My Experience of The Assessment Centre

When I received my invitation to attend the Assessment Centre in April, it included information about the presentation, group discussion and interview. This was useful as it helped me feel prepared for the tasks and more relaxed about the whole process.

After a long coach journey, I arrived at the LMS Offices in London. There was a room for us to wait in, this gave us an opportunity to get to know each other before starting. It was great to hear everyone’s stories about why they’re going into teaching.

There were five of us at the Assessment Centre and we were split into two groups. The other members of my group were nice, and it was great to be able to spend time with people with similar views and interests.

My group started by doing the presentations we had prepared prior to attending. We all had different topics, but they were all about explaining why it is important to learn about a specific area of maths, so it was great to hear what the other candidates had to say. Looking back now, there were many useful ideas presented that I can use in the classroom when I’m teaching to explain the importance of different areas of maths to my students. While the presentation was my least favourite part of the experience, it was good practise for presentations I will have to do in the future. Ironically, the thought of teaching a class of teenagers doesn’t scare me, but a five-minute presentation does!

The next stage of the assessment process was a lively group discussion about the difference between numeracy and maths. We all had different ideas about this and it was interesting to hear what the other candidates thought and what they had experienced in schools they had visited. The facilitator was fully involved in our discussion, helping us to think about different ideas. This section of the assessment came more naturally to me and I felt I was able to contribute some good points to the discussion. Overall this was my favourite part of the afternoon, I always enjoy debating different aspects of teaching and education.

Finally, we had our individual interviews. I was feeling a bit nervous about this part, but the interviewers were friendly, and they set me at ease. We were given some of the questions in advance, so I was able to prepare for those. At times, the interview felt more like a conversation than an interview.

After a rather intense, but enjoyable afternoon I got back on the coach to go home and wait for a decision. I only had to wait a few days and I’m glad I decided to apply as I’m now benefiting from the opportunities the scholarship offers.

Tanya Young

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