Madhu Jena

Madhu was working in banking when she realised a career change would bring her greater job satisfaction. She explains how she made the decision to train as a primary teacher.

On my career change

I had been in the banking industry up until my first child was born. I then chose to take a career break and pursue my passion for Bollywood dancing and stage performances.

It gave me a sense of fulfilment watching the adults and children perform to the dances that I had choreographed; a sense of gratification that I never had in my previous career.

I also had the pleasure of actively participating in various activities in my children’s school as a member of the parent-teacher group. We organised annual events such as the Christmas fair, Halloween night and International Day.

Having had these experiences, I knew that I would enjoy building a career in this environment and I believe that it would allow me to positively impact children’s growth during their formative years.

On choosing the University

The reputation of the University precedes itself and it was not too hard a choice to make. Having decided to change career and make a fresh start in teaching, I wanted to learn from the best.

The course curriculum and the prior placement of students from the university were other contributing factors to my overall university choice.

On my course

The course seemed to have the right balance between classroom sessions at the university and placements.

The on-campus sessions not only provided us with fundamental and background knowledge for teaching but also gave us an opportunity to make friends, socialise and learn from each other’s experience. The placements, meanwhile, were very useful to put our learning into practice.

I appreciated the opportunity of the 'on the spot' experience of having to lesson plan and teach within the first couple of weeks of placements.

On school placements

My guided professional placement was in a Year 1 class in a small Roman Catholic school, which was a different experience to my final placement in Year 4 at a larger three-form entry school.

I enjoyed both the placements thoroughly and learned a great deal from my mentors as well as my own teaching experience. After teaching in both Key Stage groups, I realised which age group I preferred.

Furthermore, the University was extremely supportive of the fact that I have two children of my own in primary school. They took personal interest to ensure that I was always placed in schools close to home. This made a huge difference and I was able to balance my time between lesson planning, teaching and my own family life.