Intern Review

I would say I quite enjoyed my virtual experience with teach first because they had an independent learning modules that you could complete at your convenience and the training within the virtual internship reinforced and put in to practice a lot of the things that you learn. The resources that were given to us were really useful. I think the only reason I wouldn’t have given it a 10 out of ten is purely to do with the timings; perhaps having more days but fewer hours per day would have been better, given the covid crisis is difficult to find a quiet place in your home to complete some of the tasks they had set

I felt very valued with the company/ firm as there was constant communication with supervisors and people organising the event. If there were any questions they were welcoming of them and always answered them clearly. Any problems in terms of IT etc were addressed immediately. Feedback was given in a professional and friendly manner. Queries were never overlooked. We knew exactly who to contact if things did go wrong. Activities always required active participation and communication was always direct and clear. At no point of the online internship was I left confused.

We were given a lot of guidance and support, I think more so that other firms that I have experienced in the past. You are constant and regular communication with all the events organisers and all questions were answered. There were many opportunities for us to give feedback on services as well as receiving feedback in our participation/assessments. In regards to support teach first were really good at providing this; especially through their “next steps” webinar where they gave additional ways in which you could get involved and support future applications. All this information was presented clearly.

I think completing the online internship was definitely a confidence booster and I gained skills in effectively communicating with peers and colleagues because the course was so hands on and required my active participation in many of the organised activities. It would assist me in my degrees studies: - through many self evaluating activities I feel like I have become more of a conscious communicator and I can present a lot more than I previously would have - it would assist in my degrees studies as I was able to network with people.

The online or virtual internship was extremely well structured. They provided and itinerary in advance so that you well equipped to plan your own day. All activities we given time limits and the event coordinators were aware of this at all times. Activities rarely went over the time limits and there were many times where there were breaks so that your weren’t staring at screens for too long. They were very considerate of time throughout the whole process and attempted to limit areas where time was wasted.

Everyone involved as supervisors of the online and virtual internship were all extremely friendly and helpful in the process. They listened attentively to your problems as well as gave relevant feedback. It was definitely an environment that welcomed all and any questions as would clarify things again if things were not clear. They especially emphasised the importance of active participation in all discussions and activities and it was definitely a place where you could make mistakes and see the benefits of making them because they gave such supportive feedback.

In regards to personal development, teach first definitely showed me how to develop my skill set and effective communication in way that was not only relevant to teaching but also relevant to other job sectors. For example presenting skills taught in Teachfirst will also be relevant to my degree and other sectors that may involve speaking or feedback to large groups of people. It also taught me to speak concisely and clearly; this isn’t a skill you can’t take anywhere. Investments made through me were the online independent training. That was offered to me before the course as well as the opportunity to network with individuals in a Q&A

I think there were many times were we were able to speak and converse with alumni about the various opportunities and ways in and out Of the career. Given the covid situation I don’t believe the online experience could ever really replicate a classroom; but given the time and resources J though teach first put together and good experience with many videos and demonstration of what I would have been like. And there were many teachers who could verify many of their experiences. They also compensated for the lack of classroom experience by guiding us in ways that you couldn’t find placements outside of university and teach first through various partner companies.

The virtual experience helped me to understand the ethos and beliefs of a company a lot more through interactions with various alumni representatives. This was emphasised repetitively throughout the independent online training as well as the internships, Q&A sessions and the webinar series. The debrief on what you can do once you have been accepted on to their provisional offer holder/graduate programme showed me the extensive and personal network of people that would support throughout my application and professional development; teach first were very clear about thuan compared to that of other employers and educational charities.

The content was very valuable on helping me to decide my future career path for many reasons: One of the reasons it was useful it outlined the things to expect and not to expect in the teaching environment which I feel like isn’t really discussed in other teaching providers/firms. It also highlighted a lot of misconceptions. It also emphasised that teaching can be a both short term or long term career goal to pursue and can be utilised as a ‘bridging’ career to help you get into another sector.

I do believe there should have been some form of pay for the training that we underwent simply because the internship took a large chunk out our days. For example the internship lasted from 9:30 ish to 6pm on most days. I gave up time for work on these days just so I could attend. There should have been some form of pay as well just to compensate for the time that we were sat their in front of a computer.

Yes there were many many opportunities to network: There were times where we were all able to direct our queries and concerns about the application process to alumni and previously successful candidates on the programme as well as the events organiser. They also provided information and key contact details for you to get involved in other ways. Each segment of the training was taught by an employee or member of alumni which was was very helpful.

This was useful, however because everything was online it was difficult to have more personal one to one communication with present employees. However they did provide many and various networking opportunities in that they need Encouraged to join Facebook groups and other partner groups of teach first as a point of networking if you were interested in the company or the programme that they were providing. However I don’t think this barrier would have presented it self if were not doing this online.

Yes, we were able to find out about activities and opportunities that employees and alumni can get involved in outside of the work place; such as the the summer projects that you can get involved in after completion of the the first year of the training programme. It was emphasised that teach first have many partner firms that collaborate together to provide training opportunities to its employees even after they have left the charity or training.

I would highly recommend this virtual online internship provided by teach first to other people and prospective students; the internship was transformative and highly engaging. There were numerous and ongoing opportunities to speak to alumni and network as well as time to establish personal development goals. There many opportunities ies in seeking support and guidance for application. You get a lot of face to face interactions with employees and the events organisers and supervisors were extremely attentive, friendly, supportive and considerate. There were multiple dates that you could have completed the online internshop as they were aware of the barriers that some students may have been experiencing due to the lockdown measures.