I left the classroom but I didn’t leave education

To mark our milestone, we’re sharing stories from people who have helped to make our partnership so successful. Here, we speak to Mo Dassu, a former Teach First teacher who now works for Deloitte as a management consultant.

The importance of education

If there’s one equaliser, it’s the education system. Anyone can help break the deprivation cycle, no matter what your background may be.

I was a Teach First maths teacher between 2015 and 2017 but when I left the classroom I didn’t leave education. Now, I’m a Teach First Ambassador (part of a community of people who have completed a Teach First programme and continue to play an active role through the charity to end education inequality). I sit on the charity’s Ambassadors in Business Advisory Board and I’m also a governor at a school in the Midlands, working with a local multi-academy trust helping them with financial planning and governance.

At Deloitte, we often focus on national and even global projects, but this is a way of looking more locally and doing something good for my own area.

A governor and ambassador

I see Teach First as an opportunity to give back. But at the same time, it has helped me develop as an individual.

I really enjoy the governor aspect. I’m the youngest person on the governing board and am working alongside people with a lot more experience, which is great.

The Ambassadors in Business Advisory Board, which I also sit on, connects people interested in education. For example, I’m speaking at a training event in September for the new intake of Teach First trainee teachers and I’ll be talking about Deloitte’s Business Chemistry, which looks at the science and art of relationships.

A moral duty

I believe it’s our moral duty to volunteer and to do our bit for our students and our future. We were once in their position, after all.

For anyone looking to get involved, there are so many opportunities out there. It doesn’t have to take up much of your time, either. Just spending an hour or two here and there can genuinely make a difference.

Find out more

We’re delighted to be celebrating this important milestone and even more delighted that, 15 years on, our partnership’s still going strong. To read other anniversary stories, and discover more about our relationship with Teach First, visit our Responsible Business blog.