Taster Experience Review

I did quite like the virtual experience. It was obviously a very long day staring at a screen all day, which is tiring, but I guess it was the bets they could do of the situation. I thought the idea of putting us into breakout rooms helped make it exciting.

I did feel valued; they really tried to encourage us to pursue future roles with Teach First and seemed super keen to keep us within the whole programme. They staff were all very friendly and they encouraged lots of questions. Obviously, they didn't know us individually but that didn't matter that much.

We received a lot of guidance; especially regarding how to work Zoom- which was really useful considering I did not know much about Zoom before. They guided us very well throughout by providing us with resources and a clear plan, and were always available for asking questions when we needed.

To be honest, because it was only a couple fo days we didn't really develop any major skills- especially because it was just online, so I guess you cant really develop skills that much when you're not interacting with others. I got a lot of very useful information though, which I value.

It was very well structured. They provided us with a two day time plan a few days before which was very useful, and they stuck to it very well. They had a good mix of breakout rooms, large sessions, and talks and interactive activities and breaks, which was very good.

It was a good atmosphere, everyone was very friendly and amiable. As I said, its quite difficult to create a fantastic atmosphere over Zoom, but they did the best that they could do. The breakout rooms made it easier to create a good atmosphere, as we could chat more easily there.

They invested not that much I wouldn't say, butI'm not sure how much they could invest in us when they don't really know us, and are only speaking to us for a couple of days over a screen, and also you could never really have a one-one talk with any of the staff.

Obviously, it is hard to say because it is unsure as to whether the future of teaching is online or not, so it may or may not be reflective of teaching, as I would be doing with Teach First. I don't think the point of the experience was to give you an idea of working with them- more just info.

It gave me quite a good insight into this I think- they all seemed very passionate about eduction inequality and the culture of the company seemed super focussed on their aim to help children. The culture was very amiable and lovely and I would say it was one the main strengths.

It was very helpful indeed and I would say it did inspire me to pursue this as a career path. They provided as the needed information and facts for enrolling in the programme and were helpful regarding dates and applications and everything. It gave me a lot of information about the role.

As it was on Zoom, there were no costs needed to be provided, as it didn't coat me anything to do it. I know that if the experience was in real life, they would have paid for travel and provided free accommodation for the whole time, so they are good with this.

Yes, they brought in people working from other companies and we were put into breakout rooms with all these different staff so we could ask questions and find out more. We also heard form alumni and lots of different staff who have gone down different routes with the company, so gave different insights.

They were not that good to be honest, but this is not the fault of Teach First but just the nature of Zoom calls. For example, you could never ask one on one questions, and the breakout rooms had a timer so that there were sometimes awkward silences waiting for the time to pass.

Yes I did- a few of them were volunteering, which is obviously important, but as a student it is sometimes difficult when these are recommended to you, as a lot of us cannot afford to do something for free, eg like tutoring, when this takes up a lot of time.

I would recommend this but I think it would be a better experience to do it in person when Covid-19 restrictions are lessened, as with this you can go into schools, interact with more people and probably have a better time overall. But, if they want to do it now, then it is easy.