I have been teaching for five years and I still remember my first few shaky lessons as a trainee; pulling things together to engage, interest and educate the 30 or so young people in front of me was difficult.

And let’s be honest, teaching is hard, especially for our new and training teachers.

With that in mind, it should be the responsibility of every teacher in a school to help our trainees thrive. Don’t leave it to their mentor, head of department or someone else.

So here’s a few things you can do to make the life of a new or training teacher that little bit easier, whether you’re working closely with them or just passing in the corridor.

1. Make yourself approachable and welcoming

They’re not only new to the school, but new to the profession as well. I know you’re busy, but a short conversation will go a long way in making them feel comfortable and welcome.

2. Invite them into your lessons

I teach with an open door and love it when people drop in to see what I’m doing. Make a point of inviting a trainee into any of your lessons, especially at the start of term when they’ve not picked up many of their own. Even if it’s just to see you oversee the class completing something quietly, they can learn from your management of the room.

3. Share ideas, but don’t overload

If they’re planning a lesson on something you teach, there is a temptation to give them your whole scheme of work on the subject. Don’t do that. To start with, they need to learn how to structure activities and lessons themselves. Give them a couple of ideas of how you would deliver that lesson and let them run with it - you may be impressed with what they come up with.

4. Address issues

If you have an issue with a trainee, address it privately with them and their mentor. They may not have realised they’ve been doing something wrong and your subtle word will help them learn. They’re not used to the working environment of a school and a quiet word could be all that’s needed.

5. Positivity only, please

I’m not advocating you deceive a teacher who is training in your department that our profession is all great. But when I was training, I heard comments such as “get out while you still can”, “the first 20 years are the hardest” and “why would you want to do this?” These things are not helpful when you’re excited about your new direction.

6. Consider what you can learn from them

You can learn something from everyone - my students teach me things all the time. The training teacher in your department needn’t be any different. Over the course of the year, I guarantee, if you’re open, they’ll teach you something.

Luke Richardson is an English teacher and blogger. He tweets @LukeRicha