3 Top Tips to Flourish as an ECT

Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of being a teacher. You’ve made a great choice and you are sure to have an exciting and fulfilling career ahead of you. But what about now? What tips can we share with you to flourish in your first year as an ECT?

We’ve been where you are. As Teachers ourselves, we have all experienced the journey of the first year of being an ECT / NQT. So we have combined our 50 years of teaching experience to help guide, inspire and nurture you as you join the next generation of Teachers.

Get involved (but not too much) as an ECT

In your first year, it’s likely that you will get asked to do lots of extra activities. With Christmas only a matter of weeks away, lots of school are already planning their Christmas concerts and activities. But this is just one of the exciting things you can get involved in. There’s plenty more. From sports days, PTA meetings and lots more it can be hard to fit everything in an already busy schedule. It’s easy to want to say yes to everything in your first year, but a word of caution. Whilst some activities will be compulsory as part of your role, not everything will be. Remember that it’s OK to say no if your schedule won’t allow the additional time. Teachers will understand this. Remember that they have been where you are and know the time pressures you can have in your first year of teaching.

You may find our blog 5 Tips to Manage Your Workload as a Teacher an interesting read.

Build relationships

You will know from your training that it’s important to build a strong mentor relationship. It’s important that you have someone to go to for help and advice. Someone who has experienced a similar situation before and knows how to get the best result. But forming bonds should go beyond this. Are there other ECTs at the school? Why not introduce yourself and support each other. It’s always good to share experiences and learn from others.

You are now the person in charge of teaching the children of parents from the local area. You are the person they will come to if they have any concerns or questions about your classes. Introducing yourself to parents and let them know your aims for the year will help to develop relationships. This forms a trust with parents, and you are likely to reap the rewards throughout the year.

You’re not just an ECT!

The first year as an ECT is a busy, yet highly rewarding one. You have an intrinsic motivation to do well and inspire the next generation. It’s an exciting time for you and it can be easy to let your work as an ECT takeover the other things in your life. Don’t forget about friends and family during this time. Continue to make time for them. It’s important to take time out from teaching outside of school, despite your drive and determination to be the very best teacher you can be.

Your class, your school, both need you to be at your best. And you can only do this if you are refreshed each day. Your energy is not infinite, it’s more like the battery on your phone. Would you leave the house with just 10% battery?

You may find our blog 5 Handy Tips From Teachers for Improved Mental Wellbeing of interest.

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