ECT
ECT Survival Guide: How to Get Through the First Year
Induction is demanding. This guide prioritises what protects your energy and your progress — without pretending you can do everything perfectly.
Know what you are owed
ECTs should receive structured induction support, including mentor time and a reduced timetable compared with a standard teaching load. If your reality does not match what your school describes, document it calmly and raise it early — first with your mentor, then induction tutor or appropriate leader.
Workload triage
- Reuse lesson structures across classes.
- Mark what changes the next lesson, not everything.
- Batch emails and photocopying.
- Say no to optional extras until Christmas if you need to.
Make mentor meetings useful
Arrive with one focus: a class, a routine, or an upcoming observation. Ask for models, not just feedback. Leave with one action, not twelve.
Observations without panic
Observers usually want to see clear instructions, pupil thinking, and that you notice behaviour. Teach a lesson you have taught before. Do not debut a brand-new sequence for an observation.
- Entry routine locked in
- Resources printed the night before
- One behaviour focus for the lesson
- A planned check for understanding
- A calm end-of-lesson exit
About the author
TeacherGuide Editorial
TeacherGuide publishes practical guides, buying advice and tools for UK teachers. We prioritise usefulness, independence and clear sourcing — especially on pay, pensions and statutory entitlements. Named contributor bylines will appear here only when real writers are credited.
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