Blogs: Natalie joins the blogging world

Natalie graduated with a degree in psychology before taking a PGCE. She is currently working as a primary school teacher but is contemplating a career move.

When I gained my degree (some six years ago now) the future seemed bright. The economy wasn’t quite in the turmoil it is now and I was able to gain office-based work in a number of large companies. Although, in life nothing is easy, and there were lengthy application and interview processes and a number of applications did not make it to the ‘top’ of the pile.

In my degree field (psychology) jobs were few and far between and a lot of organisations wanted experience, which could only be gained by working for little or no money (in essence not much has changed). So, after a few years, I decided a change of career was in order and was able to gain entrance onto a PGCE course.

The year (for those of you who haven’t experienced it) was filled to the brim with assignments, teaching placements and an indescribable amount of additional work that needed to be completed, ordered and neatly filed in my brain for access at any given moment.

The PGCE flew by and soon I was being interviewed for my first teaching position, which thankfully I got! But the hard work had only just begun. For those of you considering a career in teaching, a number of factors can affect your experience...

For example, I work in an inner city school in Manchester where deprivation is high and the needs of most children are considerable. The workload and pressure is therefore significant, however, the difference you can make and the enjoyment you can gain from the children in many ways balance the scales.

Since working as a teacher I have still routinely looked for positions both related and unrelated to my current role. The need to improve prospects, happiness and simply to experience different challenges all being factors. However, as time has passed, I am more aware of things that weren’t apparent to me when I first left university.

Job hunting can almost be a job (albeit a non-paying one) in itself. It has taken me time to reassess exactly what I want and then to create almost a mini database of potential companies who are or may be able to offer roles that would interest me. Then comes the relevant experience part - this can often be the most upsetting part of reading a job advertisement, as you may feel able to carry out a role well, but not have all the experience a company requires.

A big change in recent times is the lack of flexibility companies now have. In the past, organisations would often give individuals a chance, allowing them to learn on the job. In the current employment market this doesn’t happen much, but I have hope that this will change in the future.

I have also been interested in looking at graduate schemes, which can be useful when wanting to gain additional experience. Many companies seem to be offering them at the moment. Although I am aware that supply isn’t quite meeting the demand!