Volunteer Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the virtual experience because it was just as interactive as an in person internship would have been. I feel as though it gave me a great insight into what teaching would be like and has made my interest into becoming a teacher clear. I would like to add that the experience was well planned and executed perfectly to ale everyone feel comfortable with meeting new people and talking about things which they would like to see changed in school.

I felt extremely valued at the company, the members allows allowed for opinions and thoughts. I felt free to discuss issues which were very personal freely and didn’t feel as though I was judged. With my time at the firm, new ideas were supported and encouraged and that is something which made myself feel like a valued person. When we joined breakout rooms everyone was able to discuss opinions and everyone would listen and take on board what others said.

Personally I received a lot of support and guidance during this virtual experience. There was endless opportunities to ask questions and gain further information on tasks if I wasn’t too sure if I was doing it correctly. I really liked how they gave us lots of advice on the application process for further opportunities which I really appreciated. I received a lot of guidance on my mini lesson when I received my feedback discussing how I could improve on presenting information.

At university I study English Language and Linguistics and afterwards I would love to go into teaching. As a result I feel as though this virtual experience was a great opportunity to gain necessary skills for the future and for my degree. One skill I know I gained was confidence especially when presenting. Initially I was extremely nervous to present my mini lesson but as soon as we were talked through the process and how we could receive feedback I felt comfortable. The skill of confidence will be used when presenting in seminars at university.

The virtual experience was thoroughly structured and organised. There was always something happening and I didn’t feel bored at all. Ever since the first minute I logged on to the zoom call we were given a structured plan of what we were going to be doing for the next two days as well as that we received a handbook where we were able to make notes on the activities we were doing. The activities in the handbook matched perfectly with the structure of the two days which made it very easy to follow.

The general atmosphere was extremely positive and welcoming. No one on the call new each other previously so having the opportunity to meet new people from different backgrounds and universities was great. I especially enjoyed the atmosphere in the breakout rooms when we had to present the mini lesson. Everyone treated everyone with respect and made the overall experience less nerve racking. The positive feedback everyone in the group gave to everyone’s lesson make the atmosphere a great thing to be apart of.

As there was a lot of people who were attending the call it was quite difficult to have much personal training but when we were in our break our rooms we were able to discuss any questions we may have to one of the leaders. This enabled a more personal and one to one experience which was highly beneficial. I asked a lot questions about the firm and I feel as though all of my queries were answered regarding application questions.

I feel as though I now have a thorough understanding of what it would be like to work at the firm. Especially with the mini lesson I had to present, I know that if I had a role I would have to do something very similar where I would have time to prepare and present a mini lesson. By gaining that experience I know what it will be like to be put under pressure and deliver a presentation on something I have prepared.

I know the firm follows 8 principles and by knowing and understanding the principles I was able to understand what the company stands for. Developing a fairer education for all is extremely important and I feel as though the firm was able to successfully deliver their aim and Moto to every student on the call. From the virtual experience we had to rank which of the 8 principles were the most important and from that I discovered that I need a mix of all of them.

The content was extremely specific and really aimed to give everyone a reason to want to reach and benefit the life of someone else. The context was very valuable because I can now see the effect I will have on the people I will teach. At first I was a bit unsure if I did want to go down the teaching route but now I am driven to benefit the life of others through teaching.

I was not paid for this experience it was solely a kind of volunteer opportunity to gain valuable experience on what teach first is about and why I should apply. If I was to progress and get a contract with teach first then it would be a paid role but the for virtual experience I was not paid. I know that they hold lots of experiences which I will be apart of to gain lots of teaching experience.

Yes there was opportunities to meet other companies. In particular we had a live call on the last day to talk to people that worked for tutoring organisations who told us that they are looking for ambitious students like us to be able to give students the opportunities everyone else may not get. I really valued being able to meet with other companies as now I can gain valuable teaching experience for the future and gain experience for university.

At the beginning of the second day I was able to interact with many people on the virtual experience. I was able to meet people that attend the same uni as myself as well as meet new people from different universities. We were able to discuss why we wanted to go into teaching and how Our university course has given us the experience necessary. I particularly enjoyed the Christmas quiz where we were partnered with people from our own university.

I unfortunately didn’t receive any information about activities employees can get involved with outside of the work. I know that from a live call we were told about some opportunities teachers were given like attending ski trips but on the actual virtual experience we were not given any specific information regarding opportunities staff get. I would actually like to get more information about this if that is possible so I will be able to know a thorough understanding of the role.

I would 100% recommend this experience to a friend. Mainly because I enjoyed every activity that I took apart in even the mini presentation. I like how we had a day to prepare any topic of our choice and explain something that we are passionate about to group of people who didn’t know anything about it. If I was to do it again I would have taken on board all of the feedback given and perhaps given more time to explain certain topics.