Insight Participant Review

by Teach First

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.8/5
  • About You
    4.0
  • The Company
    3.8
  • Everything Else
    3.6

    About You

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
  • The programme was enjoyable overall. The first week is a week of talks, seminars, lectures, etc., which was frankly quite dull on the whole. There were some good sessions, and these were usually one and the same as the sessions that were actually practically applicable, but there were also a LOT of boring, fluffy sessions that seemed to say an awful lot about not very much. However, if you can get through the first week and on to the school placement, I think you'll find the placement very rewarding. The second week is great, especially if you've never spent any time in school as a staff member before.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
  • Teach First are very supportive and they call you to check in with you during your time in school. If you have any problems or worries, they'll always do their best to redress them or to reassure you. The school I was placed at had a slightly hostile environment at times, and some staff really did not want us to be there, but this was mostly because the school was in special measures and many staff were quite stressed.

    5/5

  • 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the insight?
  • The first week if anything contains too much support. For some reason, Teach First insists that they take only the 'best' graduates and undergraduates (not really true, they take good graduates, not necessarily the 'best') and then proceeds to treat those graduates and undergraduates like they are absolute idiots! Sessions were often too slowly paced and activities were often dull. As I said above, some were engaging, but these were the exception rather than the rule. By contrast, the level of support in the second week (in school) was great. It was clear that we could contact Teach First for support and we felt well supported by our host teachers at the school.

    5/5

  • 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • In the first week, we learnt about the very basics of pedagogy, which was very useful in the second week. However, there were only some sessions that dealt with pedagogy, padded out by a lot of rubbish elsewhere, and the pedagogy sessions could have been covered in a single day. It would have been nice if we spent less time on the nonsense and more time on the pedagogy. I definitely developed confidence in the second week by teaching my own lesson and being observed and given feedback. This was by far the most useful part of the programme. The skills I developed are not relevant to my degree, but will be very useful going forward if I am successful in my application to the LDP.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 5. How well structured was the insight?
  • The structure was good. I've made my views about the first week clear, but the content that was there was, in fairness, well structured. The logistics of moving from London to our placement schools and back were slightly difficult, but there's no real way that Teach First could have done anything to alleviate this, and we were well-supported and informed. The week in school was mostly well-structured, although on the first morning, the teacher hosting us was half an hour late collecting us and kept us sitting at the back of her class (not so relevant, given it was not a STEM lesson). This didn't make us feel especially welcome, so much as an inconvenience, but things only improved as the week went on. There should, in my opinion, have been more time spent in STEM lessons. Instead, we spent an entire day following a year 7 pupil and observing all their lessons, which I felt was a waste of time. Nonetheless, for those very unfamiliar with being in school as staff, this might have been useful.

    4/5

  • 6. How was the general atmosphere during your insight?
  • The atmosphere in the first week was poor during working hours, because most participants were I think disengaged and bored by most of the sessions. After work in the first week, the atmosphere was great. Other participants were friendly and great to spend time with. In the second week, the atmosphere in school was mostly good (with a little hostility, as mentioned) and after work was not so good. This though was mostly because two of the other participants at our school did not bond well with myself and one other participant. This was unlucky, and I know there were plenty of other schools where participants gelled better.

    3/5

  • 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • The company invested a lot in us but, as I've made clear, in the first week, that investment mostly did not translate into useful development activities for us.

    4/5

  • 8. To what extent did the insight help you to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company or firm?
  • The first week of the Insight, so I am told, is rather similar to the LDP Summer Institute. Whilst this, for me, came as terrible news, it did at least let me know what I was getting into. It hasn't put me off, because my time in school confirmed to me that teaching is something that I enjoy, and my confidence was built by realising that I can cope with planning and delivering my own lesson. The Insight also made me appreciate how much work I'd have to put in with planning and so on at the beginning of my time as a teacher.

    5/5

  • 9. How much did the insight help you in understanding the company culture?
  • Teach First was very supportive throughout the Insight. It also became clear that Teach First puts a strong (to my mind fluffy and corporate) emphasis on self-reflection, personal development and abstract words and values. No doubt it's extremely important for an LDP participant to self-reflect and to develop and so on, but I refuse to accept that any of this can be taught. It can be encouraged, certainly, but not taught, no matter how many hours of talks participants are forced to sit through.

    4/5

  • 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
  • It was very valuable, as in the last question, above.

    4/5

    Everything Else

  • 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
  • I was paid £500 for the two weeks I spent on the programme. My accommodation was paid for both in London and in the local area that my school was in. I was not reimbursed for travel expenses to or from London and to and from my placement school. I spent over £100 on travel.


  • 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
  • There were some opportunities to meet Teach First employees and most talks were delivered by Ambassadors (people who have completed the LDP). There were no opportunities to meet employees outside of this.

    4/5

  • 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
  • Teach First organised two socials, but in reality people socialised every evening. Teach First stresses that the residential aspect of the programme is an important one, and they are right to do so. The programme would not have been the same without the residential element and meeting the other participants was one of the best things about the programme.

    5/5

  • 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
  • There was an opportunities fair on the final day, which was somewhat useful. There could have been a greater variety of opportunities on offer.

    3/5

  • 15. Would you recommend this insight to a friend?
  • Overall, it was worth it. The first week was so awful, I can't give a rating higher than 6. The second week was so useful, I can't give a rating lower than 6.

    3/5

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Details

Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)

June 2018


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