In the 2nd year of BSc Education course, there is a module which required you to complete a placement in an educational-related place. One of the most valuable experiences you can gain during your journey in education is a placement or internship in a real setting. In this blog, I will discuss the compelling reasons why you should consider doing a placement as an undergraduate education student.

First of all, I want to mention my personal experience on a placement. Since I was interested in becoming a language teacher, I did a placement at a language society where I taught Japanese to the students online and in person. I taught two one-hour weekly classes for two semesters. The most challenging part of this training was creating teaching materials. I had never created teaching materials before, and it was complicating to make a PowerPoint presentation from scratch. As each class was 60 minutes long, I needed about 30 sheets of teaching materials, which was a lot of work. To meet each student’s needs and reconcile conflicting opinions, I frequently reflected on the day’s lesson after class and asked for feedback. It was difficult to reconcile conflicting views, but I used the feedback to make gradual improvements. The words of appreciation from each participant kept me motivated and improved my teaching skills with each lesson. Ultimately, I can now produce teaching materials in a shorter time period. However, being unable to meet the needs of every individual sometimes caused me stress. At that time, I talked to a senior member of society, who told me that the best thing to do is to enjoy teaching rather than trying to do everything perfectly. Here, I realized that feedback is essential but that I should also value my teaching methods. As a result, this placement enriched my teaching skills and gave me an opportunity to think about my career in more detail.

From this experience, three points can be raised as to why practical training should be undertaken.

Focus on future career

Teaching is a demanding profession that requires passion, perseverance and resilience. Practical training allows you to test whether a career in education is right for you. It is also an opportunity to discover if you really enjoy it.

Strengthen the CV

When applying for a teaching position, your CV is a powerful weapon. It demonstrates your commitment to the field, your willingness to gain hands-on experience and your readiness to undertake the responsibilities of a teacher.

Gain insight into diverse learning needs

Every student is unique and you will be exposed to a variety of learners with different needs, abilities and backgrounds in your placement. This experience will help you develop an understanding of diversity in education and help you develop teaching strategies that will meet the needs of all students in the future.

In education, experiences shape teachers. Practical training as an undergraduate education student brings many benefits, including real-world experience, skills development, networking and self-reflection. It is an opportunity to bridge the gap between theory and practice, preparing you to become a more effective and adaptable educator.

Written by Akiko, current BSc Education student at The University of Manchester

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