Jack’s internship after college, called Teaching Practice in the teaching profession, was based at Kangemi High School. It proved more of an eye opener, a learning experience and a baptism by fire, than an on- the- job training version characteristic of other careers.
To be taught to teach, one undergoes not less than three years of instruction at a teacher’s training college or university. As well as a one term teaching internship that is fully assessed by the Professor and a grade is given. The internship forms part of the final transcript before one makes it to the coveted Dean’s List. For Jack, it was a taste of the actual, a brush with reality, a practical interaction, and an opportunity to come of age. His work had been cut out for him just like most internships, where one is assigned duties and responsibilities to undertake by the immediate boss. He was allocated a station in Kangemi, which is located in the outskirts of Nairobi city.
On his first day, he had to have prepared his Schemes of Work and Lesson Plans. The latter a one lesson period extraction from the former and a wider whole term schedule; of the lessons spread over the three month period. The lessons had the specific date, topic and subtopics, objective, methodology, instructional materials, references and remarks. His inaugural lesson was in Form One West. He quickly realized it was a well organized class of 40 students, well equipped with instructional materials like chalkboard, the duster, pens, chalk, printer, etc.His lesson for the day was to be on summary writing, based on a simple passage on ‘Preparation of Ugali’.Each student was issued with a sample passage to work with; and later he indulged the class, on the different ways they would have answered the question.
An internship is very important when it comes to your career growth and also goes on your CV as professional experience. The hope of gaining an advantage for future employment has increased both the number and quality of internship applications. That said, when applying for an internship ensure your CV brings out the best about you, further ,if you need help writing a winning CV contact an accredited recruitment firm. Once you get an internship, you should use the opportunity to learn as much as you can about that career and industry. Your internship company could be your future employer, just like it happened for Jack after he completed his teaching practice and Education Degree Course.
5 lessons Jack learnt from his internship that helped him to get his dream job:
It helps to superbly know your area.Understand the subject matter by reading and researching into the topic you are going to teach on, then prepare questions to help the students understand it well.
It is important to understand well the duties assigned to you by your boss, so as to increase your learning and productivity. Go an extra mile and research on the new trends in your area and share them with your boss, then discuss on how to adopt them. Knowledge is power. This in turn shows you are a serious, hardworking and focused person thus increasing your chances of being considered for a job.
It helps to be a decent communicator.Since teaching involves instruction, explaining things is core, and explaining them well helps learners grasp the message easily.
Communication skills are key in any type of internship; therefore, keep on improving them through registering for short courses on public speaking, presentation, report writing, etc.Start investing in your professional growth from a young age and it will surely pay off highly in the long run! A good communicator can easily express themselves in a job interview, in meetings and workshops.
One needs to prepare oneself in advance.Have a well thought out plan; prepare the lesson notes, the props, teaching aids and the various materials that would enhance the process of learning. This in turn helps you to gain confidence as you handle and teach the students.
A well laid out plan on the core duties for the day, listed inorder of priority helps one to be organized and focused on what is most important for the Organization.
One needs plenty of patience.A ready steady presence on internship, as situations may arise that may be unsettling in a new environment.
Patience is an invaluable virtue that is necessary whether you are doing an internship or in employment. So, the earlier you develop it the better for you!
Establish good relationship with other teachers, the students and network.I related well with other students on teaching practice, the teachers and the students. As a result we could share ideas on how to help students excel; in turn improving the overall school’s performance. Am sure the good rapport I established with the other teachers is what led to a job offer 6 months down the line once I graduated.
An internship turning into a job is one of the best and rewarding outcomes of an internship. Not every, but many internships have the possibility of developing into full-time employment. The closer you are towards graduating, the more chances it is that an internship can develop into a full-time job.
According to Jack, the teaching internship, especially teaching English language at high school, is a high stakes game and this is not in doubt. In the end, it’s a metamorphosis worth every dime invested to attain.
In Kenya, the importance of an internship experience cannot be overstated. Today, employers favor prospective employees who have done not only one internship but multiple internships.Therefore, take your internship seriously once you get one .Register to various career sites so as to get updates on internships in your area of study. The saying, “Practice makes perfect,” is directly relevant to the internship or job experience. If you have successfully carried out an internship you have all of the necessary skills to do the same for employment.
