Joshua Enright

My A-Level teachers inspired me to follow my passion for history in university, and I hope to be able to replicate the passion they bestowed upon me to the next generation.

Edge Hill stood out to me as it is known for its outstanding Education and Teaching department. I knew coming to Edge Hill would stand out on future job applications. The campus style university made me feel like I was surrounded by like minded people who were all going through a similar experience to me which made me feel at ease.

My placement was definitely where I realised that teaching was for me. I was able to take my time in understanding what it means to be a college lecturer and having the support of a mentor to guide me let me experiment on what type of teacher I wanted to be. Being able to go back to class and discuss how other peoples placements are going and understanding the behind scenes roles of teachers became something of an interest as it opened the doors for other opportunities for me to work in further education alongside teaching. My placement has hugely aided me in my job as a lecturer in history. The skills and understanding of a further education classroom have allowed me to tailor my lessons to what would best aid the development of my students. I put into practice the knowledge I have gained on my PGDE daily.

My lecturers aided me massively throughout the entirety of the course. They have provided assistance with lesson styles and planning and gave me support with essays when you feel I’ve felt like I’ve hit a road block. It was extremely comforting knowing that I had such caring members of staff who were in my corner actively wanting me to succeed.

My subject knowledge as a historian has massively improved as it has allowed me to understand and acknowledge areas of history I may have otherwise overlooked if not for the necessity of knowing for the course and teaching placement. My knowledge, understanding and capabilities as a teacher have expanded tenfold through this PGDE. I went into the course with a keen interest to teach but not fully aware of the inner workings of the teaching profession, coming out of the course I felt confident in being able to walk into a classroom and give an insightful lesson with everything I’ve learned.

This degree has allowed me to gain a job as a lecturer in history at Newcastle Sixth Form college where I currently look after both year 12 and year 13 history students. My year 13s this year are predicted to score with the top 25% in the country, which I believe is in thanks to the teaching abilities I was given during my time on the PGDE. I have become a lecturer in history since graduating and hope to use that to aid my  next steps of opening my own department into ancient history or classics.

Having a PGDE in post 14 education has definitely made me stand out compared to other candidates when applying for college jobs. Being able to state I have a degree directly in college education with prior experience through my placement is something a very limited number of other people can state which has shown to work massively to my benefit when applying for jobs.

I would definitely say the overall outlook that Edge Hill has is about its students. You can definitely tell every building made, every classroom layout and every resource made is done specifically with the improvement of the student in mind. You get told that a lot when going around universities but to see it in action and so consistently was comforting to know that my development as a teacher was at the forefront of every lecturer’s drive.

To someone considering this degree at Edge Hill, I would say to look very specifically into what the courses offer you. There are many different teaching degrees available across different age ranges and subjects. Pick your degree based on which you believe lines up with what you want to do after graduating.

The careers team aided me with interview prep and mock interviews when I was still on placement and has allowed me to feel much more confident when I was going into interviews for the first time. Along with this having access to the library even after finished my degree has allowed me to continue to develop my knowledge and understanding of my subject.

If your decision is to go for a PGDE in post-14 education, really throw yourself into it, immerse yourself in the culture of the college and make friends with the lecturers there. Go talk to the well being officers and try to sit down with SLT. Use the time to try and get as much information and relationships out of the experience as possible as you never know when you may bump into someone again. Really make an effort to be as helpful and valuable as possible to the team you are put in as the next time a job comes up there may be someone in the room that goes “I remember them they always gave 100%”.