Consider teaching first

Are you looking for a challenge? Do you want to give something back? Do you want a job with direct responsibility from day one? Do you enjoy your subject? Do you want to develop business skills?

If you have said yes to any of these it is worth considering Teach First. Set up five years ago, the charity has already opened the eyes of thousands of children across the UK, released a policy document, been graded outstanding by Ofsted - the board of the schools inspectors - and substantially raised the attainment of children in complex urban schools in the UK.

Teach First is an independent charity launched in July 2002. Its mission is to address educational disadvantage by transforming exceptional graduates into effective and inspirational teachers and leaders in all fields. As an organisation, our aims are: to recruit over 350 additional teachers a year by recruiting, training and placing graduates for an initial two years in challenging secondary schools throughout London, the North West and the Midlands; to attract exceptional graduates from leading UK universities that would not otherwise choose to teach but, with the right training and support, relish the opportunity to make a difference to the life-chances of pupils in the most challenging schools; and to build a new generation of leaders committed to advancing education beyond their two-year commitment to Teach First, regardless of whether they remain in teaching.

On the other side of the coin, you will complete a bespoke leadership development programme at Tanaka School of Business and the Institute of Education at Imperial College. The leadership course is supported by more than 80 of the UK’s most prestigious employers all of which recognise and value the skills and experience developed in teaching. These organisations include; Capgemini, Capital One, Citigroup, Clifford Chance, HSBC, KPMG, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, Shell, Credit Suisse, First Boston, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, Goldman Sachs, and UBS. You are encouraged to take part in one of our fantastic internships in any sector after your first year. Not only will you explore that field but you will also learn about how other organisations are run and enjoy an experience to weave into your rich tapestry of life. Alongside those internships offered by our supporters you could work in any organisation from social enterprise to the Government, from banking to Teachers TV. There are also skills training sessions (such as ‘How to manage your manager!’ - Sometimes a crucial workshop if you want to get things done in a school) and chances to be paired up with a mentor, a professional from any sector. You will attend lectures in Marketing, Strategy and Finance to help with a role in school management or another career choice. Overall you will build towards your Teach First Diploma certificate.

Upon graduating from the programme, you will become an Ambassador of Teach First. This glorious title is not to make for a mere talking point, more to support you in the positive impacts that you can still make in education. Roughly half our ambassadors move out of teaching, to lead in other fields. You will have the opportunity to use the experiences and insights you have gained in teaching to inform future decision-making in a way that will positively impact education. Our 70 Edinburgh ambassadors have already paved their way at Unilever, the Council of Economic Advisors, Deloitte and other consultancy firms, to list just a few.

Already this year, 22 budding Edinburgh graduates will be starting on their Teach First journeys. Each of these individuals will have a different adventure interacting with hundreds of children, their families and their colleagues on a daily basis.

Teach First encourages graduates to recognise teaching as one of the few professions where they can really make a difference in society through improving the life chances of young people, while also developing transferable skills in a highly challenging environment.

Pedram Parasmand, a Physics graduate from Imperial College crystallises the experience: ‘When you know that you’ve got through to someone and helped them understand, it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.’

Professor Michael Worton, Vice-Provost, UCL comments: ‘At UCL, we set out to provide our students with an education for the challenges of global citizenship: to encourage them to develop academically, but also personally and socially. Teaching is an ideal career for our graduates: a chance to work directly with young people, to contribute to their development, and to channel academic knowledge into a tool which encourages others to be ambitious for themselves and to achieve their full potential.’

Jo Owen, a former partner with Accenture and Capgemini explains: ‘Future leaders learn early on the tough skills of managing people, leadership, initiative and entrepreneurialism. Teach First helps graduates gain these skills – skills for a lifetime that lead to the top.’