Will

My Summary

My Experience

Working with children is something I've done since I was a teenager, but I didn't discover it was my passion until I attended university. I undertook an extra module on teacher training during my university degree which gained me a placement in a special school for pupils with a broad spectrum of needs including physical disabilities, learning disability and medical health needs. I loved my time there so much that I successfully applied for a job as a teaching assistant and proceeded to work there for two years.

I was in an ASD UNIT during my time in secondary school. My lived experience gives me an ability to empathise and relate to children in the SEN system that a neurotypical person wouldn’t have. It's incredibly important to me that children are educated in an environment where their complex needs are met. This way they can be comfortable and learn all they can to reach their maximum potential. My own experience in the classroom helped me to develop the ability to pay attention to children’s context so that they feel safe and comfortable and can learn effectively. My relational skills also allow me to work closer with students when they are working on tasks: ensuring they have all the information and skills necessary to finish the task and supporting these aspects where possible.

My ability to develop strong relationships with children allow me to navigate and interpret the implicit communication that challenging behaviour presents. I can effectively deescalate situations where children appear distressed or acting aggressively, ensuring the wellbeing of students and staff.

Working in an SEN school four days a week in the final year of my degree, made me realise that teaching doesn’t just cover what students learn from the curriculum. They also learn social and life skills from their interactions. This relational aspect of teaching is important and rewarding to me. I therefore strive to be an exceptional role model for the students I work with to make the most of their learning. My time working as a Learning support assistant has developed my ability to build relationships and trust with students with SEN.

I have been relied on to deliver lessons due to my class teacher’s absence for over a month.. She provided planned lessons and resources which I then delivered to the students. I enjoyed keeping the students’ attention and making sure to differentiate the learning so that they each took in the information according to their ability. It’s one of my favourite parts of the job and I’m highly skilled in this area.

I have a vast range of extracurricular experience. I’ve supervised multiple school trips and residentials and I also run a lego club. I noticed that these experiences are important for personal development and developing skills that cannot be grown in a classroom setting.
I have had the joy of working with children with many types of ability, including ASD, cerebral palsy, brittle bone disease and visual impairment. I’ve therefore developed a diverse skillset. I’ve learned rudimentary BSL, reading and writing braille, to further help with my communication with the students.

My Qualifications

I have a first class degree in psychology. My dissertation was based around Education Psychology and ASD. I'm currently undertaking a PGCE with QTS, after which I'll be a qualified teacher. I'm learning on the job so will be learning new techniques to teach all the time.

My Availability

My availability is very flexible. I'm at my placement school during the day, but should be available at least two days a week either in the evenings or on the weekend.

My Fees

• Babysitting from £12.50 per hour
• Tutoring from £15.00 per hour

My fees are very flexible. My last job I was paid £12.50 an hour, so I'm using that as a baseline which can be negotiated depending on the situation.