My MOE TIP Experience Part 2

Hey guys,

Yes I know that this post is late but I was honestly contemplating when would be a good time to write this because the situation now is slightly complicated.

If you haven’t read part 1, I’ve linked it here for your reference.

Part 1 talks about the whole application process, but so much has happened since. That is why I decided that instead of editing that post, I’ll write a separate one to tell the story.

After Part 1, I received an email to tell me that I got into the programme. I didn’t think very much of it at first, since I was still busy with my A Levels, then my other internship. I got notified of the school I was posted to somewhere in December, but there were so many things going on then that I didn’t give it much thought. I just took each day as it came, and eventually, it was time for me to go for my training.

The night before my training, I was still going out with my friends so I really didn’t process what was going on. It was only that morning that it dawned on me that hey, I’ll be beginning a new journey, one that would very likely be very exciting. Yall know by now that I didn’t have the best time in JC, so I was super excited to get back into a secondary school environment.

So my TIP experience officially started at the Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST). There I met some of the most amazing people, my training mates were all super awesome and we are still in touch now. Quite a few of them are also working on the One Step Insta and Wix site with me.

During the training, we were taught various things, like how to plan a lesson, and how to manage a class. It was really interesting to see how much work goes behind each lesson, and that things were definitely not as easy as it looked.

But the highlight of the programme has to be the school experience. This is when we stepped into school as teaching interns, and taught the students actual lessons, as if we were teachers. The main difference between the programme and doing relief teaching is that being an intern means that you are allocated teachers to follow and to learn from. Yes, you do get to teach as well, but more importantly, you get to learn from current teachers, and they will give you feedback on how to improve. Being an intern also means that you get to take part in staff meetings, designing worksheets and that sort of things. There is a lot more guidance and exposure when you step back into school as an intern.

So my school experience lasted 9 weeks, and by the end of it, I had really gotten to know the students and really bonded with them. And this is where it gets complicated and hence my dilemma of whether to write and post this now.

By the end of the 9 weeks, I had grown so attached to the school that I really didn’t want to leave. So I started asking around to see whether I could extend my internship (no), or whether there was some way for me to stay. It turns out that the only way to do that was to get hired as a relief teacher, but that was not quite the way my school did things, so my chances were slim. I started to accept that I had to leave, and I began to say my goodbyes.

Somewhere in the March holidays though, the school contacted me to say that they were hiring relief teachers and asked if I was keen. I was, clearly, very keen as that was how I ended up going back to school.

In a way, it is kind of like my internship extended, but I’m slightly more on my own now, but me still being in school makes it feel like my TIP experience hasn’t ended, which is why I hesitated to post this.

Nevertheless, I’m back under a different scheme, so yes, my TIP experience has come to an end.

For those of you who are considering this programme, go for it. It is fulfilling in a way I cannot quite capture with words. If you have a passion to work with youths, go for it. TIP is an experience I’m quite sure you won’t regret.

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