Taster Experience 2020 Review

by Teach First

Rating

3.5/5
  • About You
    3.5
  • The Company
    3.8
  • Everything Else
    3.6

    About You

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy the virtual experience?
  • I'm really glad I have the opportunity to take part in the online Taster experience. I felt like the tasks were well-thought out and there was a lot of really useful information presented to us over the two days. I feel however that there was an emphasis on developing skills (with regards to the competencies) and that there wasn't enough opportunity to really develop each of those in depth.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
  • This was difficult as we were a large group and were on Zoom. Despite this, using the breakout rooms frequently over the two days helped me feel as though I could contribute to all the tasks and engage with others. This gave the experience a more personable feel. I also liked the fact there were frequent opportunities to use the raise hand function to have the chance to ask questions and contribute in certain sessions.

    4/5

  • 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the virtual experience?
  • The sessions were very well presented with a lot of information. The worksheets were also very clear and self-explanatory although the hosts were still available to ask questions about these/during the tasks themselves. Having the opportunity to chat with all the speakers really helped with getting the most out of the experience.

    4/5

  • 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The taster experience was definitely a good insight into what to expect when joining the Teach First community. Notably, being involved in a virtual experience using Zoom has really helped develop my confidence with the platform and it has allowed me to recognise the importance of your presence on Zoom and how you articulate your thought clearly. As I aspire to undertake the Teach First Training Programme, I feel this experience has given me a good foundation for what to expect.

    3/5

    The Company

  • 5. How well structured was the virtual experience?
  • The virtual experience was well structured in the sense that there were a range of sessions to engage with across the 2 days. However I feel that some sessions could have been shorter with more opportunity for smaller more engaging tasks. Overall I did find the experience was well-thought out and organised.

    4/5

  • 6. How was the general atmosphere during your virtual experience?
  • It had a very informal atmosphere to it which I liked. The atmosphere was quite classroom like at some points with the longer presentations which I found more difficult to engage with or feel like I was developing skills. Most times in breakout rooms there was an awkward atmosphere with the group rushing (and then finishing too early) or being hesitant in discussions because the timing and the depth at which we were supposed to converse was unclear.

    3/5

  • 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • There was clearly an emphasis on what skills we could develop during the taster experience. This was great as it gave each of the tasks a purpose/focus. However, I do feel like with more time to develop the taster experience, there could have been more focused activities to develop skills like the 'teaching challenge' session on Day 2.

    3/5

  • 8. To what extent did the virtual experience help you to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company or firm?
  • The Teaching Challenge session was a brilliant way of experience what it would be like during training as the feedback received from this was very thorough and the guidance we received for planning the lesson was also very well presented and clear. There was also a lot of information about what to expect if we were successful in gaining a place on the Training Programme.

    5/5

  • 9. How much did the virtual experience help you in understanding the company culture?
  • This was definitely the main focus of the two day experience and was very well executed. I felt it was the strongest part of all the presentations as all tasks were centred around Teach First's mission and vision and their competancies were also discussed and referred back to as well.

    5/5

  • 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
  • The content was really valuable and has consolidated my knowledge about Teach First and what to expect on the training programme. The Opportunities Fair sessions on both days as well as Day One's session on Teach First's mission were most helpful to me. I understood more about Teach First and learnt new information that I hadn't been aware of.

    5/5

    Everything Else

  • 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
  • This question is not applicable to the Teach First Taster Experience this year as it was a online experience over Zoom.


  • 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
  • There were many opportunities presented to us so where we were free to chat and ask questions to any person that had given a talk/presentation. This was a really good and beneficial aspect to the taster experience. We were also given contact information as well as guidance on where to find out more information online.

    5/5

  • 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
  • The ability to chat to people associated with TeachFirst was best achieved in day two's opportunities fair session when we were split into breakout rooms and those people could rotate between rooms, answering questions. This would have been great if it had been schedule in more frequently throughout the two days i.e. in Day One's opportunities session.

    3/5

  • 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
  • Yes, all the speakers associated with Teach First were given the opportunity to describe in some detail their career paths and what opportunities they had taken advantage of, having been involved with Teach First and thetraining programme. This was a great part of the experience and there was also follow up information about summer projects (with examples).

    3/5

  • 15. Would you recommend this virtual experience to a friend?
  • I would definitely recommend this experience to a friend that was interested in applying for Teach First as it does give a real insight into Teach First's culture and their approach to the problems in education and how they train their teachers. I also felt like the experience was easy to complete and that there was minimal pressure associated with tasks.

    4/5

    Report this review

Details

Internship (1 Month+)

June 2020


View More Reviews

View More Jobs