Summer Internship Review

As a week of insight into teaching, you are put right at the heart of the school, being able to shadow teachers throughout the day and partake in co-planning sessions. It's a great way to gain insight into the career as well as having plenty of time to get to know the other interns and share our experiences throughout the week.

We had plenty of support both from Ark and especially the staff at our school (Globe Academy) who welcomed us to their lessons and ensured that we were involved in various sessions taking place. The staff made sure to take their time to answer any questions we had, despite being busy with their own lessons.

We were based within departments, therefore the amount of support received depended on the respective teachers. However, the majority of teachers were more than happy to answer any questions about the lessons or teaching in general. As the teachers were understandably quite busy, it also required initiative on our part to make the most of our time.

The week gave great insight into the world of teaching as we were able to shadow teachers as well as experience a day in the life of a student. Being able to teach a lesson also gave us first-hand experience which is definitely helpful when considering teaching as a career. As the timetable had a degree of flexibility, it also required adaptability on our end to adapt to sudden changes that occurred.

It was based upon the timetables of the school/various departments therefore unexpected changes at the school had the ability to affect one's timetable. On the other hand, this also offered flexibility to observe different classes/teachers. There were some set sessions that we attended, while the rest (such as classroom observations) depended on the teachers.

The students were generally well-behaved, with teachers evidently having an assuredly strong, but friendly presence such that one could easily sense the rapport between both. The teachers themselves were very friendly and open and this reflected well on our group of interns. It was a supportive atmosphere where all contributions were welcomed.

As you're in the school for the whole school day for the entire week, you are able to witness the spectrum of classes and events that take place from the beginning until the end of the day. Being able to not only shadow but also teach classes helps in understanding the nature of the role as well as having the opportunity to talk to the teachers themselves.

Again, being part of the school and shadowing various teachers allowed us to gain insight into not only one but many teachers' different teaching styles. Being involved in teacher training and planning sessions allowed insight into the friendly and supportive nature of the school and its staff. Everyone was there for the same reason.

Being in the school for the whole day gave me plenty of insight into what it would be like to be a teacher - from classroom shadowing to taking part in planning sessions. It's a career that you learn a lot from on the job so the internship was helpful in that it placed you in the frontline alongside the teachers to be able to learn from them.

Although the teachers were quite busy with their own commitments, they were generally still very happy to talk about their experiences and give advice. As you spend most of your free time with the other interns, there's plenty of time to get to know the others and what experiences they've been through throughout the week and also outside of the internship itself.

As we'd generally leave the school at the end of the day, there wasn't a lot of opportunity to find this out. However, by talking personally with the teachers, you are still able to find out individually what each does in their spare time. It would have been helpful to know in general what professional development or courses is available for the teachers too.