Teach First Society is the only society at Royal Holloway which offers support to students interested in a career in education. We work closely with the recognised Teach First Charity to reinforce their ethos that “Every child deserves a good education despite their socio-economic background”. Combining these two things, our society offers a social hub with many opportunities for aspiring teachers.

Last year, we provided our members with the opportunity to volunteer with GCSE age students at a local school through a collaboration with TutorFair, a branch of the TeachFirst charity. This year, we are continuing our partnership with the globally recognised charity which offers an in depth, professional and extremely valuable experience. This volunteering opportunity offers all our members the chance to volunteer on a programme aiming to bring tuition to the pupils which Teach First target in their support. Students will be given training, DBS checks, vital references for their CVs and all the necessary equipment and support they might need.

We have also held several fundraisers throughout the last academic year, as well as informative talks open to all students, such as our popular debate, The Future of Education. Alongside this, last year we launched our new scheme of informative lectures by professionals with a career in education which we established with the hope that it would put our members at an advantage in interviews and writing job applications. Having seen the benefits from this programme and recieving positive feedback from those who attended these workshops, this is something we will aim to continue in this coming year.

We have close working relationships with the Teach First Charity but also the Careers Service, Community Action as well as many societies on campus. This means that our members can utilise these contacts to their advantage whether they need CV workshops, more experience of working with children or help on their Teach First application, we can put you in touch!

So: whether you want to get school-based experience, participate in fundraisers for a globally recognised charity, or just gain an insight into the various aspects of teaching and education – we are the society for you!

Membership Fee and Expenses

£7           Society membership fee

Subsidised and/or free entry to our Teach First Society events.

Events and Socials

As a fairly new society, we have much more freedom in choosing our events and socials and so we are open to any ideas. This year, our members will be able to:

• Volunteer and gain valuable work experience, training and references through the Teach First Charity partner TutorFair. Subject to demand and availability

• Gain free entry to our lectures given by teachers and professionals in the field about various aspects of teaching and education such as child learning techniques, the importance of eSafety and behavioural management in school

• Initiate, support and take part in fundraising such as educational debates, our Bake-off Bake Sale, fun runs, pub quizzes and pizza nights.

• Be part of a social community of aspiring teachers from all academic areas who are able to support one another and come along to our society meals.

Our Partnerships

As a society representing a global organisation, we are very proud of the work that the wider charity does and we hope that our members have an insight into the sort of aims and values TeachFirst have. We also hope that with the knowledge of this work, our members will continue to support this charity and their aims not only during their time at university but also after they leave, with our society acting as a stepping stone to either continue their collaboration with TeachFirst after they leave or other educational pursuits.

For further information on the organisations we represent please go to their webpages:

www.teachfirst.org.uk

www.tutorfair.com