A chance to explore a new career with Summer Projects
After a career in the classroom and working in government, I discovered a new career path through Teach First’s Summer Projects with BCG.
I began my career teaching in Birmingham. It was eye-opening to see how many children don’t receive a good education and how damaging that can be to their life chances. That realisation has stayed with me.
Teach First gave me a strong grounding in public service. Working on the front line – interacting with pupils, parents, and the wider community daily – shaped my perspective. It’s something that you don’t always get in policy roles, where you can feel removed from the issues you’re trying to address… working in a different sector, I'm still motivated to address social injustice in education – even if it's not in the classroom.
After leaving teaching, I worked in government for three years. In the Civil Service, l worked on policy advice and project management. I contributed to housing reform, offshore wind consenting reform, and international climate change projects. I even helped organise logistics for the UK delegations to COP28 and COP29, which was an incredible experience.
Exploring a career change
Through the Teach First ambassador network, I found that BCG was advertising Summer Projects specifically for Teach First trainees and ambassadors.
Summer Projects is a perfect way to explore a new career.
At BCG the work spans various industries, from energy and healthcare to consumer goods and public sector. Projects range from solving strategy problems – like increasing profits, reducing costs, or restructuring organisations – to tackling big issues like climate sustainability, which is a big draw for me.
Summer Projects is a perfect way to explore a new career, gain some valuable skills, and see if it was the right fit. During those four weeks, I developed practical skills like advanced Excel and data analysis, which were useful when I returned to the Civil Service.
Part of the team from day one
The project I joined was a consulting case with a private-sector healthcare client. I joined the case team as if I were a consultant. That was really empowering.
My main task was to build an Excel model analysing the costs of producing a specific type of medicine. As a former maths teacher, I enjoy working with numbers and found the project fascinating. I learned so much about how to use software like Excel and PowerPoint that would have been incredibly beneficial for other civil servants.
Inspiring people
The experience taught me problem-solving at a higher level – starting with a big-picture view, hypothesising solutions, testing them quickly and narrowing in on the best one.
One of the best parts of the project was the community at BCG. The firm has built a network of Teach First ambassadors. There are lots of inspiring people with diverse backgrounds who were switched on, driven.
That summer project ultimately led to my current role as a consultant in strategy consulting.
These connections strengthen the wider mission and open up opportunities for collaboration.
Gaining transferable skills
I highly recommend Summer Projects for two reasons. First, they provide transferable skills – like data analysis, PowerPoint design, and problem solving – that are useful whether you stay in the classroom or move to another career.
Second, they’re a fantastic way to explore new career paths. You might work at a place like BCG for a few years then bring those skills back to education, or the Civil Service or an education think tank.
For Teach First, having alumni in organisations like Deloitte, BCG or the Civil Service is an asset. These connections strengthen the wider mission and open up opportunities for collaboration.
Interested in taking part in Summer Projects?
Applications close on 31 March.