Teach First Taster Experience Review

I really enjoyed the virtual experience. I found it incredibly helpful and informative. There were numerous opportunities to find out more about the Teach First Graduate Programme, hearing first-hand experiences from ambassadors and people working in the recruitment process. There was a wide range of activities on the experience and it was really engaging and interactive. It was a very worthwhile experience and I developed my skills further and built the foundation for some new skills as well. Overall, it was a really enjoyable experience.

I felt very valued as an individual, if I had a problem there was always someone there to answer my questions and to reassure me that there were other ways to access the experience. It was a very personal experience as well, I did not feel that I was lost in the crowd. The hosts of the experience always engaged with everybody and interacted with individuals by name. Everyone was really friendly so it made the whole experience all that much better!

There was a lot of information given out about the experience prior to starting it. There was always someone on hand if you needed any help. The hosts always made sure that questions were answered and the information given was really clear. There was a great amount of time and effort put into the resources that we were given. The experience was well-planned and well thought out. There was clear and simple instructions given for group and individual tasks.

I developed numerous skills or competencies that Teach First look for in their graduate programme. However, it is not just limited to that. I will use these skills in my other voluntary roles at university and I will look into the other ways I can develop my skills further through their other opportunities and partner organisations. I now feel really well-informed about what skills I need to focus on and develop in the future. I also feel like I have the knowledge on how I could develop them further.

The experience was extremely well-organised, everything kept to time. The resources were easily accessible even if you experienced technical difficulties. It flowed logically and so we developed our skills gradually over the 2 day experience.

It was a really friendly and welcoming environment. Everyone was given a chance to speak and ask questions, everyone was respectful of different opinions. It didn't feel like any question was stupid or too much hassle to answer.

The range of professionals and volunteers that we heard from over the 2 day experience was phenomenal. I feel like I got given a real insight into the real life challenges and rewards of working for Teach First. We were also walked through the application process all the way through to completing the programme and beyond. We were well-informed about the companies and sectors that Teach First alumni work for. We were told about the things that we can expect to receive if we work for Teach First in the future (e.g. salary, location, etc.)

I learned a lot about the Teach First mission and what Teach First advocates for in terms of fighting educational inequality. Speaking to the ambassadors it seems like there is a lot of diversity within the company and it is inclusive of all personality types. The Teach First experiences gives you an insight into who works for the company, the reasons that people work there and their motivations for joining the programme. Speaking to the ambassadors gives you a sense that there is a strong sense of community, great peer support and support from your supervisors and the company itself.

I was already passionate about going into a career in education. I had never really considered going into teaching through Teach First before however. I had this idea that you're thrown into the deep end without any support or provisions, and though this is part of it, you are not completely abandoned! I will definitely look into Teach First more now that I have completed this experience because it seems really flexible and gives you great opportunities that other routes don't offer you.

I was reimbursed for costs of using mobile data due to internet connectivity problems.

There were numerous speakers from various backgrounds in the company, from recruitment to alumni. Following on from this experience as well, employees of the company will still keep in contact with us!

I met loads of new people from all over the country who I would never have had contact with otherwise. Being split into different groups gave us many opportunities to meet and speak with other participants in the experience. Also, because there is a group on social media it means that we can still keep in contact now after completing the experience. I spoke with loads of people with various backgrounds and reasons for joining the experience, so overall it was a really positive experience to hear from others about their journey to Teach First Taster.

Speaking to ambassadors from Teach First gave me an insight into the opportunities beyond the classroom. For example, before the experience I didn't realise that Teach First put on summer programmes for their trainees to develop different skills further. For instance, they run a workshop to develop leadership skills. I also didn't know that there was opportunities to complete a Master's qualification through the company at a reduced cost. I also learnt about the flexibility that there is within the Master's choices that you have.

I would definitely recommend this experience to any student who has been thinking about going into a career in education. I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't know what they want to do as a career in the future, they might surprise themselves by taking part! I'd recommend it to any student who wants to go into education via a different route as well (e.g. PGCE or school-centered) because it shows you the different opportunities you can get involved with now to gain experience and develop new skills.