Teachers' stories

Talk to a teacher, any teacher, and they’ll have a story to tell. Whether it’s a quick anecdote about a single student or a sprawling epic about the challenges and rewards of life as a teacher, you can be sure of one thing: it won’t be dull. Don’t believe us? Just look at some of these teachers’ stories and you’ll see what we mean.
 

Video profiles

Richard Found

Richard Found, Science teacher

Richard Found had always wanted to teach and after graduating in Biomedical Sciences he embarked on a PGCE.

Paul Keogh

Paul Keogh, Modern Languages teacher

Paul Keogh is passionate about foreign languages having studied French at university.

 
Jez Bennett

Jez Bennett, Music teacher

Jez Bennett explored various career options after studying Music at university before embarking on a PGCE.

Elizabeth Doyle

Elizabeth Doyle, ICT teacher

Elizabeth Doyle studied IT at university as a mature student before completing a PGCE.

 
Beth Ashfield

Beth Ashfield, Maths teacher

Beth Ashfield studied Maths at University and then spent two years helping develop education facilities in Mexico.

 

Written profiles

Zoe Bidmead, 31

Zoe decided on a career in teaching after completing her first degree. She is currently an advanced skills teacher and a creative learning lead practitioner.

Terry Abel

Former electrical engineer Terry enrolled on the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP), which he found gave him confidence in his new career teaching science.

 

Sarah Stead

Sarah teaches French and Spanish in a primary school, and believes that languages can help pupils appreciate other cultures.

Stuart Foster, 23

Stuart took part in the Graduate Teacher Programme and is now a newly qualified teacher. He has taken on some extra responsibilities within the maths department.

 

Paul Keogh MBE

Paul studied French language and literature at degree level before completing his postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE). He is currently the head of languages at his school.

Noorizah Motala

Noozirah left the pharmaceutical industry to become a science teacher, and enjoys the rewarding interactions her new career has brought.

 

Kalpana Patel

Kalpana became a maths teacher after a number of years as an accountant. She finds her industry experience invaluable in inspiring pupils.

Joanna Conn

Joanna spent a number of years as a research scientist before deciding to become a science teacher. She says there's never a dull moment when you're working with children.

 

Julia Van Arkle

A former software engineer, Julia decided to go into teaching to do something completely different. Teaching information and communication technology, Julia loves discovering new ways of bringing her subject to life.

David Wilson

A former industrial chemist, David always knew he would move into teaching. He now uses the skills he gained working in the industry to bring science to life for his pupils.

 

Alison Bramble, 39

Alison took school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) to achieve qualified teacher status. She is now a year 11 tutor and teaches English.

Julia Miller

Julia became an information and communication technology (ICT) teacher after a career in technology. She describes teaching as both an honour and a responsibility.