As a child, I always had a nurturing side to me, and I always wanted to help out with other children. I used to get all my teddies and lay them out like I was teaching in a classroom. When I was a bit older, we moved to Spain and whilst living in Gran Canaria, I ended up really liking Spanish, so I went and studied it in a Spanish school. When COVID hit, I started teaching Spanish online and I managed to build a business out of it. 

We moved back to the UK after the pandemic, and I started teaching Spanish voluntarily in a primary school. The children absolutely loved it and I thought I’d quite like to do this as a job. I started to look into what I needed to do and then found Newcastle College University Centre.

It was one of my lecturers, we had a really good rapport. I looked around and I thought, I really like the feel of this campus. I did my Level 3 here as well, so I already knew all the staff and how things worked. It just has a nice atmosphere to it. 

I’ve always known that I would not like a more traditional University. I just think of all the students in one massive lecture hall, and I just knew it wasn’t for me. I find the University Centre a lot less traditional - there’s a lot more freedom and a lot more flexibility. 

They've completely revamped the of the Teaching Development Centre (TDC), it’s like a whole other building. It's a whole area just designated for us. You've got the Turnbull Suite too. I like to go there if I'm working on a group presentation with my friends.

I love that there’s something different to do every week.  I just like being with people who are on that same wavelength as me and we’ve all got that same goal. It's like we’re going through it all together. 

My parents have always inspired me because I've seen how hard they've worked. If they hadn't worked the way that they did, then I wouldn't be in the position that I'm in now. I also think the fact that I had that opportunity to go abroad gave me a whole other perspective. It just completely changed my outlook on things.

My tutors have got a lot of experience and every time we're in the session, they’ll link back to past situations they’ve been in. They can relate to our situation because they've been through it themselves. All the people who are at my placement are industry-experienced too. They can give me advice and little tips to help me out, so I feel a lot more supported that way. 

Very kind, very caring and very supportive. They all come in and put our needs as their priority. They do everything they can to make us feel like it's a welcoming place for us.  

During this year, I’ve had help from the academic coaches. If we have a session, they can be there for the last half of it so if you want to go up and ask a question you can. You can also get them to look through your work or when you’ve got an assignment, they can help you go through the structure, so you have an action plan moving forward. 

It has to be the South Africa trip! When I applied to study here, I didn't even think I would get any of those opportunities. I remember when Brogan (trip organiser) came to our class and showed us the video and I thought that it might be something that I would look in to in future.  I thought, well, I've had that experience in Spain and wasn’t sure whether they would allow me to go to another one. I still applied anyway and when I got through, I was so happy. 

It was great to go out there with a different group of people who weren’t on my course, and make new friends. Seeing the way that things run in a whole other country, in a new environment was really eye opening.   

I think having a placement experience gives you a whole other insight. I remember the first day when I was at my placement and I found it quite overwhelming, but now it's just standard and you get used to it.  

Having industry-experienced tutors really helps too. They have all that experience, and they can give you hints on how to deal with situations that you might experience one day. 

I'm thinking that I'm going to carry on and do my Level 6 here and potentially a Level 7. 

A journey, developmental and eye-opening. 

1. Know what your end goal is.

2. Always be organised - you've always got to be prepared.

3. Go in it with everything that you've got, make sure you put all your effort into it!

4. Never leave anything last minute.  Always make sure you plan or get sessions in with the academic coaches. Give it enough time to proofread your work and trust me, you'll feel a lot more relaxed in the process!

5. Know that you've got support behind you. You've got an amazing team around you and you've got the support of your new friends too. Remember, you’re all going through it together.