are invited to attend an interview for a teacher training course, your interviewers will be looking for you to demonstrate qualities expected of an applicant with the potential to train to teach, including:
- Your passion to become an inclusive, outstanding teacher who is ready to make a difference to children’s lives.
- A passion and enthusiasm for teaching in the Primary age phase and working with young children.
- An ability to communicate effectively with individuals and groups.
- A commitment to ensuring that children are kept safe and achieve their full potential.
Birmingham Newman University uses several methods to assess these qualities in students being interviewed. Your interview will have already started through scrutiny of your application form ahead of being invited to join us for an interview session.
The interview session is made up of the following components:
- A short-written task
- A group discussion related to a short video of some teaching in school
- A short reading task
- A short 5-minute presentation: for the presentation, you will need to choose a subject or topic in the EYFS or the Primary National Curriculum and present your ideas about why it is an important aspect of children’s learning.
- This will not be a digital presentation, but we would encourage you to bring in resources or a plan related to your chosen subject or topic.
- There will then be a short reading task followed by a formal interview and a tour of the campus. Refreshments will be provided.