Social Perception

How might the characteristics of the perceiver, the target and the situation affect the social perceptions that employers like Deloitte likely have regarding participants in the Teach First program?
Answer

Being competent is one of the main characteristics of the perceiver that may affect the perception that employers like Deloitte may have when considering their participants for their Teach First Program. Since Teach first program recruits candidate by identifying top students i.e 3% from the graduating class as given in the case study here, the identification of these so called ‘talented’ students needs to be well established. If the perception is solely based on the grades they score in examination , that more often than not , Deloitte may lose out identifying the right candidates.

To be competent candidate, characteristics such as thoughts , beliefs , emotions , intentions, desires need to be identified. As there is no clear indication that the talent identification on the teach first program are based on these assessment, to depend on their grades alone will not guarantee the success of the Teach First Program.

The objective of Deloitte is to recruit the best and the brightest. Thereafter they also face challenges to retain the talented ones. Deloitte is sponsoring Teach First recruits to begin teacher training after graduation. They will teach at schools for the next two years before joining Deloitte’s graduate recruitment program. The company is funding the cost of leadership training and supporting eight Teach First recruits throughout the two-year teaching programme as well as offering three-week internships with Deloitte over the summer break. people with good solid personal characteristics, especially resilience, empathy, humility and respect.

Humility is a huge part of the process. You need to have emotional empathy and understanding in order to make an impact.

Teach First participants attend the Summer Institute, a six week residential programme where participants gain their Initial Teacher Training. Participants spend half the time in the region they will be teaching in and half the time as part of a national cohort on campus at the University of Warwick.

Participants teach in a school facing challenging circumstances throughout their time on the Leadership Development Programme. They are supported by Teach First, their partner universities and school mentors, in training to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), as part of a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).

Professional and subject tutors from regional universities work alongside mentors in schools to ensure participants meet the qualification standards during the first year. Teach First Leadership Development Officers, all of whom are qualified teachers, provide an additional layer of support which continues into their second year.

In addition to their work in the classroom, participants also undertake other components of the Leadership Development Programme, which is delivered by Teach First and university assessed. The programme is broken down into three strands and equips participants with expertise in ‘Leading Learning’, ‘Leading People’ and ‘Leading Organisations’.