Being a teacher trainee isn’t just about watching lessons and taking notes. It’s about stepping into a real classroom, making mistakes, learning from them, and slowly becoming the kind of teacher students remember. If you’re wondering what a teacher trainee actually does day to day, here’s the unfiltered version - no sugarcoating, no theory-heavy fluff.

Classroom Observation: The First Step

Most teacher trainees start by sitting in the back of a classroom, notebook in hand. You’re not there to judge the teacher - you’re there to learn how lessons flow, how students react, and how control is maintained without shouting. You’ll notice things no textbook mentions: how a teacher pauses after asking a question, how they rephrase an explanation when students look lost, or how they handle a student who suddenly bursts into tears. These moments matter more than any teaching theory.

In the UK, trainees typically observe for 2-3 weeks before they start teaching. During this time, they’re expected to take detailed notes on lesson structure, classroom management techniques, and student engagement strategies. Some trainees focus on behavior, others on questioning techniques. There’s no right way - but you have to be intentional.

Assisting, Not Just Watching

After observation, you don’t just jump into teaching. You start helping. That means marking books, setting up equipment, helping students who are stuck, or managing small group work. These tasks seem small, but they’re your first real connection to the class. You learn names. You notice who’s quiet but sharp, who’s disruptive but creative, who needs extra time to process instructions.

Many trainees think they’ll be handed a lesson plan on day one. Reality? You’re often given a lesson plan you didn’t write and told to deliver it. That’s when you realize how much work goes into planning one 45-minute lesson - the timing, the resources, the differentiation for different abilities, the backup activities if something flops.

Teaching Your First Lessons

When you finally teach your first lesson, it’s terrifying. You’ll forget a step. You’ll misjudge timing. You’ll say something confusing and realize halfway through that half the class is staring at you like you’ve switched languages. That’s normal. Every teacher trainee has been there.

Early lessons are usually short - 10 to 20 minutes - and focused on one skill: introducing a concept, leading a discussion, or practicing a routine. You’re not expected to be perfect. You’re expected to reflect. After each lesson, you’ll have a debrief with your mentor. They’ll ask: What worked? What didn’t? What would you change? There’s no shame in saying, “I had no idea how to handle that.”

Planning and Preparation: The Hidden Work

Most people think teaching is what happens in the classroom. The truth? The real work happens before and after. Teacher trainees spend hours each week planning lessons, sourcing materials, adapting resources for different learning levels, and creating assessments. You’ll spend weekends designing worksheets, searching for videos, or rewriting explanations because the textbook version didn’t make sense.

You’ll also start learning how to use school systems - the online register, the behavior tracking software, the digital library of lesson plans. These aren’t optional. If you can’t log attendance or send a quick message to parents through the school portal, you’re not fully part of the team.

Dealing With the Unexpected

Every trainee hits a moment where everything goes sideways. A student refuses to work. A fire drill interrupts your lesson. A parent walks in mid-class. A child has a panic attack. These aren’t rare - they’re routine.

Trainees learn quickly that teaching isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about staying calm, adapting, and knowing where to turn. Mentors don’t expect you to handle everything alone. They want you to recognize when to ask for help. That’s a sign of professionalism, not weakness.

Reflection and Feedback: The Core of Growth

Every trainee keeps a journal. Not a diary - a professional log. You write down what happened, what you tried, what worked, and what you’ll do differently. This isn’t busywork. It’s how you build self-awareness. You start noticing patterns: “I always speak too fast when I’m nervous.” “I give too many instructions at once.” “I don’t check if students actually understand.”

Feedback comes from multiple sources: your mentor, the class teacher, even students. Some schools ask students to give anonymous feedback on trainees. It’s uncomfortable - but it’s the most honest thing you’ll ever experience as a new teacher.

What Happens After Training?

By the end of the training year, most teacher trainees are teaching up to 60% of a full timetable. You’re not just assisting anymore - you’re leading classes, marking assessments, attending parent meetings, and contributing to school events. You’re still learning, but now you’re doing it while carrying real responsibility.

Passing the training year doesn’t mean you’re a finished teacher. It means you’ve built the foundation. The real growth happens in your first three years in the profession - when you stop thinking about what to do and start knowing why you’re doing it.

What Trainees Often Underestimate

• The emotional toll: You’ll care deeply about students who struggle. Some will surprise you. Others will break your heart. You can’t shut that off.
• The workload: 40-hour weeks are rare. Most trainees work 50-60 hours, especially during assessment periods.
• The isolation: You’re surrounded by people, but you’re often alone in your struggles. No one else is going through exactly what you’re going through.
• The bureaucracy: Forms, policies, safeguarding logs, risk assessments - they never end.

But here’s what they don’t tell you: when a student who used to hate reading suddenly asks for another book - when a shy kid raises their hand and answers correctly for the first time - you’ll remember every late night, every failed lesson, every tearful debrief. And you’ll know it was worth it.