Student Review

The course was enjoyable, pacey and useful. The course leaders were very enthusiastic, great at teaching the content in an engaging way and happy to provide help when there where any queries. I would have appreciated more opportunity to network with my peers on the course, but I understand this is hard over Zoom. The level of intensity was generally just right - not too stressful but never boring. The only minor point is that the first day was quite packed and maybe could have had one session or piece of work moved to another time.

The course leaders could not have been more welcoming and friendly. I never felt condescended to at any point, and I felt as though they were very invested in making sure everyone got as much out of the course as possible. They were extremely quick and helpful when replying to any email queries and made it clear that they valued our input when asking for ways in which they could improve the course for future students.

Emails were always responded very quickly and in a friendly and helpful fashion. There were lots of opportunities to receive feedback on our practice for the final assessment and time for questions at each stage which were answered in a useful manner. During the day of final assessment there was a zoom meeting with a member of their team open the entire time so people could drop in if they had any issues which meant the day was less stressful because help was on hand if there was any confusion.

Lots of the insights on the ways in which people learn, and how these can be applied when teaching a subject, are extremely interesting and eminently applicable. The content was without exception directly relevant to becoming an effective educator and at no point did I feel time was wasted on anything vague or unimplementable. We were given time to practice each teaching technique and receive feedback after we learned about it, and then to try again taking that feedback into account. It was clear that the instructors take seriously the principles behind an evidenced based approach to teaching in ways that conform to how people learn; because the teaching in the course was presented according to those principles which gave me significant appreciation for how well they work.

The course was pacey and it never became boring - no time was wasted. Enough time was given for a good understanding of every concept, with time to practice each built in. The first day had a lot of content all day and then a fairly large amount of work to complete for day two. I think the course would benefit from being one day longer, so the first day could be made more manageable and that more time could be set aside for networking amongst the participants.

Very friendly course leaders that kept everyone interested at all times. Felt listened to and as though any questions or issues would be taken care of effectively and promptly. This is only not a ten because it was very difficult to create a sense of group identity and friendship amongst the participants which I understand is very hard over Zoom. The quiz and the debate were good for this though and enjoyable, perhaps would have benefitted from a bit more time in smaller breakout zoom rooms for activities such as these.

There was a very useful Q&A session with previous Teach First programme participants - they gave a detailed overview of both the structure of the course and the nature of the experience. I now know exactly how the graduate programme will be delivered and the different options available in the final year (conversion to a masters of education or a business placement). The Q&A participants and the course deliverers definitely made it seem as though we would be well supported on the graduate programme and that they enjoyed their role within the organisation.

Very friendly atmosphere, and a clear focus on their goal of tackling educational inequality and empowering teachers with evidence backed techniques for teachers. The assessment was not as stressful as it could have been because the assessors were very friendly and positive. Emails and instruction sessions were delivered in an informal tone and I felt that I would be heard if I had any issues. There is a clear focus on opportunities for reflection and self improvement.

The course definitely helped solidify my desire to be a teacher - a better understanding on teaching as a skill to be perfected through an evidence based approach and constant practice made the career sound fulfilling and challenging. It was also made clear that lots of Teach First graduates go onto successful careers in a wide variety of sectors after completing the programme - because employers value the skills gained. It is nice to know that if I change my mind on pursuing teaching during their training programme I would have other options.

They had initially offered to cover all travel and living expenses when the course was intended to be in-person. This obviously wasn't necessary when the course was moved onto Zoom. They made it clear that on the Graduate Programme participants receive a full salary from day one and that they may be able to help with relocation expenses for anyone who needs to move across the country in order to work at their assigned school.

This was hard to do over zoom. There were a few occasions where we split off into separate calls but these were generally for sessions with a time-sensitive task which didn't leave much room for more general chit chat. The quiz and the debate were the best bits in this regard - particularly the quiz as this was a more low pressure situation given that we weren't preparing to deliver a presentation. Everyone I did get the opportunity to talk to seemed very nice and engaged in helping each other with feedback in the practice sessions.

There was a session on the educational charities with which Teach First are partnered so that we could get involved in the interceding time between now and the Graduate course. It was made clear by the ex-course participants in the Q&A that there were opportunities to get involved with 'Networks' - groups of teachers over the country providing social opportunities and support in your professional development. There could perhaps have been more info on any other social activities we could access.

Would definitely recommend to anyone with even the slightest interest in pursuing a teaching career. It was an enjoyable experience, I felt as though I had learned lots of useful skills to employ in and outside the classroom, and felt more informed and prepared regarding the experience of a Teach First graduate programme participant and a teacher. I also believe that the experience would be even better for them, because this was the first time they ran the course in this way (over Zoom) and they provided an opportunity for feedback to improve the course and gave the impression that the suggestions were taken very seriously and that they would implement some next time round.