Thirty-three-year-old Stephanie Connell, decided to leave her job as a Banking Advisor to pursue her dream career working with children. After graduating from college, and securing a job at a local high school she realised just how much she enjoyed working with older children. Now at University, studying to become a Home Economics teacher, she’s well on the way to achieving her dream.
Speaking to Stephanie she said, “Working with children was always something I wanted to do but I didn’t have the confidence when I first left school so I ended up working in Banking.
Becoming a mother gave me the confidence I needed to take a leap and pursue my dream.
'After browsing the College website I came across the NC Education Support Assistant course and thought it was a good first step into working with children and potentially becoming a teacher.
‘Carrying out placement at a local primary school was great and gave me a true insight into what working with children is really like. As the course was primarily online due to Covid it was a time challenging to stay focused with so many distractions but I had amazing support from my tutors.
Christine is amazing, she continues to keep in touch to see how I am progressing and she continues to have confidence in me reaching my dream.
After competing the course, Stephanie secured a placement as a Education Support Assistant at High School.
Stephanie continued, “Working in the High School I realised I enjoyed working with secondary children more than primary age. When I first left school I did an HND Fashion and had no luck gaining work from it. However working in the school I was advised by the teachers that off the back of my HND Fashion and Education Support Assistant course I could go to university to do a BSc in Curricular Studies with a teaching qualification.
I’m now in the final stint of my third year and looking forward to becoming a teacher.
‘Coming to college gave me the experience and qualifications I needed to work in a high school an in turn made me realise I wanted to become a secondary school teacher.
I’m looking forward graduating and embarking on my teaching career.
If you’re inspired by Stephanie’s story then check our range of Childcare courses.