Sangeeta Siva
Studied: Electronic and Broadcast Engineering at Brighton University
Joined: 2003
Taught: Maths at Loxford School of Science and Technology, London
Teach First Summer Project: at Capital One
Now: Associate at Deloitte
I liked the time-limited nature of the programme – it didn’t seem like such a massive commitment to make. I was also impressed by the list of sponsors and the business networking and internship opportunities – I went on to do an internship at Capital One which was very useful in refining my career thinking.
The initial training was great fun. You make a lot of friends and you become very close because you know that you’re all in it together.
On my first day, my first lesson was to a group of year-7 kids and I spent most of it thinking, “when are they going to notice that I’m not a real teacher?” The next period was to a year-11 group and that was a real shock – they were a lot more confident than I was.
There have been times when I have designed a game or something to engage their attention and the response has been wicked. When you see the kids really getting into it, especially those that have been struggling, when you see it click, it’s an amazing feeling. It’s also very tangible. My kids were completely overwhelmed by their achievements in their SATs.
After Teach First I joined Deloitte. The partner who interviewed me was fascinated by Teach First and convinced that my experience was transferable. The core competencies of a management career are things that we address every day as teachers. So, for example, when I was asked for evidence of organisational skills I could talk about lesson plans incorporating all the varying levels of ability within your class. If they wanted to know about communication skills I talked about dealing with a variety of people from students to staff and parents. And when it comes to motivating, then almost everything you do as a teacher is about influencing behaviour.
Looking back I think I’m much more confident than I was before the programme and less fazed when things go wrong. In teaching, things are going wrong all the time and you have to learn to adjust and cope with a different set of circumstances. Now, when issues come up I’m much better at stepping back and reassessing what’s happening and how to deal with it. I also think I’m better at dealing with clients and much more comfortable with taking on responsibility.
I’m currently studying for the ACA exams and I think my Teach First experience has helped with this as well – I’m used to working and studying and I know I can handle it. Put it this way, I think I’m one of the few people in my group who is still enjoying a social life.
As a Teach First ambassador I have negotiated time off work to go back to my school and take some Deloitte staff with me. We’re developing a project that will help the students understand more about career opportunities in the City, probably revolving around some kind of business game.
I miss teaching a lot. I enjoyed working with children – they’re a lot of fun and you get such fantastic instant feedback on what you are doing. Adults in the professional world are much more guarded by comparison.
I think the thing that stays with me the most is the contacts I have made through Teach First – I still go back to my school to see the teachers and I have developed very strong friendships with the Teach First participants who were also at my school.
