Why I’m choosing teaching as a career

Ethan Osborn-Clarke is a final year Geography BSc student planning to teach Geography in secondary schools in London once he graduates, following the Teach First pathway.  Other options for getting into teaching exist too – see links further down for details.  We caught up with Ethan to discuss why he’s choosing this career path.

 

Teaching is a popular career choice for many graduates, for various reasons: job satisfaction, security, or to inspire the next generation.

There are many reasons I‘m going into teaching – all confirmed by my primary and secondary observation days and too numerous to go through individually. To try and summarise, I’ve put them into four main areas: fulfilment, differentiation, progression and challenge, giving a glimpse into my rationale for going into teaching.

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Last chance to apply for the Ideas stage of the New Enterprise Competition!

The Ideas stage for the New Enterprise Competition is open for applications for another week. For the opportunity to test out your idea by pitching to us and to win up to £200 in equity free funding, what have you got to lose? 

 

We caught up with Shabaj, who created the Success Program, a sports journaling app, which was awarded  funding from the Ideas stage of the Competition last year. 

 

In a nutshell, what is your start-up idea and where did the idea come from?

I’m working on a sports journaling app that allows individuals to track their weightlifting performance and provides customers with a quantitative measure of how their training programme is impacting their performance. Having our customers reflect on what they achieved on their last workout allows them to compete against themselves from one workout to the next.  

The aim of the game is progression, but how can you know if you are progressing if you aren’t tracking your results?

I’m not the strongest person in the gym, by far. Often, if I push myself more than I am physically capable of and I get an injury. I got tired of repeating the same mistake and started to record my workouts in a notebook. However, I got fed up with flicking through the pages to find what weights, reps and sets I should do. I also lost more pens in the gym than most students do in three years at university. So I decided to build an app to think and carry less in the gym.

 

Have you always been interested in entrepreneurship? What inspired you to get into it?

I let my curiosity direct where I put my attention- which has its own set of pros and cons! My journey into entrepreneurship is more self-centred than most. From the projects I worked on, I always had a personal connection with problem I was trying to solve. Since I couldn’t find a product or service that met my needs, I would find out how I can create my own solution. If I have that problem, someone else might too.

Picture of Shabaj who founded the Success Program
Shabaj, founder of The Success Program

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Graduate scheme or graduate job? The many different paths to graduate roles

Illustration of a person sitting at their desk in front of a computer with a coffee, looking relaxed
Image by Elf-Moondance from Pixabay

You’ve heard of grad schemes, but did you know that there’s a difference between a graduate scheme and a graduate job? How do you know if a grad scheme is actually the right option for you?

Read on to find out more about schemes, internships, and how to secure an amazing graduate job.

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CPSA Case Study: Sourcing your own SME Internship

As a final year BSc Psychology student, I wanted to use this year to develop my skills and experience so that I would be in a strong position to apply for graduate jobs. After taking a course on drugs and addiction as part of my degree, I realized that I felt passionate about this subject.

Paula Mesia Guevara, Career Peer Support Assistant and Final Year BSc Psychology student

I decided that I wanted to look for an internship in a related role, to help me to decide if I would enjoy working in this field. However, I was not finding many advertised opportunities for the kinds of internships I was interested in.

Through the Careers Service website I learned that students could source their own internships through the university’s SME internship scheme. (more…)

CPSA case study: Bouncing back from rejections

Yun Wen Soh, Final year LLB Student and Career Peer Support Assistant

Thank you for your application for [job name] at [company].

However, after careful consideration we regret to inform you that you have not been successful…”

Emails like this are almost inevitable during your job search. Despite knowing that “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”, receiving rejections can feel crushing.

 

 

Here are some practical tips to get out of the rejection rut … (more…)

CPSA case study: Making the most of your year abroad 

Susannah Latham, Final Year BSc Politics and International Relations student and Career Peer Support Assistant

Many students embark on a year abroad as part of their degree. We all have different reasons for choosing to do it: for some, it’s the excitement of a new culture and country, while others are keen to learn at a different institution or use the year to work or to improve their language skills.  

Whatever your reason for doing a year abroad, it can be a great opportunity to gain valuable skills and work experience, making yourself stand out when applying for jobs in the future.  

My Volunteering Experience  

As part of my Politics and International Relations BSc I studied for a year in the USA, at the University of Maryland. I had the flexibility to study a broad range of topics, ranging from art to climate change, and loved the freedom I had to learn in a new environment. 

But for me, my year in the US was about a lot more than just studying. I wanted to make friends, travel, and take advantage of new opportunities.   (more…)

Jobs are on the up! – Lets talk Labour Market Information

We’re not going to pretend that times aren’t challenging. We all know that COVID has hit the economy and jobs market hard.  

Labour Market Information (LMI) is a useful tool to help understand current recruitment trends across different sectors and we think it’s about time you heard some positive news…

via GIPHY

5 things current LMI data is saying: (more…)

Graduate stories: Hannah Altendorff – Mental Health Social Worker with Think Ahead

Transform Society is a network of social change programmes (Teach First, Police Now, Unlocked, Think Ahead, NGDP and Frontline) that together, are working to develop the public service leaders of the future. By partnering with  Transform Society, the University of Bristol is showing a commitment to helping increase the number and diversity of high-calibre graduates taking up roles on community impact programmes.

Hannah Altendorff studied Sociology and Social Policy at Bristol, graduating in 2008, and then went on to do a master’s degree in Human Rights at the University of Sussex. She is now a Mental Health Social worker with Think Ahead.

We caught up with Hannah to hear about what she has been up to…

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Graduates, it’s OK to feel lost – we can help!

Photo by Seyi Ariyo on Unsplash 

Are you finishing your degree at Bristol this summer?  

It’s been a tough couple of years for Finalists, but you’ve done so well to get through to the other end. Everyone at the Careers Service wants to pass on a huge congratulations for making it here.

As a graduate of the University of Bristol, you can use all of our careers support services for up to three years after the end of your studies. It’s absolutely worthwhile making use of our information and guidance – we’re here for you, after all.  

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