Teach First Taster Programme Review

Day 1: - Session on the Teach First mission and values. - A session on personal development - A debate on whether it is right for pupils to be put into sets. - An introduction to teaching skills based on their main training programme. - Time to plan individually for a 6 minute teaching episode to be given on day 2. - Gained insight into the Training Programme and heard from a panel of Teach First ambassadors. Day 2: - Personal development session on LinkedIn and personal branding. - A session on diversifying the curriculcum, with a group activity where we were able to work on a plan to diversify an aspect of a subject and feedback to the rest of the group. - Time to watch and teach our 6 minute teaching episodes and receive feedback from a recruiter/talent officer.

Communication Skills - Many of the activities involved communicating with peers or somebody from Teach First (e.g. the teaching episodes). This provided me with an opportunity to enhance my communication skills which are vital to teaching. Teaching Skills - The session introducing us to teaching skills (such as using a strong voice, and working the clock) provided a useful insight into what skills I would need. We also had an opportunity to practice these skills. Networking Skills - Through the LinkedIn personal development session we were taught how to use our LinkedIn profiles effectively. This allowed me to refine my networking skills and ensure my profile is up to the right standard to attract a recruiter in the future.

It was incredibly useful to learn about the Teach First Training Programme since it is one of the routes into teaching which I am considering. Furthermore, througout the two days we were introduced to people working within Teach First such as recruiters. Likewise, we were also told about the role of Brand Managers and how that is something we can get involved in on our university campuses if we so choose.

There is a clear, strong emphasis on personal development at Teach First. Whilst we had three sessions on personal development as part of the programme, the recruiters also frequently reflected on their own experiences of personal development (as this clearly forms part of their internal staff training too). There was a friendly atmosphere between staff which made for a nice environment during the two days that I was within their office.

Incredibly so! I was able to learn lots about Teach First and teaching which was vital for me because I intend to teach after my degree. Furthermore, I was able to learn about inequalities within education, and the difference that I can make as a teacher, which I found further strengthened my passion to want to go into teaching.

Yes

If you are considering applying to the Teach First Taster Programme... do it! The two days are invaluable in terms of the things that you can learn. The 6 minute teaching episode forms part of almost every teacher training application (regardless of provider) and so the opportunity to practice it in front of an expert and receive feedback will be invaluable whether you are certain that you want to apply to Teach First, or not.