I have a toddler at home who already takes up a lot of my time and quite rightly so! Am I mad for doing this whilst having a two year old in tow? Maybe but he is my biggest supporter and I feel I need to prove to him you should always chase your dreams!

I was so nervous the day my course started and that was because I didn’t know any of the staff at my school and didn’t know if they would welcome me or if I would struggle to fit in. However I can honestly say I have felt like part of the school from the moment I walked through the door. Everyone has made me feel so welcome and at home I genuinely can’t wait to get to school in the morning. My mentor is great she has so much valuable advice and experience and has helped build my confidence in the classroom.

One of my main concerns was the fact I came from a commercial background and have never been a teaching assistant or had any full time classroom experience. However in my school there is an NQT who qualified as a teacher this year after completing the SCITT course and she was exactly the same, she had no real teaching experience but is now qualified with her own class. It is great seeing her teach and thinking “that could be me in a year” so scary but so exciting!

I have also found that my programme tutor is so supportive of my training journey and is very approachable. I know I can contact her at any point to ask for advice or help if I feel I need it. My to do list already never ends I am always adding to it, although I don’t see this as a negative it is part of my journey and I have a real sense of satisfaction when I tick something off.

The weekly training meetings are really enjoyable too, it gives me time to see other trainees in the same situation as me. I have quickly made friends who I am able to reach out to for advice or to share ideas with. We are all in the same boat and it is nice to have people that understand how the course works and what needs to be done. It is also great to have training sessions with qualified professionals who can share practical classroom experiences that I know will help with my career on the long run.

Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed the course so far and can’t believe how much has already been done. Roll on the rest of the course, I know it is going to be hard but it has already been so rewarding.