Taster Programme Review

The one day taster programme was a great chance to get to grips with Teach First and their mission and to make valuable connections for the future. Unlike other insights it was more of an information focused programme with assessment centre preparation. It gave a great insight about how to perform well at assessment centres. There was heavy group work focus and the debrief after each activity we performed made the experiences all that more valuable for me.

A lot of thought and planning had clearly gone into the day. The offices were specially set out for us, the activities were engaging and varied and all of the staff treated us with integrity and were not patronising, as employers at insights often can be. I felt that Teach First were investing in me and my future. The staff were willing to go above and beyond to answer any questions I had and to ensure that I was enjoying the day throughout.

The insight was full of guidance. As it was less of an insight and more of a taster programme , it was essentially a day to introduce us to Teach First, but also to prepare us for future assessment with other employers. We taught lessons to primary school children, undertook mock assessment centres and practised model application questions. I felt that it gave me a recruiters unparalleled insight into applications and also helped me to better understand the general direction and standard that I should be aiming for.

The taster programme wasn't directly relevant to my degree, but it was however especially relevant to my future career preparation. The focus session on preparing STAR answers was amazing as we were given feedback there and then, and it also gave us the opportunity to share our answers with our peers, and sit at a recruiters side of the interview panel. The mock group sessions were also especially useful as afterwards we were given constructive debriefs about our strengths and weaknesses. I found these experiences especially useful as I was able to experience an assessment centre without the pressure of a job weighing on it.

The insight was well structured. It was a balance of information, activities and skills based sessions. There were regular breaks and plenty of opportunities to network with the employees at the offices. The day wasn't too heavy and tiring, but there was never a dull moment. I enjoyed how the activities were made engaging and were to emulate a typical day in the classroom as a teacher. I feel that it was a very accurate representation of Teach First's leadership development programme.

The cohort of students and the staff that we worked with were second to none. They treated us like adults and answered all of our questions. I could tell that Teach First were invested in me, and in return I wanted to invest my time with Teach First. Although teaching is not the career path that I am looking to take, I am so glad that I undertook the Taster Programme. It led me to consider other career paths, which I am especially grateful for. It also helped me to make connections with students at other universities.

The firm invested so much in my personal development. After each activity we undertook there was time for critical reflection. It was important that we learnt to evaluate our own strengths and weaknesses as well as the other members in the group. I felt that I came away from the programme with a real sense of how to conduct myself around employers and what employers would expect of me at an assessment centre. Overall I felt that I had a much clearer vision about how to perform at my best at assessment centres and during recruitment processes.

As it was just a one day event it was hard to grasp a feel of the organisation. The only touch that we had with the firm was really from the employees perspective. Understandably for Teach First it was hard for them to emulate what a typical day as a Teach First teacher would be like, however I feel that having the past participants into talk with us and share their experiences, helped us to grasp better what an impact we could have on school children's lives.

The insight helped me to understand how much Teach First would invest in me and my future. The culture of the charity was unparalleled. They had a real interest and a real cause that each employee was clearly passionate about. Even if before the day you were on board with the mission, after this you definitely will be. As their mission was already something close to my heart it was reassuring to see that their culture did accurately align with these aims that they had in mind.

The day caused me to consider alternative career paths. I had never been considering a career in teaching, however after the taster programme it was now definitely something that came to my mind. I am now especially in undertaking the two year leadership development programme to hone in on my skills whilst also making an impact to children from low-socio economics backgrounds.

I personally was not reimbursed as I walked to the offices, however Teach First did reimburse students for expenses.

The day was full of opportunities to not only meet with the recruiters at Teach First but to also meet with past participants of their leadership development programme and also with some of the children who had benefitted from Teach First and their work. It was great to hear first hand about what an impact the charity has, and it simply gave me the drive to work with them and to go out into the world and make a positive change.

There was plenty of networking involved over drinks and lunch. It was great to not only network with the employees but to meet with other students on the taster programme. There are connections that I made that day that I am still in touch with and I'm sure that i will be for a very long time, especially if we work together in the future at Teach First.

The day wasn't so much focused on about what employees did outside of work. It was more about pushing Teach First's mission and to learn more about ourselves and our skill sets. Although I have marked low, this is no refection on the quality of the day. It was just simply a topic that was not touched upon; I do however feel that this is not a pivotal point to be discussed, given the context and content of the day.

I would most definitely recommend this insight to a friend. I was offered unparalleled insight into assessment centre and interview preparation for other employers. It definitely benefited me when it came to applying to other firms and through their recruitment process. Aside from the skills focus, it was great to learn more about the charity and the impact that they can have on the lives of school children.