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Marnie Osborne

Primary Education with QTS

Female student Marnie Osborne Student opportunity fund sof

If anyone is considering applying for the Student Opportunity Fund, I would definitely recommend booking an initial meeting with the Careers team to help you get started and to check your eligibility. After that, just go for it - there is no harm in applying, and it will bring you one step closer towards achieving your goals.

For as long as she can remember, Marnie has dreamt about becoming a teacher. She’s now in her second year studying Primary Teaching with QTS. The Student Opportunity Fund has enabled Marnie to cover the cost of school placements and enhance her skills in the classroom.

What inspired you to apply for the Student Opportunity Fund?

As part of my degree, we have to go out on work placements for experience. I had a great second-year placement and loved the school I worked in, so I wanted to go back on my day off each week to volunteer there. I found out through Edge Hill’s website that the Student Opportunity Fund could provide funding to cover my travel to the Primary School and back. I knew this opportunity could enhance my career prospects and help me to become more confident in the classroom.

What was the application process like?

I attended a Careers meeting to help me to apply and to check whether I had a good chance of success. I found the application process easy to follow and useful as I had to fully develop my reasons and justifications for applying and show how I would benefit from the opportunity.

What did you do with the funding? How did you find the opportunity itself and did it help you to achieve your goals?

I used the funding to pay for my petrol each week, which I wouldn’t have been able to cover myself. The experience has been great as I have been able to build on my relationship with the school, becoming more known in the school environment itself and with both teaching staff and pupils. I have been volunteering in a year group that I had not previously taught, which has been beneficial for my professional development and will greatly impact my teaching skills. I have learnt that I am capable of teaching a diverse range of students and have strengthened my relationship, and interpersonal skills, with them.

Have you taken advantage of any other opportunities on campus or elsewhere?

Another great opportunity I have benefited from while studying at Edge Hill is working for partnerships. This means I go out to schools and deliver activities to help prospective students engage with the university.

What are you hoping to do next? Do you have any advice for those considering applying to the Student Opportunity Fund?

I would like to carry on my volunteering at the school and re-apply next year so I can further my career prospects.

If anyone is considering applying for the Student Opportunity Fund, I would definitely recommend booking an initial meeting with the Careers team to help you get started and to check your eligibility. After that, just go for it – there is no harm in applying, and it will bring you one step closer towards achieving your goals.