I thought I would start discussing my PGCE interviews by telling you what I wore. I have seen a lot of people going for interviews wondering what is appropriate to wear. I think the most important thing to do it make sure you feel comfortable! If you don't feel comfortable then this isn't going to help with your interview because you will most likely lose concentration.
I was so nervous for my first interview and unsure of what to wear that I did a little fashion show for my housemates a week before my interview! They were so helpful and calming; it can be nice to speak to others about what you will be wearing and get their opinions. All my housemates were aspiring teachers too so they were good people to talk to about it.
My first interview was for a university based PGCE in which I had to speak to fellow interviewees and the interviewers. There were no children involved in my interview. I will speak about how my interviews went in future blogs! For this interview, I opted to wear a dress, belt and blazer and put my hair up in a bun (it is short now but was very long at the time before I donated it to The Little Princess Trust). As for makeup, if you feel comfortable without it, don't wear it, simple as that! A woman does not have to wear makeup to look professional in a work place or for an interview, you do you. Personally, I decided to wear a tad. I struggled to sleep the night before due to nerves; I have wanted to be a SEN teacher for so long that I was worried in case it didn't work it. I tried to keep it to the bare minimum and look as natural as possible. I wore a bit of shimmer on the inner corners of my eyes and a bit of dark brown shadow on the outer part of my lid to open my eyes up a bit and applied one layer of mascara.
This does not mean you have to! It was just personal preference. A person can just as easily walk into an interview bare faced and absolutely smash it!
For my last two interviews, I chose a schools direct route and was asked to go into the schools and work with some of the children before my interview took place so they could observe me with the children. Now, you could probably wear a dress if you wanted to and if you do I recommend wearing cycle shorts underneath just in case you have any mishap. I thought it would be best to wear trousers if I was going to be working with children and felt way more comfortable doing so. I think when you have an interview in which you have to work with the children, trousers are so much more practical and you can play with the children and sit down on the floor with them without any worry that you might reveal a bit too much whilst doing so. I wore some smart trousers and a blouse with my hair up in a pony. I wore the exact same thing for both my school based interviews because that is what I felt most comfortable in.
There isn't anything I would change about what I wore for the interviews, I was comfortable in both outfits and feel I made the best decision based on where my interview was. I hope this gives you a bit of guidance if you are unsure of what to wear yourself. As long as you are smart and comfortable, what you wear really is not a big deal. The interviewers will be judging you based on your personality, skills and passion for teaching. As long as you are confident in these three things, I am confident that you will smash your interview. No one is going to think 'they would make a great teacher but it's a shame I don't like that shirt'. You will be OK and you will do so well.
Good luck with any interviews you might have!
Edit: I just spotted that you can see a gorgeous card from and made by my Aunt hanging from my mirror in the first picture. If anyone was wondering where this is from click this link and you can have a browse.
Take care and be sunny!
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