Filling in a teacher application form

A teacher application form in England asks for the same things wherever you apply: personal details including your teacher reference number (TRN) and QTS status, your qualifications, a full employment history with any gaps explained, a supporting statement, two referees and a declaration about criminal records. Schools use forms instead of CVs because Keeping children safe in education requires them to see and check a complete history. The statement wins or loses most applications, but a missing date or the wrong referee is what holds them up.

Personal details, TRN and QTS

Your TRN is the reference the Department for Education uses for your teacher record. Trainees are usually given one when they start initial teacher training. If you have lost it, the DfE has an online service for finding it, and your training provider or a previous school may also have it on file.

The form asks whether you hold QTS and the date it was awarded. Trainees give the expected date. Schools check the DfE record at the pre-employment stage, so make sure the name you use on the form matches it, or explain the change of name.

You will also be asked about ECT induction: whether you have completed it, are part way through, or have not started. Induction lasts the equivalent of two school years for a full-time teacher, so give the number of terms completed and the school where you did them if you are part way.

Qualifications and training

List your degree with its class and dates, your teacher training course and provider, and GCSEs or equivalents in English and maths. Add A levels if they support a subject specialism. Include any relevant professional qualifications such as NPQs. Schools ask to see original certificates before you start, so check now that you can find them.

Employment history and gaps

Most forms ask for every job since leaving full-time education, with start and end dates by month and year, your role and your reason for leaving. Include jobs outside teaching. A school must ask about any gap, and a short note on the form saves time at interview: “September 2023 to March 2024: caring for a family member.” Explaining employment gaps on an application has more examples.

Be accurate about dates and reasons for leaving. These are checked against your references, and a mismatch raises questions that can delay an offer.

The supporting statement

The statement is where you show how you meet the person specification. Most forms give a large box or ask for an attached letter, sometimes with a word or page limit. Work through the essential criteria in order and give a short, specific example from your teaching for each. Writing a teacher application statement covers structure and examples in detail.

References

You need two referees. One must be your current or most recent employer, and for a teacher that usually means the headteacher, not a head of department or a colleague. Trainees normally give their training provider and a placement school. Under safer recruitment, schools usually request references before interview and ask referees specific questions, including about any safeguarding concerns. They do not accept open “to whom it may concern” references in place of their own request.

Tell your referees before you apply, especially your current head. References in public sector recruitment explains what referees can be asked.

The declaration and checks

The form asks whether you have any convictions or cautions that are not protected, and whether you are barred from working with children or subject to a prohibition order. Read the wording carefully: some old and minor matters are filtered and do not have to be declared. If you are unsure, the school’s recruitment pack or Nacro’s guidance on disclosure can help, and our guide to applying with a criminal record covers how filtering works.

Before you start, the school carries out an enhanced DBS check with a children’s barred list check, checks for prohibition orders and confirms your right to work.

Timing and resignation dates

Many posts for September are advertised in the spring. If you are already teaching in a maintained school in England or Wales, your notice has to fit the resignation dates in your contract, so when you apply matters.

To leave on	Resign by
31 December	31 October
30 April	28 or 29 February
31 August	31 May

Academies often copy these dates, but check your own contract. Scotland has a different system, with applications usually made through myjobscotland and registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland required.