Congratulations on being invited to interview for the PGCE Secondary course at the University of Reading. We look forward to meeting you.
To enable you to perform to the best of your abilities, we aim to make the interview process as stress-free as possible. Please read all the information provided carefully.
What do I need to do before my interview?
- Create the presentation that you will deliver on your interview day – please refer to the interview information webpage for your subject for further details
- Familiarise yourself with the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. The guidance is also available in an alternative format.
- Read through the Institute of Education's interview top tips guide.
Do I need to provide any documents at my interview?
Yes, please refer to the documents you will need to bring to your interview.
What will happen on the day of my interview?
The format of the interview session will be:
- Arrival time: 09:00. The document check will take place when you arrive.
- Welcome talk
- Tour of campus
- Presentation
- Individual interview
- Written task
The interview session will start at 09:00 and is expected to finish by 14:00 at the latest. The interview session may finish before 14:00 but this will depend on how many candidates are being interviewed on the day.
Arrival
The interview session will take place on the London Road campus at the University of Reading. A few days before the date of your interview, a member of staff from the Institute of Education will send you a follow-up email confirming the details of your interview session, including where you will need to go for registration when you arrive at the London Road campus.
To ensure you receive your interview details, please check your junk or spam folder just in case our email is redirected there.
As teaching is a profession, we recommend that you attend your interview wearing smart clothing. This doesn’t have to be a suit, but avoid wearing jeans and trainers, for example. Essentially, please dress appropriately for a formal interview.
Welcome talk
The welcome talk will be delivered by the Programme Director and/or the Subject Leaders.
Subject-specific elements of your interview
Please be prepared for the subject-specific elements of your interview – refer to the interview information webpage for your subject for further details:
Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)
Individual interview
You will be asked questions relating to the following topics during your individual interview:
- your motivations for becoming a teacher
- your passion for teaching your subject
- your subject knowledge and specialisms
- your experience of being organised and responding to feedback
- safeguarding and child protection – we recommend that you read the summary of Keeping Children Safe in Education to prepare for this. The guidance is also available in an alternative format.
There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions during your individual interview.
Written task
The written task will include three questions covering topics such as appropriate teacher-pupil relationships, behaviour management, and your ideal identity as a teacher.
You will be given time to plan, and the following will be reviewed:
- legibility of your handwriting
- spelling, punctuation, and grammar
- your ability to plan and compose ideas in a written format.
Please let us know if any adjustments are needed for you to access the written task.
Who will interview me?
Your individual interview will be conducted by one of the programme tutors from the Institute of Education. During your interview, a second interviewer may also be present, either in person or online. The second interviewer may be a colleague from one of our partner schools or from the University.
Please note that we may share relevant background information from your application form with our partner school or University colleagues, but this will not include any sensitive data that you provided as part of your application.
Questions?
Please email the Admissions Support Team if you have any questions.
We are fully committed to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in our admissions and interview processes. If you would like to request any specific requirements or adjustments around accessibility for your interview, please email the Admissions Support Team. Please rest assured that requesting reasonable adjustments or having specific requirements will not affect the outcome of the interview or our decision on whether you are offered a place on the course.