Meet an Astra Partnership Trainee: Emily

Tell us a little about your journey to becoming a teacher.....
My love for working in a school environment began in 2020, when, after finishing sixth form, I began a position in a local prep school as a ‘gap student’. This role led me to carry on as a teaching assistant and instead of taking the traditional university route I completed an Open University degree in Philosophy, Religion and Ethics whilst working. This enabled me to feel even more secure in my passion to pursue primary education.

 
Why did you select Astra as your training provider?
I came across Astra after talking to colleagues who had also completed their teacher training with Astra. It was clear from these conversations that Astra had an excellent reputation and training programme, and doing my own research only reaffirmed this.

 
What have been the highlights of your training?
The highlight of my training has to be the variety of personalities I get to interact with every day. From the pupils, to my colleagues, to my fellow trainees, I am privileged to get to engage with such a variety of individuals every day.

 
What have been the challenges?
Juggling work-life-balance is definitely a challenge when completing QTS and PGCE. Finding time to switch off at the weekend is so important, but so is ticking those jobs off your to-do list!

Top advice for anyone considering teaching?
Engage with the teaching professionals around you; they will always be happy to support you. Their expertise is so valuable and enables you to develop your reflective thinking

You can meet more of our current trainees here.