Teacher Training via the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP)
Having reached the pinnacle of a career in marketing, redundancy came as a huge surprise and shock; however, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it was the push I needed to change from an ever demanding career to a far more rewarding one – teaching. Changing career at any age is never easy especially when you are expecting the birth of your first child. But I have done it and it’s been the best move I have ever made.
Having spent 9 months working in a school as a teaching assistant, I immediately felt a part of the school community; this was really important to me and it was something I really wanted to replicate in my training year. The GTP scheme was just the programme I was after.
This ‘on the job’ style of training is a fantastic way in which to prepare for a new career. I was instantly made to feel very welcome and, as a full-time member of staff, I got stuck into the school’s day-to-day life straight away. For me, the greatest advantage the GTP scheme offers you is the chance to become an active member of the teaching staff right from day one. For me, the best way to establish whether teaching was for me was to dive in at the deep end and work full time throughout the academic year.
During my training year at Suffolk’s largest middle school, I had a personal mentor throughout the course helping me to overcome anxieties, providing advice on different strategies to handle specific situations, setting of objectives and just being somebody to lean on during a tough year. The dynamics of the course allows you to tailor your training requirements around your own teaching experience which makes for a far more personal and individual style of training.
Whilst at my Placement School, I managed a whole staff training session on the launch of a new school email system. I had the chance of giving a presentation to 40 members of staff and then following it up with an after-school clinic to resolve any teething problems.
As you go through school life as a teacher, you suddenly remember how busy a school life is; I then became involved in the school production (very much behind the scenes!) but loved every minute of it – there was a real feel of everybody pulling together which is so refreshing. I was also involved in the school’s activity week where a group of 70 intrepid exploring children took off for fun and adventure at a North Norfolk activity centre.
So, the course is truly flexible; you can become as involved with school life as much or as little as you would like and I threw myself into most of what was going on. The GT programme is a unique and unrivalled way in which to learn your new profession; if you enjoy being involved, rolling your sleeves up and getting stuck in, then the GTP scheme is most definitely worth considering. Oh yes, you even get paid for it too!!