Student secures teaching job before graduation

Published April 2013

University of Brighton in Hastings graduate Zoe Willard has been offered her first permanent teaching post before she even completes her course.

Zoe, who completed her Education and English Literature BA(Hons) at the Hastings campus in 2012, progressed onto a PGCE in English at the University, before landing a teaching position at Bexhill High School. She will start her newly qualified teaching year at the school next September, directly after completing her studies.

When she started studying at the University, Zoe had initially planned to teach at primary school age, but the joint honours course, which features teaching in both English Literature and Education inspired her to continue the combination and look for work teaching English at a secondary school level.

She said “The course had a placement opportunity which was very useful as it allowed me to explore my options. I actually helped Dr Katy Shaw, one of my lecturers, with her current project at this point, doing research. This taste of working in research and working with texts helped me decide whether I wanted to go into teaching or research. Education studies taught me a lot about the education system and what to expect when working in it, and English Literature gave me a solid understanding of a wide range of texts, many of which I have now actually taught to secondary school pupils.”

Zoe also said she really valued the continued support she got from staff and alumni at the university “I was recommended to the school by a previous student of the university.

(Staff members) Wendy Philcox provided me with a job reference, and Jane Cawdell has given regular advice for doing the PGCE course.” 

The Education and English Literature BA(Hons) course is now in its 6th year at the University of Brighton at Hastings and many of the graduates teach in local schools. Zoe’s classmate Emma-Louise has also secured a job at the Hastings Academy before her final graduation this summer.