Teach First Taster Experience Student Review

I really loved the experience from start to finish. It was something I was really nervous about, but I actually came away feeling like I had really learned something about myself and the scheme. It left me really wanting to take part in Teach First’s programme which is quite a powerful thing to achieve through 2 days on zoom.

It was a really encouraging and supportive learning environment and I felt as though the staff really made the effort to get to know you and support you throughout the experience. Every individual was encouraged to get involved so it made us each feel like we were really contributing something and getting things back.

A lot. The staff were all excellent at making sure we were all confident in our abilities and they gave a lot of opportunities for Q&As so any qualms were quickly sorted. Equal time was offered to us all and the support was continuous so we were never afraid to ask for more help because it was always offered.

I felt like the two days were actually really transformative and transferable to my degree which I wasn’t expecting at all. We all unanimously agreed that the character building skills we developed the self-reflection sessions would help us going forward and allow us to continue these skills even once we had finished the classes.

Structure and timetabling was something I was really impressed with during the experience. With everything moving online, I was worried some of the standards would slip or effort wouldn’t be put in but I was totally proved wrong. The structure was so comforting to me and I really enjoyed the way it was organised - it definitely made the day a lot easier.

Really supportive. I was so nervous but I was quickly made to feel really comfortable and it was such a positive atmosphere to work in. They gave lots of opportunities for non-forced bonding and it was great getting to bond with likeminded, lovely people. Both the staff and the other students were fantastic and I’m so glad I took part in the scheme.

The whole two days were based on training so they definitely put in a lot of work to ensure that we understood what we were doing and were given constructive criticism to continue improving hour to hour, let alone day to day. They invested equally in each person and it really showed because we all came away feeling like we had benefited from taking part.

It was totally transformative for me and it has really made me excited to apply for the scheme. I was on the fence prior to the Taster experience but working with the staff being so supportive and meeting other individuals with the same passion really confirmed that this is the route for me and Teach First is where I want to go.

This was a strong point of the Taster experience. It was a really helpful insight into the ethos of the company and their values really resonated with me making me feel like this is a company I would like to get involved with. They gave us a realistic understanding and I appreciated that.

It was probably the most valuable thing I’ve done so far in terms of helping me decided what I would like to do. I was unsure prior to the Taster day but now I have realised that this is definitely what I would like to do and my strengths lie with Teaching.

I wasn’t paid but that is fair enough because it was an experience day I was wanted to take part in to our own benefit not to theirs and we didn’t get any expenses because it was all online so it didn’t cost me anything anyway. No reimbursement needed or wanted.

They built in specific time for this which is something I really appreciated because it allowed us to gain a proper insight into different roles available even beyond Teach First. There was plenty of continuous opportunities for you to network - or not - if you didn’t want to which I liked.

I felt like the quick fire Q&As were really useful and I enjoyed the wide variety of people that they gave us the chance to meet. The quiz also worked really well because they made it optional so if you were tired or a little overwhelmed then you could choose to miss it which I think was very usueful for some people.

Yes they had a wide variety of people available to meet who spoke about different jobs but in terms of things beyond tutoring outside of the Teach First scheme, there wasn’t much to hear about I don’t think but as there was limited time I think that is probably appropriate.

I already have recommended this to my friend who wanted to learn more but wasn’t sure. I will recommend it to ANYONE who wants to learn more or isn’t sure about what they want to do because it’s a fantastic opportunity to gain a real oversight of what is expected and if you feel like you could perform well. It was fantastic.