Richard

My name is Rich Halls, and I’m currently a Secondary English teacher, working in the school where I had my main placement during my training year. I’m technically a mature student and career changer, having spent ten years working in construction and utilities. I would encourage anyone considering teaching as a career to seriously consider The Cambridge Partnership as a training provider. Having met trainees from other providers and compared experiences I am certain that I made the correct choice.

I’d always had the idea that I wanted to be a teacher and over time, realised that the aspects of job satisfaction that I was getting in my previous career had parallels with teaching. But I had very little idea of what it actually meant to be a teacher.

At first it seemed to be quite a difficult decision as to which training provider to choose, but over the application process it became clear to me that The Cambridge Partnership would be the right choice. The construction of the course itself and the distribution of training days versus days in school seemed to fit with what I needed; namely structured guidance woven throughout a new career, rather than periods of academic work and training, juxtaposed with time in school.

The Cambridge Partnership has always been a hugely supportive team. The care that I’ve been shown as an individual is much more than in any other industry that I have worked in. It’s clear that Education is a discipline where people are keen to adapt, learn and care about each other. My mentor and tutors were supportive in giving me time and space to work on what I needed to, allowing me to increase my timetable on a timescale that worked for me.

The face-to-face meetings in groups were great as they allowed me to meet trainees from different backgrounds, disciplines and age groups. They also allowed me to hear other people’s experiences, and to swap ideas and make connections with colleagues beyond my subject and placement. The range of people delivering training sessions exposed me to a spectrum of thought and approaches to pedagogy, which inspired me to experiment with different ideas in the classroom.

Communication was excellent throughout the course. During the difficulties faced last year with COVID19, the team adapted, kept us well-informed and were very understanding of the circumstances.

I’m grateful to The Cambridge Partnership for providing me with such a brilliant array of opportunities and support even into my NQT year: this year, I have been involved in some of the training and the use of online learning platforms has continued to be innovative and to bridge some of the gaps created by the loss of face-to-face sessions.

I have made lifelong friends and connections across a wide network and area, which will be beneficial throughout my career.