Participant on Work experience scheme for teach firt Review

I enjoyed the taster to a large extent as it was really interactive which is unlike other tasters I have been on, where we merely watch speakers and do not engage with them. There were a variety of activities to keep it engaging and I could see the relevance and value each activity had in relation to helping us improve our confidence in teaching. It also was really insightful to discuss and debate with like minded individuals and to learn from them.

I think Teach FIrst really catered to everyone with ensuring the group sizes were small enough that everyone could share their views without running out of time. The coordinators also stressed that everyone should be respectful of everyone's views and this was adhered to by the course participants. Whenever an individual answered a question on the larger group space, the leaders were really encouraging and supportive in giving praise which created a welcome environment where I felt my views were appreciated.

I received a lot of support throughout the experience as the days consisted of frequently going into groups and then reconvening in the larger group which meant we could ask any questions we had to the coordinators. Also, often the coordinators would be present within the break out rooms and would then report back to the whole cohort what they thought was good about our discussions and so we could learn this way. The most supportive part was when we had a Teach First recruiter overlooking our mini lessons as they gave direct feedback to us which was really invaluable!

I joined the taster because I knew I was interested in teaching but I was not really sure what the path was and how feasible it would be in terms of funding for instance. The Teach First team answered all my questions in regards to this and gave a clear overview of the path and the positives of doing Teach First as opposed to taking the PGCE at a University for instance. I feel as though the skills i developed such as gaining confidence, problem solving and working on interaction will assist me in my degree subjects and beyond as it will make me more likely to engage in debates in tutorials and so make the most out of the classes.

I think the experience was well structured to a large extent as there was a variety of activities and a good balance between listening to speakers, and actively engaging and speaking ourselves. The only negative in terms of structure was that the feedback session for our mini lessons was perhaps a bit too long. I really appreciated being able to listen to everyone else's feedback but the session went quite slowly which made it difficult to concentrate after a while, especially when the feedback was very similar throughout.

The general atmosphere was really supportive and welcoming. Everyone was really enthusiastic on the course which was great and I think was testament to the great work from the Teach First taster admissions team as they ensured that everyone was reallly dedicated to the programme and genuienly wanted to learn something. The leaders supported me throughout every step and the quiz at the end of the first day meant we could get to know everyone and relax a lot more!

I think the personal development sessions really helped me to evaluate my own strengths and to set practical and realisitc steps to improve upon my skill set such as my leadership and problem solving abilities. The mini lesson was also really valuable as I received personalised feedback from the Teach First recruiter who was really helpful in giving specific, and actionable feedback which I can use in the future to develop my teaching skills when I next teach a lesson.

I would say the mini lesson was definetly helpful in giving a taste of what teaching would be like and how to plan lessons succesfully. Also, the personal development sessions were great to see what the key attributes of a teacher are. However, I think it was difficult to see the real day to day life of a trainee as we were obviously teaching our lesson to our peers, rather than children who may pose more challenges. Having said that, this is obviously a really difficult thing to simulate especially with school closures. Also, hearing from the ambassadors and other individuals who had been through the programme was useful to see what they did day-to-day.

Hearing from different ambassadors and individuals who had gone through the Teach First programme was great to see what the company is like and how much support they give. Also, learning about the core Teach First mission of minimising the correlation between household income and academic attainment was really useful in getting to know the company better as it showed where their interests and focus is. Learning about the ethos of the company was really great as it meant I can evaluate whether I share these interests and whether the company is the right fit for m.

Hearing from individuals who have completed the programme and their experiences was really useful in seeing whether this is something that I would be interested in. The only thing that could be improved is maybe going through the benefits of taking the Masters course and what this gives you in terms of whether it increases your employability/ helps you develop certain skills as this was something I did not have time to ask in the ambassador Q&As.

The internship was virtual and so no expenses were incurred. It was also free which was really appreciated as it meant more people could access it.

Yes, there was a multitude of chances to network with like minded individuals as we were frequently in break out rooms, and these were varied so we were constantly meeting new people throughout the day. I had some really stimulating conversations with some people and have since continued these over the networking site Linked In. The Q&A sessions with Teach First recruiters and ambassadors was also really useful in gaining an insight into their particular experiences with the firm.

They were overall really useful and insightful and I liked how they got a varied array of individuals, who are at different stages of their teaching careers as this gave us an idea of what to expect at each stage. The only thing that could have been improved is to have a longer time in the Q&A break out sessions with the mentoring recruiters as we did not get to ask all of our questions which was a shame. However, we were able to contact these people afterwards which was really great.

We learnt about the summer projects programme which was really interesting to find out about as it showed us the variety of different opportunities that come with a teaching career and how easy it is to go in and out of teaching if we wish to do so at certain stages in our lives. We also found out about a lot of mentoring charities which were great and involved volunteering opportunities which was also useful to find out about.

Yes, I would definetly recommend this experience as it was really insightful and intersting to find out about the teaching profession and the multitude of opportunities it can give you both in terms of career choices as well as for personal development. I would recommend this to someone who wasnt even fully set on teaching as it was a very welcome environment and so you were allowed to make mistakes, which is reassuring when you do not know much about the profession as it means you can learn about it at your own pace.