The Get Into Teaching Brand Ambassador Grace, a third-year history student, is passionate about inspiring others. With previous experience volunteering in a primary school, she continues to share her enthusiasm for education. Recently, she sat down with Molly, a second-year physics student, to discuss her journey and interest in teaching.
For many university students, career paths are often changing throughout their time at university. For Molly, this has meant discovering a new found passion for teaching with the hope of turning it into a future career.
Currently studying physics, they have recently started considering a path in education, specifically teaching secondary school pupils physics or maths. “I think secondary education would be a much more interesting age group to teach,” they explain. “The level to which they can understand the subject is much higher, which opens up more interesting discussions and experimentation.”
This newfound interest in teaching wasn’t something they had considered previously. “I haven’t thought about it much previously,” they admit. “But after finishing school and thinking about the future, it is a path I think would be really rewarding and interesting.” Their inspiration largely came from their own experiences with dedicated and passionate teachers. “I feel really influenced by some of my sixth-form teachers who were genuinely amazing at what they did. They were incredibly motivational and seemed to really love teaching and passing on their own knowledge.”
This term, they are taking a significant step towards their teaching aspirations by enrolling in the ‘teaching in physics’ module. The course involves visiting secondary schools and assisting teachers during physics lessons, providing firsthand experience in a classroom environment. “I really enjoy the concept of passing down knowledge and helping younger students develop the same passion for the subject that I have.”
For others considering a future in teaching, they have one key piece of advice, “try to get some experience actually teaching or assisting in schools. It would really help to see what it's like in real life, rather than just on paper.