One of our trainees from last year, Ms Hawkins, now in her ECT year teaching Maths, was keen to put her experiences into words.

"I think it is safe to say that when I began my initial teacher training year, I was somewhat apprehensive, anxious and naïve. As a career changer, the decision to begin on this journey was huge and I felt the pressure that came alongside it. From the moment I stepped foot into MEITT on the induction day, my worries were eased.

"Firstly, every single member of the MEITT team is amazing. Their support for trainees is incredible and if I ever had any doubts, concerns or even problems outside of the course they were there to help me through it in whatever way they could. This then naturally provides a brilliant atmosphere to train in with the rest of my cohort, where we could be open to explore and exchange thoughts and ideas in a positive and constructive environment.

"The course itself is incredibly thorough, well-rounded and well-sequenced. It includes a mixture of internal and external speakers, intensive practise courses, educational visits and subject expert training. Each aspect has provided me with the confidence I needed to stand in front of a class and explore and develop my own teaching style, and subsequently question and critique my own practice alongside valuable feedback from mentors and tutors. Furthermore, MEITT provided opportunities to discover and explore different career routes in teaching, supported our own personal development towards individual career goals, encouraged enrichment visits to experience other schools and provided support and coaching when applying for positions.

"As a consequence of my training with MEITT, I am excited to begin my ECT years and not only do I feel incredibly well prepared for this, but also for my future career in teaching."