VSO and Teach First

If you’ve completed the Teach First programme, you'll have firsthand experience of tackling disadvantage in the UK classroom.

Take that experience further with VSO, and help make sure that every child, no matter where they are born, can access a quality education.

We're keen to hear from Teach First Ambassadors who have stayed within education, or who have gained management experience within other sectors.

Interested in volunteering?

By sharing your skills for 1-2 years as a VSO volunteer, you’ll not only support local colleagues to help make education for all a reality.  You’ll also develop as a person and a professional.

Research from the University of Southampton highlights that volunteering has significant professional benefits to your career:

• 74% of volunteers said that the experience provided them with their first taste of management

• 50% of those returning to the education sector moved into more senior roles

Teach First Ambassadors

• Stayed in education?
  We need teachers with 5 years' classroom experience to train others and support improvements to education systems in countries from Malawi to Cambodia. We especially need primary teachers and teachers with management experience. Find out more and browse our education roles here.

• Entered another sector?
  If you've gained leadership and management experience within other professional fields since Teach First, explore our management roles here.

Teach First Participants

By taking part in the Teach First programme, you gain unique experience. For most of our 1-2 year education roles, you'll need to build on this valuable foundation with 2-3 more years in the classroom. This is so you'll be able to rise to the challenges of a VSO role, and feel confident training other teachers and local colleagues.

But there are other ways to get involved in the meantime:

• Youth Volunteering - VSO has two programmes for those aged 18-25

• Develop a Global School Partnership by linking your school with another school overseas

• Bring international development into your classroom

• Teachers' Got Talent - our schools fundraising challenge