Teach First Summer Insight Program Review

I enjoyed the insight program overall, especially week 2 as this involved teaching students in an allocated school. However, week 1 was somewhat tedious and I felt that because some of the training was very basic and didn't require the attention and time spent on it, I enjoyed the overall insight program a little less. Despite this, there was great networking opportunity within both weeks and I did enjoy the variety of activities/ tasks in week 1, but less time could have been spent on each one.

I felt very valued throughout the insight program and was continuously made to feel at home with Teach First. All the staff were exceptionally helpful and even after the program, continue to notify me about the opportunities available. During week 1 of the program, one speech was given by a senior director of Teach First which specifically made me feel as if I would be extremely valued within the Teach First community.

A lot of guidance was given throughout the program, especially in week 1. This week involved multiple training sessions which provided me with most of the knowledge I required to be able to go and teach my lesson. The learning hub (online platform for Teach First participants) was a space of constant communication and provided me with lots of opportunity to ask questions or seek further support.

I think the skills I developed were particularly useful for teaching, but in terms of my degree studies and careers outside of teaching, I didn't learn anything particularly significant. if you want to go into teaching, then this program is great, but I think the skills developed were overall very specific to teaching in a classroom environment, and dealing with children, rather than adults. Also, a lot of the skills taught in week 1 training sessions I felt were very basic, such as the planning session (I didn't learn anything new here).

The week was overall well structured i.e. week 1 was training and week 2 was practical application of the skills learnt in week 1. There were clear timetables for each student and staff were always on hand to guide people to the appropriate session/ location. However, I think that the week 1 sessions were longer than necessary and therefore I felt bored at times and felt somewhat demotivated by the simplicity of the subjects being taught e.g. the planning session taught us to use lists, diaries, calendars to plan our time - I didn't think this was necessary for a group of university students.

The general atmosphere was one of excitement and nerves (especially for the teaching of an actual full lesson, which occurred in week 2 when we were allocated schools). Every participant (of which there were around 130) seemed to be open to getting to know new people, so it was a great opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and network. There was also an opportunity to network post-program as many participants met for drinks at a bar at the O2.

The company invested in me a lot. Firstly, they covered all my travel expenses and I was also paid for the two-weeks. I was also notified and told about further opportunities with Teach First that I could get involved in, including a brand manager role and further conferences within the teaching sector that I could attend. I was invited to multiple networking events and also completed an assessment center, so I could potentially be offered a place on the Teach First leadership development program on the back of this two week insight program.

In week 1, there was plenty of training opportunity that taught me more about the theories of teaching the admin duties that teachers are responsible for. Week 2 then offered me an opportunity to truly experience teaching within a school and I then had opportunity to network with teachers in the profession and teachers who had completed the Leadership Development Program with Teach First. However, I think that a lot of the challenges for teachers were left out of discussion, in terms of managing workloads, the strain of the job and the high expectations of teachers to go beyond just delivering lesson content. As such, I feel like the account of teaching with Teach First has been given to me through rose-tinted glasses.

I learnt a lot about Teach First culture. The idea of a community was stressed by talks given by multiple staff within the company, including teachers, recruitment teams and those who have completed the Leadership Development Program. The two weeks stressed the development of key competencies such as leadership, interaction and resilience (among others). From this, I know Teach First is keen to help those within its community develop themselves as employable individuals.

After being in a school for 4 days in week 2 and delivering my own lesson, I gained real experience on what it is actually like being a teacher and working within a classroom environment. I at this moment decided teaching is a potential career option, and the lesson feedback I was given after delivering a lesson, really inspired me to take teaching as a serious career path.

The pay was £250 per full week (monday to Friday ~9-5pm for week 1 and ~8-3pm for week 2). All travel expenses to the school in week 2 were reimbursed. Furthermore, all accommodation was paid for including access to a free gym, sauna, WIFI and breakfast (thought this was specifically related to the group I was in and the school location I had in week 2).

There was plenty of opportunity to meet new people and network not only with other participants, but also Teach First staff. The lunchtime and constant breaks throughout week 1 allowed me to meet new people. Furthermore, the rooms in which sessions occurred were split into large tables of 10, so it was possible to get to know people on an individual basis and more personally - rather than like a lecture theater environment. We were also invited to external Teach First events to network.

The networking opportunity in breaks was very good and many participants sat on a new table everyday so that they could meet new people and maximize networking opportunity (which I would recommend to people). During week 2, there was less networking opportunity with Insight participants because we were broken into smaller groups and sent to different schools across the country. But, even then, we went to schools and so could network with teachers and past Teach First participants.

There were no specific talks or details given about Teach First employees outside of work. However, during the insight program, we had our evenings free so many participants grouped together and took part in a range of social activities themselves. Saying this, there was a single networking event/ drinks at a bar on the evening of the final day for those who wished to attend - this was organised by the Teach First staff.

Yes - you have nothing to lose! You get paid, accommodation and travel costs are also covered and you get to meet a lot of new people and network. Even if you decide not to go into teaching, you can still say you were able to plan, organise and execute a full lesson to a set of secondary school pupils, which demonstrates your leadership and public speaking skills. If you do like teaching and if successful at the assessment centre, on the last day of the program, then you can get an offer to partake in the LDP immediately upon graduation.