ABSTRACT
If there are problems on placement, they are most likely to be the result of misunderstandings between you and the mentor or class teacher. Campbell and Kane (1998, p. 93) make a salient point in this respect: ‘The importance of hitting it off with one’s mentor is crucial to a good experience and there is often a high correlation between doing well and getting on with the mentor.’ Indeed, the possibility that they will not get along with the host teachers, especially the class teacher, is one of the prevailing fears for many trainees, one of whom wrote:
Specific worries included how I would manage to build good relationships with the other staff in the school and whether my contributions as a staff member would be valued.
