Back to School Advice for NQTs

Back to School as an NQT is daunting and you are going to be feeling a lot like a Year 7 moving into Secondary School right now…Nerves of not knowing what happens when you walk through the doors, who you’ll make friends with or if anyone will ask you to sit with them and lunch and the fear of not knowing where your next class is and you’ll turn up late and everyone will look at you.

The only difference between them and you is that there’s a whole flock of them, whereas you are the minority. Scary as it seems though, much like the Year 7s who will come in on the first day of term, nervous giggles and tails between their legs, by Christmas you’ll be comfortable in your school, know where the quickest route to the next class and start to be sussing out who to trust and who your friends are.

To help prepare you for the reality of back to School, we’ve compiled a quick survival guide that will help you through the daunting first weeks as a teacher:

Don’t be afraid to ask for help:

You’re new here and everyone knows it. Of course you want to impress but pretending that you know every acronym and policy that is thrown at you is only going to leave you clueless. In these situations think of the advice you would give to a student: ‘Don’t be afraid to ask for help’ and when approaching your mentor — ‘They’re there to help’. The only way you’re going to learn and feel comfortable in your role is by asking for help.

You will make mistakes:

Yes, again, you’re new — mistakes are bound to happen, but when they do put your hands up, admit when wrong and learn from this. People will appreciate this a lot more than trying to pass the blame on to someone else — that’s a sure fire way to create hostility in the staff room.

Factor in free time:

You’re going to be extremely busy, stressed and quite possibly on the brink of tears for a lot of your first year. Teaching is stressful and you can’t say you didn’t realise that when you went into this job, and because of the nature of your work you must factor in some down time. Try and leave on time at least once during the week and have a night off on the weekend. A good way to help make this happen is to make plans with people, that way you will feel obliged to attend — it’s much easier to cancel on yourself than it is a friend!

Be careful when choosing friends:

As with any job, making new friends is important — having work friends means you can vent and let off steam about your job and they actually understand what you’re going through. But remember, cliques form everywhere and this is even more apparent when you’re in a school. Upon going into your new job, be friendly, but don’t be too quick to jump into a friendship circle — stay somewhat distant in the first month and observe the goings on. It will become apparent very soon who you want to be friends with and who to keep at arm’s length.

Don’t forget why you got into teaching:

When you’re up at 2am frantically marking, figuring out lesson plans and preparing for Ofsted, keep in my mind the reason that you got into teaching in the first place. Have it on a post it note on your laptop screen or a note in your phone or purse. Remembering your passion for a subject and the want to inspire others. It may be hard to see the light when you’re literally losing hair and sleep from the stress, but remember, you are making a difference!