Case studies : Firefighter: Paul

Paul works as a firefighter and is looking to study further to progress his career.

It took me two years to get into the fire service and although I had a degree when I joined, I've since been given the opportunity to gain numerous qualifications and am now looking to do a Certificate of Education in Teaching, as this relates to the position I have now.

I've been an operational firefighter for the past seven years, although I am currently on a secondment working as a trainer for the fire service and I've been doing this for the past six months.

I enjoy the variety of the role and find it challenging. As an operational fire fighter, no two days are the same. We have to deal with the public on a frequent basis and the job is certainly not deskbound. In my current role as a trainer I've found that, although my workload is more demanding, it's also mentally stimulating, and I'm much more aware of policies and procedures than I've been in the past.

My current role as a trainer is very varied and ranges from the direct training of fire fighters, assessing developing fire fighters to attending management meetings and ensuring best practice. As a fire fighter I may also have to work with other departments within the service as well as external partners, these can range from the police to local councils to community groups.

I find working within the service and helping people incredibly rewarding, both on an operational side and as a trainer, helping others to develop themselves.

Since I joined, the recruitment process has changed and there are now more opportunities for people to become firefighters.