My journey into Initial Teacher Training

Blog by Joanne McBride – Full-time Teaching Assistant at Warmsworth Primary School, Doncaster, undertaking Sheffield Hallam University BA in Teaching and Learning with Qualified Teacher Status 

In 2018, a successful 20-year career in Operations ended in redundancy. The circumstances of the redundancy left me bruised, enough to know that a corporate life was no longer for me. And so, I floundered for a year; a 45-year-old mum of 3, wondering what I was going to do with my life. I did school runs, almost scrubbed my house away with cleaning, I even wrote a children’s book (that I hope to publish someday). I knew I had to get back into employment, but what was I going to do?  

A friend of mine, a headteacher in a local primary school, gave me the opportunity to volunteer in her school. I read with children in reception, supported learning in year 5, took down some displays and sorted out a reading corner, and whilst the simplicity of those tasks bore no comparison with my previous senior roles in project, people, and quality management, I was captivated by the environment; to me, it felt like magic.  

My friend started signposting me to local Teaching Assistant posts, and it wasn’t long before I was offered a role where I currently work – an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ primary school with over 450 pupils from nursery to Year 6.  

I’m in my third year at the school, and I still walk the corridors with a strange disbelief that I am lucky enough to call this my life now. I held some high-profile roles in my career, with huge responsibility, but in school I feel like I am in one of the most privileged positions I have ever been. Forging positive relationships with the children, supporting them with their academic and emotional growth, and being able to inspire them to be the best that they can be, is indeed a privilege.  

Years ago, I had considered a career in teaching and started an English Literature degree with the Open University. But I’d got caught up in the ‘rat race’ of a corporate career, generous salary, company car and all the benefits of working for a huge corporate machine. Don’t get me wrong; I loved my job. I had a successful career; I was good at what I did, and I was well-respected. But it wasn’t until I spent time in the primary school classroom that I realised that I had been a square peg squashed into a very round hole for 20 years. And instead of regret, I felt free. I enjoyed supporting the teacher and the children, but I came alive when I was asked to cover the class teaching and I knew I was ready to take the leap into teaching. 

This year, I began my teacher training journey. I enrolled on Sheffield Hallam University’s ‘BATL’ course (BA in Teaching and Learning), and all being well, in 2024 I will emerge as a qualified teacher. I get to train on the job, continuing in my role as Teaching Assistant, and attend weekly university seminars. A colleague at Exchange Teaching Hub told me about the possible routes into teaching, including this course. I’d been desperately trying to figure out how I could finish the Open University degree I had begun some years ago so that I could further my career but couldn’t afford to leave my job to study full time. The SHU course is such a great way to access a teaching career for those working in a school who already hold a Foundation Degree (or equivalent). I am discovering that there is so much more to teaching than a lot of people realise and will learn about behaviour management, various aspects of pedagogy, pupil assessment and gain subject knowledge.  

Sometimes I wonder what I am thinking, going into teaching at the age of 47 (I’ll be nearer 50 when I qualify), but I know that this is where I belong. I know the next two years are going to be challenging at times, but I’m strapped in and buckled up and ready for the ride! I know that high quality teaching can have such a positive effect on the life chances of our children, and I am embracing every opportunity to learn and grow, because I don’t want to be anything less than a great teacher. I am excited for my future in the profession and grateful that I can study towards that career with the full support of my school.  

By Joanne McBride