Participant Review

I extremely enjoyed my experience with Teach First and loved every moment. It was thoroughly engaging and very helpful in helping me think about my options for the future and gave me great knowledge of the teaching sector as a whole. The instructors were inspiring and motivating the entire way through and were always open to questions. It gave me great insight into the role that teachers play in children's lives and the experience helped me gain an understanding of what makes a great teacher.

I felt valued to a very high extent during my time on the Teach First taster experience. In each session, they gave everyone the opportunity to ask questions and let us all give our opinion whenever we liked. The instructors always addressed us by our names and made everyone feel welcome and included. I got the chance to speak a lot and gave feedback to others. Overall, I felt very valued during the whole experience.

I received amazing guidance throughout the entirety of the experience. I always knew what to do and was never left feeling lost or unsure about was required of me. There was always someone there to give support if I had any questions and all my peers on the experience were also very supportive. If there were any problems with the work or the zoom technology there was always someone on hand to help. In general, I felt guided and supported throughout.

The skills I developed will certainly help me in my university studies, particularly because I want to take part in my university's 'academic peer mentoring' scheme. During the taster, I received feedback on a mini-lesson that I ran, so this greatly helped me understand how I can improve as a teacher or tutor. Moreover, the knowledge I learned about disadvantaged children in the education system impacted me greatly - so maybe one day I will be able to help lessen educational inequality.

The Teach First taster experience was extremely well structured throughout the two days. We were given and a timetable before we began and we stayed on schedule throughout the experience. I especially liked how they gave everyone 45 minutes for lunch and also gave us many mini-breaks throughout the day. This meant I was able to stay fully engaged throughout. The timing of each session was also very well done, as no one of the sessions dragged on too long.

The general atmosphere was very fun and friendly during the entirety of my virtual experience. All my peers were friendly and the leaders made us all feel welcomed. This relaxed atmosphere was made better through the use of 'icebreaker' activities, which helped everyone settle in and get to know each other better. We also took part in a fun quiz at the end of the first day which helped us get to know each other better and made for a great atmosphere!

The firm was greatly invested in me as an individual. They allowed me to plan and then run my own mini-lesson and I was given extensive personalised feedback by a teaching expert. The firm addressed me personally and always by name - no one was treated as a number, rather we were all made to feel like important individuals. Overall, I felt that the company (Teach First) heavily invested in me as an individual, which was great.

The virtual experience gave me a great insight into what it would be like to have a full-time role with Teach First. They did this via talks on opportunities to volunteer and how to apply for their training scheme. Also, they got a lot of ambassadors in to talk about their experiences working for Teach First, which was very informative. When talking about their experiences, the ambassadors were very authentic, since they talked about the good and bad parts of their time with Teach First.

The virtual experience gave me a great understanding of Teach First's company culture. I learned about the company mission, which not only to give kids a great education but also to fight back against education inequality within the UK. The experience demonstrated the companies' passion for helping disadvantaged children get a leg up in the education system and gave me a good idea of the company culture. In short, I felt that I now have a clear idea of Teach First's company culture and company mission.

The content was very valuable regarding helping me decide my future career path. By completing the experience, I gained a very clear idea of what a career in the teaching industry would look like. I learned what competencies and skills a successful teacher would need and how to progress within the education system. Overall, I left with a good understanding of what a career in teaching would look like and I feel encouraged to take up this future challenge.

There was lots of opportunity for networking at this event. The experience had a Facebook group and we were encouraged to connect with the instructors and our peers on Linked In. The entire experience felt very social since there were ample opportunities to talk, debate and discuss with our peers. There was also a quiz at the end of day one, which was a great opportunity to network in a more relaxed environment. Altogether, there was plenty of social / networking opportunities.

I would certainly recommend this experience to a friend or anyone interested in teaching. It has provided me with loads of valuable knowledge in a short space of time. It has allowed me to meet new people and gain new skills. It has given me an opportunity for self-reflection and feedback from my peers. Most importantly, it has given me a taste of what real teaching is like and I now feel more confident when teaching others.