It is not compulsory for applicants to have had previous experience in a Steiner School. However, it is essential that promising applicants are given or make the opportunity to experience Steiner Waldorf Education in action in a school before they are interviewed and accepted onto the course. We feel that students must have had first-hand experience of what it is they feel they want to do before they embark upon what is a very demanding, oversubscribed and rigorous training. Promising applicants are selected to attend a week long interview visit to Michael Hall. This enables them to observe in classrooms and see teachers and the school in action before being interviewed. We feel that this makes for a much stronger understanding and basis for us as course leaders to make offers and for applicants to make commitments to this two year programme.
Candidates applying to train as Class Teachers (ages 6-14) need to have had a good general education and to have developed sound skills in Maths and English. Music, Drama and the visual arts play an important part in the work of the class teacher and therefore a training/experience or skills in one or more of these areas are desirable. All the core subjects in addition to History, Geography and Science are taught by the Class Teacher and it is therefore important that candidates have a lively interest in the world and an enthusiasm and commitment for learning.