Sam progresses from graduate intern to teaching career

A Teesside University graduate has returned to the classroom to teach after a graduate internship scheme inspired him to pursue a career in education.

BA (Hons) English with Creative Writing graduate Sam Piggott completed a three-month graduate internship at Middlesbrough College earlier this year. He is now completing a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) at the college with the aim of taking on a teaching role.

Sam, 23, from Redcar, said: 'I heard about the graduate internship scheme after completing my degree. Completing the scheme really helped me to get to where I want to be.'

During his degree Sam was involved in the University’s Volun-tees scheme which supports students completing voluntary work. He worked with various charities and taught English to asylum seekers, winning a volunteer award for his outstanding work.

He added: 'I had been involved in volunteering at primary schools and working in charities, teaching English at different levels and the opportunity to apply for the internship came at the perfect time.

'Completing the graduate internship really gave me the confidence to know that teaching is what I really want to do.'

Sam added: 'My role during the internship involved working with the additional learning support team to assist lecturers by working one-to-one with particular students within the group who had specific needs, enabling the lecturer to focus on the whole class. I was able to bring so much from what I had learned on my degree. If I hadn’t completed the internship I would not be where I am now.'

Jon Lee, Deputy Manager of Additional Learning Support at Middlesbrough College, who supervised Sam during his internship, said: 'Sam was able to integrate himself with the students in a relaxed and informal setting, offering support with English work. Due to his age and enthusiasm for English he was able to gain rapport very quickly with the learners and engage them in learning.

'Sam also had specific English lessons to support in classrooms for GSCE which also proved to be successful in supporting the learners as well as the teacher. The whole experience was very positive and provided a rich ground to gain an understanding of education and learning within FE.

'We will gladly participate in the next round of graduate internships and look forward to working with the University and their graduates.'

Andy Price, Head of Enterprise Development and Education at Teesside University, said: 'Employers are often looking for relevant experience alongside qualifications and this scheme provides an ideal opportunity for graduates to gain vital experience, while at the same time offering a unique opportunity for local businesses to utilise the skills and expertise of recent graduates.'

Teesside graduates are being offered the opportunity to complete a three-month paid internship from January to March 2017.

The internships provide valuable work experience to help graduates kick start their career along with the opportunity to gain practical experience which link to the skills developed while completing their degree.

The scheme runs for 12 weeks and is open to Teesside University graduates who completed their undergraduate study in 2016. The scheme is not open to 2016 graduates currently completing part-time or postgraduate courses.

The three month paid internships will be available from January 2017 with a wide range of employers. Positions will be advertised the University’s careers jobs page from November 7.

The deadline for companies seeking to apply for a 2017 graduate intern is 28 October 2016.

---

• Graduate
• English