Teach First Taster Programme Review

The whole Taster Programme was extremely beneficial and very insightful. It gave a good idea into the programmes that are offered by Teach First, whilst also allowing us to partake in other activities that improved our employability in general. I would most definitely recommend it for anyone considering teaching or Teach First

There were over 50 other students participating in the programme at the time and this meant it was much more difficult to connect with the staff more on an individual level. Nonetheless, the activities and help offered by staff (especially when the groups were divided, for some activities into groups of two or three) implied they valued our presence and had worked hard for this programme

Before the programme I was e-mailed essential information like the location, timetable and timings etc. (the details you would expect) I also received support over the phone, as they rang me a week before attending the taster programme, which was useful and helped me find my way. During the programme, everything was explained well

We taught a practice lesson to real visiting students and received feedback on how we did. This was extremely useful, improving many of our skills, including confidence, public speaking etc. In terms of skills that assist in degree, the answer to that depends on which degree you are doing, but we developed many general skills

There was a clearly planned out and organised structure, which was made available a couple of weeks prior to the Taster Programme. All activities and events were structured in a coherent manner, with an appropriate amount of time allocated to each event. The dinner came slightly late, but this wasn't Teach First's fault and was bearable

Considering it was a taster programme and most of the acitivities and events were either presentations or like lessons in the classrooms, there was little opportunity to make the atmosphere special However, all of the presenters and employees were great and knew how to lighten the mood and keep everything engaging The lunch and break had a decent atmosphere too

They invested two full working days into our skills development and training for us There were many different staff who came in for this and there were also a couple of people that didn't work for Teach First but were offering teaching opportunities in the networking session They also arranged for children to come for a school trip

There was, quite understandably, a lot of information and insight into all of the other opportunities offered by Teach First, mainly the Leadership Development Programme, but also the Brand Manager and Insight Programmes as well, and this was very useful as it gave us information and details that are not included on their website

The programme was obviously planned for the students, so it was hard to see what exactly it would be like to work for Teach First - due to the nature of their programme, there is no clear kind of company culture as such, as it depends on the school you are assigned to

It inspired me to apply for the Brand Manager Programme (although recruitment had finished in my university by that time unfortunately) and it also encouraged me to later apply for the Insight Programme. I shall also apply for their flagship Leadership Development Programme in my final year of university, and this programme has helped me decide

The programme is not paid (and this is completely understandable) as it is merely a two day insight programme and as such, students are not exactly adding value to their business The expense reimbursement policy is as follows: - they will pay 100% of a travel cost up to £35, plus 50% of the cost up to a maximum of £85

There was a networking session where we were able to meet different ambassadors of the business and other people from teaching backgrounds that were not necessarily affiliated with Teach First, as well as the people who assess the quality of our applications, who showed us how to apply well This was very useful

There were plenty of opportunities to socialise and network, both with fellow students and participants from a range of backgrounds and also with ambassadors of Teach First, moreso at the break times and the lunch times There was also a small kind of networking event scheduled as part of the programme, but I would've preferred if it was a bit longer

Except for learning more information about the other programmes offered, and a little about the structure of the flagship Leadership Development Programme, there was little about other activities that participants get involved in. This is quite obvious because of the nature of the programme, and depends on the particular school each person is assigned to

I would wholeheartedly and unreservedly recommend the Taster Programme to anyone who is thinking of applying to Teach First or any of their opportunities, or to any teaching role as it is hugely beneficial in improving employability and giving an insight into the extent of educational inequality in the UK and Teach First