I chose to study Maths and Economics at LSE mainly because Maths was my favourite subject at school and I was keen to get into trading. I felt that being in the centre of London and studying at a top university would provide me with the best platform to enter the investment banking industry.

Also the Careers Service at LSE provides excellent support in finding a job and career, and obviously being in London makes it easier to make contacts, attend interviews and obtain work experience.

I enjoyed my time at LSE and felt there was more of a community there, walking around Houghton Street and always bumping into people you knew, then there might be at a larger university.

Career path

After leaving LSE last year I started on the Teach First Graduate scheme, which involves teaching for two years in a challenging inner city school. At the same time you complete some leadership training which includes courses at Tanaka Business School in Finance, Strategy and Marketing as well as opportunities to attend networking and skills events and do an internship during your summer holidays.

The aim of the scheme is to help meet the shortage of teachers in disadvantaged schools and provide graduates with leadership skills which they can then transfer to their chosen career.

Straight after my final exams I completed six weeks of intensive training in Canterbury before starting in my school in September. During the summer holidays I did a three-week internship with HSBC and have just started back at my school for my second year.

While at LSE I wanted to become a trader and was hoping to get a place on one of the investment banks’ graduate schemes. However, I did a nine-week internship at the end of my second year which made me realise that I wanted to do something else before joining a bank. I never expected that I would be teaching Maths in a central London school, but I am really glad that I have done.

Teach First as it has given me the opportunity to have a ‘mini career’ in something totally different, and I have had some amazing experiences and developed skills which I believe will help me in my next career.

Current job

My main responsibility is to teach Maths to secondary school students with a wide range of abilities. Because of the type of school that Teach First recruits for, managing students’ behaviour is a large part of the job, which ranges from contacting parents to simply setting a good example.

I am also an academic mentor, which involves meeting with particular students one-to-one to help them stay motivated and develop their study skills. There are also a lot of meetings in which we develop ways to support the students and help improve the school’s academic record.

The job is very demanding, particularly in the first year when the students know that you are new to the school, but I found my school to be very supportive, and there are plenty of other Teach First Teachers who are going through the same thing that you can talk to. It does get easier though, and is very rewarding, for example when a low ability pupil finally grasps an idea they have been struggling with, or a pupil tells you that you are a great teacher!

You need a lot of patience and commitment to succeed but each day is different and it is never a dull job!

Future plans

I am hoping to use my Teach First experience to gain a place on a graduate scheme with an investment bank, with the aim of becoming a Fixed Income trader.

Tips for LSE students

Teach First is a good scheme to get on

if you’re not sure what you want to do yet, as you get exposure to lots of different sectors, or
if like me, you know what you want to do but don’t want to enter the field just yet.

In the latter case it might be worth checking if any companies in the sector you would like to enter support Teach First, or speaking to a recruiter in the sector to find out how doing the scheme will affect your chances of then getting a job.

The application form is similar to investment banking forms; you need to demonstrate you have the skills Teach First wants, so explore the website thoroughly and attend the career events to get a real feel for what they are looking for, as well as to make sure it’s something you really want to do.

At the assessment centre you have to teach a mini-lesson. You are not expected to know the theories behind lesson planning, but you should aim to show creativity and confidence and have an idea about why you picked the techniques you did. For example, your materials may have been visually engaging to capture the pupils’ attention.

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