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Welsh Recruitment

Welsh Recruitment meets… A Primary School Teacher


Alison Fennell is 41 and works as a supply teacher for 5-11 year old primary school children. The schools she works at fall in the areas covered by the Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Councils’ Local Education Authorities (LEAs). She talks to Welsh Recruitment about her experience of working in the education sector.

What made you decide to become a primary school teacher?

12 years ago I was working in an office for building contractors. In order to help me pay off my mortgage, I began offering private tutoring for French lessons. I enjoyed this experience so much that I decided to go into teaching full-time. It was through tutoring that I discovered that teaching could offer so much more than a regular day job.

How did you qualify to become a teacher?

I took the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at UWIC. This was a 1 year course. It’s open to anyone who holds a degree in any discipline. During this year, I had three placements in different schools whilst the rest of the time was spent doing college work.


What processes were involved in getting your current job?

After my PGCE I worked full-time in a primary school for 3 years. I needed a change of direction and so I took another job. In 2004 I spent a year in Spain teaching English to foreign nationals.
On my return I knew I wanted to return to teaching but there were no full-time teaching posts available. And so, with a sense of dread about what being a supply teacher might bring, I decided to go through a recruitment agency. I went to the Select Education office in Cardiff o register and tarted in March 2005. I really thought I’d ate my first placement – it was 3 days n a primary school. However, the minute walked in, I enjoyed it straight away and have never looked back. The great thing about being a supply teacher is the flexibility it offers and the fact that the role is really varied.

Why did you choose to work with primary age children instead of 11-18-year-olds?

I’m a very ‘arty crafty’ person, and teaching primary age children is much more hands on and enjoyable. There’s a lot of making and doing! Primary teaching is so broad ranging and varied – the curriculum covers Literacy, Numeracy, P.E., Religious Studies, the Sciences, the Arts, Music as well as social subjects and basic awareness of immediate environment. It’s also good to know that you won’t have to teach ‘older’ subjects like French.

What would you consider to be the most rewarding part of teaching?


When at the end of the day the kids ask me: “Miss, are you coming in tomorrow?!” It’s unprompted and is really motivating to hear. It speaks volumes because it means that the children have enjoyed you and their day.

And the most challenging?

You can be sent to schools and end up teaching a class that hasn’t been prepared for you, and you might not have the appropriate resources. You need to
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