Course member Review

I was pleasantly surprised how engaging the online course has been made. I wasn't expecting it to be as interactive as it was, and certainly wasn't 'death by PowerPoint'!. The use of breakout rooms meant that we had a chance to discuss our ideas in small groups, as well as get to know one another (as much as is possible online!). On the whole, a pleasant surprise and I'm pleased that I attended the course.

All of the staff were very supportive and were more than happy to answer any questions any members of the group had. Nothing was too much trouble and staff replied promptly to any emails, queries or concerns. Many of the staff have also either taught or participated in the Teach First programme which made for a great insight into the teaching career route. I did feel in the assessments to be a little unnatural. Answers were timed on a clock and when it finished you would be interrupted and told to stop, with a wave in the camera five seconds before. I think this can come across as if my answer was just filling their time. It's very clearly an organisation initiative they are told to use as they did it at the interview too, not just one or two individuals.

I was pleased with the amount of guidance and support I got during the whole course. The pre course learning was meaningful and provided for a good introduction to what else would be covered in the course itself. During the course, as mentioned, staff were always just a message away to guide or support you with any queries etc. On the second day, you had a chance to practice for the assessment and get feedback from a Teach First staff member- they took time to give you feedback which could be acted upon, which was positive.

Even if I am not offered a place on the programme, I would like to hope that should I choose to progress into teaching, I have picked up a few good skills as well as understand more the issues the British education system faces in terms of the attainment gap. It also presented a great graduate opportunity for me once I have finished my STEM degree. Being able to get an insight into how I can use my degree is something very important to most. They do speak to you as if you've chosen to go into teaching though!

On the whole, the structure was absolutely fine. Timetables were included for each day and usually, sessions were kept to time. There was also plenty of breaks to get away from the screen and it was always very clear about where we were, and where we were going throughout the day. The course also seemed to follow a sensible order, with lighter content towards the end of the day and the heavier sessions at the beginning.

The atmosphere, on the whole, was supportive and the staff gave off the approachable impression. Sometimes it would have been nice for a lighter atmosphere although I could see the programme was packed and there was a lot to get through. There was also a requirement for cameras to be on at all times during the sessions which did make the whole course much more interactive and I think this was a good idea.

I found out about Teach First from previously watching the documentary, but more recently at my university careers fair. Having expressed my interest, my local recruiter was always very keenly emailing me to help me with preparation for my interview etc. Teach First are very big on "how have you improved/ developed" and with that in mind, there is a huge focus on meaningful feedback being given, which is appreciated and helps you make genuine improvements. They also love self-reflection, and whilst initially, it's hard to do, eventually, it comes naturally. So in essence, they do spend time and effort on you, but also empower you to invest in yourself.

I think its almost impossible to understand what a full-time role would be like based on a three-day online course over Zoom. I don't think they tried to do this either, in the sense that it's just simply not possible. instead, they focussed on areas which could be as well-replicated such as their teaching techniques and continuous improvement methods. So whilst the course gave a great perspective into the teaching profession broadly, no, I'm not entirely sure of the ins and outs of being on the Teach First programme.

I have mentioned this in my previous answers but there is a big culture on self-reflection, feedbacks and evaluations which they view as core to being the success of a teacher. They are also proudly a charity tackling educational inequality, and they keep true to this by providing greater insight into this issue in the British education system. The course had me leave with the impression of the culture being that of supportive and positive.

I was surprised by how much insight this online course did give me to help me in making my choice for me when I graduate. It would have been great to have heard more about the Teach First programme itself, this wasn't covered in a huge amount of detail during the course. However, many of the staff have done the programme themselves and they provided some great insight. In one session, there was a Q&A panel including current and former trainees- very helpful.

I was not paid and I don't think that I would expect to be paid? It was more for my benefit rather than theirs so I doubt I would be paid for any such like course. Expenses aren't really applicable for an online course, so now I have to try and make these seventy-five words so that I can get an amazon voucher. There really isn't much else I can say as its not overly relevant to an online course.

There was a few but there could be more. Very little time to network with others during the course, although they did seem to encourage it through a quiz in the evening and a debate. But its difficult when its online and I appreciate that, time was definitely of the essence and there wasn't much time to be able to network or meet other candidates on the course for meeting and networking. Would be better face to face.

I found the net working and social event opportunities provided by the education charity Teach First to be both fun to do, but also relevant to the online educational experience. For example, there was a group debate on a STEM education issue which was both interesting and engaging to participate in, but also very relevant to the teaching career path that all of us have either decided or are considering to take once we graduate.

There seemed to be a good focus on other things people can do to get involved outside of simply participating in the Teach First STEM online teaching course. For example, volunteer opportunities were provided with organisations outside of teach first for us to consider as another way we can both build or CV but also help in reducing the issue of educational inequality for children in the British education system. There was also even some perspective of non teaching roles which can be available after completing the programme.