Insight Programme participant Review

The insight was a brief but interesting introduction to the Leadership Development Programme offered by Teach First. The first week consisted of a four-day run of workshops in London where the problems of education inequality and shortages of graduates in STEM subjects were discussed at length. We were also coached on some of the fundamental teaching skills including planning, assessment and classroom management. Although much of this was essential, it did on occasion seem repetitive and self-evident. However, the Teach First staff endeavoured, largely successfully, to bring most of the content to life in an interactive fashion. For the second week we were placed in a Teach First-supported school with the opportunity to plan and deliver a lesson as well as observe and support other teachers during their lessons. This was a much more engaging week and an extremely useful experience of working in a school environment.

Throughout the programme there was an emphasis on the significant impact Teach First recruits have on individual lives as well as in the greater struggle against educational inequality. There was ample opportunity to share our thoughts and relay questions we had, which were always discussed/answered in detail by the Teach first staff.

Teach First staff were present and visible at all times during the 1st week and were always approachable and helpful. Contact numbers of Teach First staff were provided for the second week in case any problems were encountered at our school placement. Most personal development sessions were founded on self-reflection although Teach First staff taught us how to self-reflect effectively using the Driscoll/Gibbs models. Feedback from our assessment centre was used to guide us in setting personal targets for development across the Insight Programme.

Use of the aforementioned reflection models is a skill which can be applied universally, particularly the idea of learning during and after an experience of how you can improve in future. The teaching fundamentals we were taught are useful not only for a classroom environment but also for any public speaking task where confidence and leadership need to be demonstrated.

Both weeks of the Insight Programme were fully timetabled and important information concerning accommodation and school placements was communicated in advance, allowing us sufficient time to prepare for the different stages of the programme. I was particularly impressed at the school placement where we always had engaging activities to do and our mentor (at the school) was very well briefed about the programme and facilitated experiences which would be useful for us. He was also very receptive to our queries and requests, for example allowing us to observe lessons in the subjects we wanted to.

Always felt comfortable around the fellow participants and the Teach First staff. It was a safe and positive environment at all times where I felt at ease discussing educational issues with the rest of the cohort, who were extremely diverse ethnically and academically. Learned a lot from the range of people I met and made some good friendships and connections during the networking event at the end of the programme.

A booklet to guide our personal development and self-reflection was provided at the start of the programme. At times, we did feel unsure of how best to complete this booklet, especially during the 1st week when it was difficult to gauge how much we had gained from the Teach First workshops. Many of these workshops were aimed at supporting our personal development during the Insight and beyond, although sometimes practical advice was lacking and there was a larger than necessary focus on teach First competencies. However, the second week was a lot more clear in terms of training/development, our mentor teacher clearly explained the personal benefit to us of each of the sessions and gave us comprehensive feedback on the lesson we taught as well as essential tips for future work in the classroom.

It was an important experience to be placed in a Teach First area as these areas are often fairly secluded and can present challenges you may have not anticipated if you live close to a city centre. The school placement also reassured me of the structures put in place by Teach First to support their recruits during the Leadership Development Programme. Ultimately, it is difficult to prepare someone for a 2 year placement with a 4 day placement, although this is probably as close as you would get in that time constraint.

There were ample sessions on the Teach First vision, ethos and competencies and how we can identify with all of those elements personally. The Insight Programme made me feel compelled to contribute at least in some capacity to eradicating educational inequality, even if I don't work as a teacher in future.

There were honest accounts from Teach First staff who had completed the Leadership development Programme. They discussed at length the positive and negative experiences they encountered during the 2 year programme as well as their motivations for being involved with the company. It would've been helpful to have heard more information about alternative career paths and how Teach first can support ambitions to work in industry - this was touched upon but only very briefly.

Accommodation for 2 weeks paid for by Teach First, breakfast included throughout. Total salary of £500 also paid: A generous amount considering Teach first is ultimately a charity. If Wi-Fi was purchased at the accommodation this was reimbursed. Travel costs were not reimbursed: try to book train/coach tickets between London and your placement area as soon as possible.

There was a panel consisting of graduates who had Leadership Development Programme, sharing their experiences on the programme as well as their career progression beyond the LDP and their future ambitions. However, more time to discuss with the panel members at length would've been useful to inform our career decisions and gain a better understanding of the opportunities provided by Teach First on completion of the LDP.

There was a designated event on the final day of the programme to allow the cohort to network amongst each other in All Bar One (North Greenwich, London) All evenings of the program were also classed as 'free time' allowing for plentiful opportunity to socialise with other participants around central London as well as our school placement areas.

On the final day of the programme, a volunteering fair was set up where representatives from different organisations spoke at length about volunteering opportunities including tutoring and summer youth camps. We could also speak to these representatives personally and leave our contact details in order to receive more information about these opportunities.

If you are considering teaching in the slightest then this is a unique opportunity to have gain essential experience in a school as well as learn some fundamentals of effective teaching. Outside of preparing you for a career in education, you can learn about the debate surrounding the education system in the UK as well as hone vital skills such as public speaking, planning and problem solving in a collaborative environment.