Student insight Review

It was extremely insightful into the mission and the values of Teach First and I really do feel as though I managed to develop some of their key competencies within the short period. The experience was enjoyable from start to finish and I think everything was thought out incredibly well, from the timetabling of sessions to the social event in the evening! The chance to network and interact with peers was also helpful as I got to hear so many different views across the two days which assisted me in developing and critiquing my own points.

There wasn't a single moment where I didn't feel like I couldn't ask for support or ask a question even in a main room of sixty participants. [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] ensured during the social we were interacting with people from our own universities which was lovely and helped me to meet some new people in my area. We also interacted with a number of other people but this stood out to me as being extremely considerate!

The support was phenomenal, even in the run up to the event I had the opportunity to attend virtual webinars run by Teach First ambassadors and a welcome webinar to ensure I knew how to use Zoom and felt comfortable with the technology. Resources for the experience were received in plenty of time and they continued to be signposted throughout, I never felt lost or out of my depth. Verbal support was also outstanding, everyone who led a session was extremely motivational and made themselves available to answer questions even when we were working individually.

Interaction was a key skill that I felt I developed throughout the experience, this is going to be such an important skill in all walks of life as communicating with other people is something I will always have to do. The information and guidance relating to teaching specifically is also extremely useful beyond just applying to teach, this will help me at university when I engage in presentations and when I participate in societies that require me to take on a role of leadership.

Incredibly well, this has definitely been thought out carefully and zoom fatigue had been taken into account. The sessions requiring the most individual work were often placed mid morning and early afternoon, broken up by a lunch break, whilst question and answer sessions were towards the end of the day allowing us to take a bit of a break from doing so much active work (although I still actively listened and asked questions throughout). There were regular breaks between each session which helped to differentiate between the activities.

The atmosphere was extremely positive, there wasn't any point where I felt uncomfortable or unable to share my points. All my peers were extremely supportive in helping each other to develop their points and all leaders from Teach First and their partner companies were more than happy to answer any and all questions. Everyone was really supportive of each other, particularly during our mini lessons where we all took on the roles of pupils, which made the whole experience more enjoyable.

Teach First gave us so many opportunities to delve more into the values of the company, which are central to the experience. The chance to hear from a number of ambassadors was the most helpful, we heard from those still in the program and others who had moved on. One thing I found so telling was the credit that everyone gave to Teach First for the skills they had developed and how these had positively impacted the career progress they had made. This is clearly a company which will continue to support you throughout life.

Hearing about the values really set in stone for me that educational inequality is something that I am passionate about challenging and I think the best way to start this is in the classroom where you can have a direct impact. Listening to the experiences of ambassadors also helped me to decide that teaching is definitely something I want to pursue further. I will be applying for the Teach First training programme as soon as possible.

On both days we had the opportunity to hear from employees of Teach First. The first day took us to a question and answer session in which we could grill ambassadors on their own experiences and find out about the doors that Teach First had opened for them. We also had the chance to hear from a number of Teach First partners, this was extremely helpful as it enabled me to appreciate the network which Teach First has and all the opportunities there are.

The social event was aptly themed for this time of year and helped me to further network with people from my own university. It was a nice way to unwind after the first day and gave an insight into the value Teach First placed on the social side of work, which was lovely to see!