Dealing with the College Aftermath

I just found and read a really funny article on 'ways to deal with graduating' by Jen Glantz. I found it very informative as well as funny and light hearted. So I thought what better than to use this as my last blog post~

13 Way to Deal With Graduation

This article talks again talks about ways to deal with that emotion uproar that happens when finishing college. Similarly to the other post-graduate post I wrote it talks through how you might be feeling prior to graduating this time using funny metaphors of your life so far through education. 

What I found quite interesting about it is that this article states that it is written by a recent graduate of 3 years ago so I feel confident on that understanding about what it is I'm going through and am confident enough to believe that the methods given work.

Like the other post, I'd like to put it on here for my own reference and in a hope that it also gives comfort to my fellow peers.

To conclude my experience at college, I have really enjoyed my time at Leeds College of Art and I'm sad that my time here has come to an end. I feel blessed to have met such a mix of wonderful and weird people through this course and I hope to keep in touch with everyone after college and see how they all progress. I wish the very best to all of them and hope that they can make it where they want to go in life.

Beating those College Blues

In relation to finishing college I found a really comforting article about 'how to beat post-college blues' which basically talks through how you might be feeling upon graduating and also about that transitional period which can really get you down. This is all good stuff to know because despite the fact I haven't QUITE finished yet, I am already feeling the reality of my situation closing in and I am freaking out!

I think what I like most about all the information given here is that it really digs in deep about how you feel in the moment and such which is comforting in a way that you know you're not truly alone in this experience as lot of other people are going through it too. The fact that there is an understanding about being down in the dumps and very depressed after leaving college is strangely encouraging as friends and family either feel the same or have already been through this experience at some point in their life. This is a great thing to know as I feel more comfortable to talk about it with those people in order to help me get through this period and perhaps be given some friendly advice.

Learning how to get back into the swing of things regarding social life and trying to have fun and relax is also very important as I feel really lost at the moment and almost feel like I've forgotten how to do all those things. College has been a big part of my life or rather education has as I'm only just taking that step into the world of work now. For years and years I have only really responded to being told what to do and then when true freedom is supposedly within reach I panic because I don;t know what to do and where to start.

Anyway I'd like to put this up here for my own reference and in a hope that it also gives comfort to my fellow colleagues.

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How to Beat the Post-College Blues

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• Accept that you are in a transitional period and that it may be depressing. You work your whole life to get into college. Then you work hard for four years to stay in college and do something useful with your time. You’re always surrounded by people. Then all of a sudden you graduate, expecting a big and fabulous life. Instead, you are likely alone, can’t find a job or are working in a job you aren't crazy about. Fighting this stage isn't going to change anything, so instead, accept where you are. It is temporary. I promise yo—this initial let down will pass. But while you’re in it, you may feel lonely and disappointed. Expect it now, so it won’t be a shocker later.

• Read a lot of books, just for fun. Yes, I said read. I know you feel you've been reading for 4 years, but this time read what YOU want to read. I don’t care if it’s trashy romance novels, books about European history, or self-help books. Feed your brain with pleasurable reading (rather than endless days of HBO). Take note of what you are reading and why you’re reading it. Use this information (rather than your college major) to identify your genuine likes, and let those things influence your job search.

• Make a “bucket list” and get weird. Do things you would never get to do when “life,” work and busy schedules get in the way. Get as creative as you’d like on this one; you’ll never have this much time or freedom again. Take risks and do things you've never done before. You never know where life will take you when you get out of your comfort zone.

• Get reacquainted with your passions. You've been so bogged down by college, activities, part-time jobs, etc. that you haven’t had taken the time to get back to YOU. Now is the time. Do you love animals? Foster a puppy. If you love hiking, take a road trip and go hike somewhere cool. If you’re a fitness freak, use your down time to work out, train for an event, get involved with work out fitness classes/groups in your community. It may sound so obvious but when you are caught up in the post-college slump, it’s easy to stay on the couch in “poor me” mode. This will only delay your life more.

• Volunteer. Volunteering is one of the best ways to fill down time and get happy. Volunteering doesn't necessarily need to be done in a traditional sense (i.e., apply for a structured program and work scheduled hours at a facility). If you love fashion, you could start helping the girls in your neighbourhood put together new looks or start guest posting on fashion blogs. If you love math, you can tutor some neighbourhood kids. If you’re like me you enjoy helping people market themselves and doing volunteer speaking engagements. Volunteering may be as simple as taking your grandparents to their doctors’ appointments or making dinner for your parents, so they don’t have to. Raise your hand! I can’t leave this section without reminding you that “giving” leads to awesome things. You will meet great new people who share your interests, which leads to a positive attitude, new business connections and something to take your mind off of the post-college blues. There is no downside in volunteering!

• Spend time with family members. My Aunt Rita is a great cook. Between graduation and starting work, I decided to spend a few days with Rita so I could learn a few things about cooking from her. Aunt Rita despises cleaning. We “traded” cooking lessons for cleaning and organizing. The same is true for grandparents or relatives that you don’t get to see often. Spending a few extra days with someone you love will likely be a lasting memory and a rare occasion.

Preparing for an Interview

Preparation for an interview is essential as I am of course job hunting and need to be prepared for the various scenarios I could be put in and also know how to answer the questions given.

I did some research into what needs doing before an interview and how to make a good impression. The answers below are a summary if my findings put into my own words along with some of my own suggestions I have been taught by others.

What do I need to do before an interview?

• To do lots of research into the company and the role you are to fulfil within that company as you may be asked questions regarding that role

• You also need to ask yourself why you are suited for the role you are applying for whether it be your skill set or interests or even a combination of the two, you must know how to respond to 'why' you are applying for that role. 

• Following on from the last point you must anticipate the kind of questions you will be asked. It varies from industry to industry but it would be a good idea to set up a range of questions and answer them in a mock interview scenario. 

• You must also memories the route to the interview destination and know how to get there otherwise if you leave it last minute and get lost you will be late and not make a very good impression to your potential employers.

• For travel, if by public transport you will require money and if you drive you must know the surrounding area sand potential places to park. 

• You obviously need suitable clothes for the interview as well. All jobs require different get ups and are not always formal so make sure you visit the place and perhaps sneak a peak at other interviewees. 

How do I make a good impression?

• You must be dressed appropriately. As much as you hate to admit, looks play a big part of an interview probably even more so than what you have to say.

• You must arrive early if not in time for your interview.

• A firm handshake is always a good start when introducing yourself to a potential employer as a firm handshake shows that you are an open and extroverted person and not shy to start and build new relationships. 

• Good posture as body language gives away a lot about your current feelings and the kind of person you are. 

• Constant or well maintained eye contact is an important and polite way to address someone when talking and also show your attentiveness towards conversation. 

• Take your time to answer the questions given to you and also voice any concerns and questions you may have for them. 

Driving License

Due to my personal circumstances and the idea of renting a place of my own I decided that it is in my better interest to consider learning how to drive. This is obviously a very valuable thing to learn in any circumstance but I feel that with the issues regarding public transport and moving to an still unknown destination that it would really come in handy. 

Learning how to drive will also open up a lot of doors in terms of getting a job as I would be able to commute there and back without any issues. I would potentially be able to travel further out for work as well as bus routes for example are fairly local and travelling by train as I have previously mentioned will need some getting use to. 

I am however aware that learning how to drive also requires money but I would consider it to be a good investment. I also happen to be fortunate enough to have a partner that works within the motor trade so his knowledge of cars could be quite useful when taking my tests and also learning the basics of how to drive. 

I definitely think now that this is something I should strongly consider as I don't really know where my life is taking me and my personal circumstances would also benefit from me learning to drive as I would be able to keep in touch with friends and family. 

Personal Projects?

I have been thinking about what kind of projects I would do on the side just to keep my creative flare going and I just thought that maybe I might revisit music orientated stuff. Towards the back end of my second year I showed a lot of interest in sound engineering and when I have the freedom to go out and do my own stuff I thought that maybe it might be worth looking into again. Music producing and creating sound effects aside, I was actually really drawn to visual effects and creating things that respond to sound through the use of After Effects. It does however require certain plug-in materials but it might be worth investing in as might some of the programs I will lose after my student years are behind me.

I also wouldn't mind trying to brush up on my modelling skills and finally give some time to myself to learn how to model characters as I have a bunch of possible collaborations I could do if I learned such a skill. If I ever got into this I might also take it that step further and re-learn rigging as it was probably the only process in college that I never truly understood and got a grasp for. This could then go onto basic animations such as walk cycles and such or again more opportunities to collaborate maybe even with my peers at a later point in life. Through my own sources and also through college I have many valuable contacts that I could possibly get in touch with and start some projects for fun. I think I would really enjoy working on projects like the above as I have the means to do it and i think it would be a shame to give up everything I learned. Just because I don't want to do it as a job doesn't mean I don't want to continue learning and improving my skills for my own personal reasons.

How to Write a Cover Letter

Today I applied for a job that required a cover letter to be submitted with my CV for the application. At college we never got round to doing the cover letter session so I had to do some research into how to write one myself.

With everything in regards to jobs there are lots of different methods of writing CVs and doing cover letters so it is really difficult to know which is correct or if there is even a correct way to do them. After doing some digging I found an example for a layout for a cover letter which I used to structure my writing for the application in question.

Suggested structure for your covering letter:

First Paragraph State the job you’re applying for. Where you found out about it (advert in The Guardian newspaper etc. - organisations like to know which of their advertising sources are being successful) When you're available to start work (and end if it's a placement)

Second Paragraph Why you're interested in that type of work Why the company attracts you (if it's a small company say you prefer to work for a small friendly organisation!)

Third Paragraph Summarise your strengths and how they might be an advantage to the organisation. Relate your skills to the competencies required in the job.

Last Paragraph Mention any dates that you won't be available for interview Thank the employer and say you look forward to hearing from them soon.

If you start with a name (e.g. "Dear Mr Bloggs") you should end with "Yours sincerely". If you start with "Dear Sir or Madam" you should end with "Yours faithfully".

Now, a cover letter better demonstrates your writing skills as your CV is very brief and only really displays all the necessary information about yourself as an individual and your experiences and educational background. The cover letter however allows you to delve deeper and really get your views across about why you are the person the company is looking for and also allows you to share your values that perhaps are in common with the company you are applying to work for. 

It is debatable how much you should really write in a cover letter but I am strong believer that the shorter the sweeter as it doesn't beat around the bush and gets straight to the point. This isn't to say it will only be a sentence of course, but I don;t think it should really drag on either. I feel like a huge block of writing will be off putting as there are many applications to read through and I imagine it can be very tiresome which is why I think the short and sweet approach is best.

The "Yours sincerely" and "Yours faithfully" was also for me, a really good thing to double check as I am not really accustomed to writing letters so I don't really know the proper ways to address someone. So this was really good to know as I do get them confused a lot. 

I'm not going to post my cover letter for obvious reasons but I am very confident that I wrote a good letter and I even got it checked by some friends which was very kind of them. The letter has been approved by others as well as myself and I can only hope to hear from them in the near future.

Portfolio

I have gathered together a set of images that I feel demonstrates my skills as a multidisciplinary artist for my portfolio of college work across the years. They are however, quite minimal as I refuse to show work that I am not proud to show off. I disapprove of doing this purely because, regardless of whether I want to working the industry or not, I would not want to be in position where there were questions asked about my work and all I did was talk bad about it and how it didn't turn out how I originally wanted it to or point out everything remotely wrong with it. I understand that I am showing a huge lack of faith and disbelief in myself as a creative but this is obviously a personal problem that I must overcome and I'm afraid it cannot be forced.

I am going to be submitting my portfolio in PDF format along with the rest of the work required for this module on a disk.

There is potential to create a show reel of sorts but I believe my better work is all static or requires screenshots rather than moving image. 

Location Update

There has been a update with regards to my location after leaving college as I previously stated that I would still be based in Leeds. This is not necessarily the case any more as my personal situation keeps changing. I will be located around Wakefield as that is the area in which my partner works and we are to be getting a place together in the near future.

This has been further pushed by my personal situation which in turn is making looking for work more difficult as there is a sense of unknowing about what is going to happen next. So just to play it safe I am only going to apply for work within possibly a 5 mile radius of Wakefield as I do not drive, making the commute to work difficult and solely reliant on public transport.

I am very confident on buses but have still to learn the necessary route and services when I eventually move. Same goes for trains although I am more unsure and nervous about the process of buying tickets and boarding trains as the platforms and such are very confusing. As you can tell I'm not really accustomed to travelling by train but again this could be necessary to familiarise myself with as I currently have no idea of my new home.

Although it seems small, all of this still builds up to be quite stressful in my given situation as there are so many things to consider as well as my career path and ongoing search for jobs. I feel I have more pressing issues in my personal life that need attention and might have to put my consideration for jobs on the shelf for the time being.

Food and Beverage

Food and Beverage is another area of interest for work as the positions I'm most taken by are all team member roles and I really like the idea of a company all working together in order to deliver great customer experience.

A food and beverage assistant is the generic term for basically handling either or both of those things. This obviously covers a great deal of businesses from restaurants to hotels. There are of course many roles within these businesses but the main two that I am looking into are an apprentice/assistant chef and a waitress role.

To be a waiter there are many responsibilities you have to take on such as meeting and greeting customers, seating them, taking orders and delivering food. You are also in charge of making sure each table and food station is presentable as well as being able to deduce if a customer is unhappy and requires assistance. All of this I think comes down to awareness and consideration for your surroundings. I think this job requires a lot of energy and patience as well as team work and morale all of which I believe I can handle.

Being a chef is strangely enough something I have never considered despite the fact I am very much a foody and love cooking and baking. I think the fast paced environment I would be thrown into would take some getting use to as well and the constant variations in heat. All of this makes this job sound very challenging but what is life without a bit of a challenge? I am a fast learner and would be extremely enthusiastic of the thought of refining my cooking skills and knowledge and it would offer the perfect opportunity to demonstrate my taste for food and presentation.

This sector of work does seem to have it's perks but they are very demanding roles but I would never turn down the opportunity to give it a try as again they revolve around some of my key interests.

I have of course applied for such roles working both front and back of house and all I can do is hope to hear something in the near future.

Kickstarter

I have previously talked about possibly taking on a job to fund an ongoing hobby for fun and if successful a little more money. There is however another way to raise money for creative projects. I have seen a lot of Kickstarter projects for games as I have a games feed on my HTC. I'm semi aware of what they provide but I haven't properly looked it up so now is my chance to learn more.

I visited the Kickstarter website and the first thing I noticed was the variety of creative sectors that they offer help towards. As you can see Kickstarter covers many different creative practices from comics to theatre. I was surprised at the variety it offers because I've only ever seen and heard of Kickstarter through upcoming games.

Now more about what Kickstarter actually offers.

On their website there is a "7 things to know about Kickstarter" which nicely explains their services.

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1. Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative projects.

We’re a home for everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of projects, big and small, that are brought to life through the direct support of people like you. Since our launch in 2009, 6.2 million people have pledged $1 billion, funding 62,000 creative projects. Thousands of creative projects are raising funds on Kickstarter right now.

2. Each project is independently created.

The filmmakers, musicians, artists, and designers you see on Kickstarter have complete control over and responsibility for their projects. Kickstarter is a platform and a resource; we’re not involved in the development of the projects themselves. Anyone can launch a project on Kickstarter as long as it meets our guidelines.

3. Together, creators and backers make projects happen.

Project creators set a funding goal and deadline. If people like a project, they can pledge money to make it happen. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing — projects must reach their funding goals to receive any money. All-or-nothing funding might seem scary, but it’s amazingly effective in creating momentum and rallying people around an idea. To date, an impressive 44% of projects have reached their funding goals.

4. Creators keep 100% ownership of their work.

Backers are supporting projects to help them come to life, not to profit financially. Instead, project creators offer rewards to thank backers for their support. Backers of an effort to make a book or film, for example, often get a copy of the finished work. A bigger pledge to a film project might get you into the premiere — or a private screening for you and your friends. One artist raised funds to create a wall installation, then gave pieces of it to her backers when the exhibit ended.

5. Creative works were funded this way for centuries.

Mozart, Beethoven, Whitman, Twain, and other artists funded works in similar ways — not just with help from large patrons, but by soliciting money from smaller patrons, often called subscribers. In return for their support, these subscribers might have received an early copy or special edition of the work. Kickstarter is an extension of this model, turbocharged by the web.

6. Backing a project is more than just giving someone money.

It’s supporting their dream to create something that they want to see exist in the world. People rally around their friends’ projects, fans support people they admire, and others simply come to Kickstarter to be inspired by new ideas. Some projects take longer than anticipated, but creators who are transparent about issues and delays usually find their backers to be understanding.

7. Our mission is to help bring creative projects to life.

We’re an independent company of 82 people based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. We spend our time making Kickstarter a little bit better every day, answering questions from backers and creators, and finding new projects to share. If a project is successfully funded, we apply a 5% fee to the funds collected.

We believe that creative projects make for a better world, and we’re thrilled to help support new ones. Building a community of backers around an idea is an amazing way to make something new.

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So, from this you can see that method in which Kickstarter helps creatives with their projects. By pitching an idea, a cost and a deadline to reach that amount of money which upon success will hep fund the project. 

Now from what I've seen in for games projects, they always seem to succeed their goal in terms of money. Whether this is because games are becoming increasingly popular or because the ideas were golden I'm quite interested in perhaps trying this out some day. I have all the necessary knowledge of modelling and the Unity game engine but there isn't to say I couldn't learn something else as I'm quite interested in the RPG Maker stuff and also making games for mobile platforms like phones and ipads.

I have confidence that if I ever did start a project that it would go far because I have a lot of faith in my ideas. Throughout my college years I always demonstrate great ideas but struggle to bring it to life in a creative manner. I think because of this I would probably collaborate with people in order to bring my vision to life. I've lots of previous experience of working in a team and I make for a very good team member.

I'm really intrigued about starting a project now. The process seems fairly easy it's just more about planning and organisation in terms of the idea and the team as it needs to be spot in because Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing funding scheme so it would require a lot of time and planning to properly flesh out an idea for a game and to work out the necessary programs and tools needed to make it happen. 

Customer Services

I have recently sent off an application for a Customer Services & Sales assistant position. I've always been interested in Customer Services because I'm aware that the key skills needed for this role no matter the department be it, marketing or retail, is communication. Now I have sound communication skills and I'm very good at talking face-to-face as well as on the phone making me suitable to fulfil this kind of role.

Building and keeping good relationships with customers as well as staff and doing a bit of problem solving here and there sounds like my kind of thing. I also think I would benefit a lot from a role such as this one because I believe there are many valuable transferable skills to be learned on the way from dealing with the public, clients and even fellow departments and I think if I was successful, whether I stay in Customer Services or not that It would be important skills that would help benefit any career path and subsequent roles.

I am a very good listener making the problem solving role quite natural for me as I seem to take on other people's problems and 'mother' them regardless. I think I would feel a lot of satisfaction in a job that involves helping others too as I am a very giving person and if there is anything I can do to help I will do it.

I'm quite pleased and even more intrigued about getting into Customer Services and I think I will carry on applying for these kind of positions.

My train of thought does seem very all over the place at the moment but I think it's clear that I have distinguished my core set of skills and although there are a lot of jobs that benefit from it, Customer Service is probably more communication and relationship based than others making it ideal. I believe there is a lot of room for progression and growth in this sector as well and the pay is very generous from what I've seen.

More than anything I think it's important for me to keep my options open but to be aiming for jobs that suit me as an individual.

Freelancing

Freelancing is something that I never really took a liking to just because it is not a sustainable source of income. It's very up and down and looking for work is also very difficult especially work that pays. However, I've decided to look into it just because I wouldn't mind continuing some of the things I've learnt as a hobby on the side that a job will then fund.

I found a site that has a nice step by step guide on what to do to get started as a freelancer.

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1. Choose Your Craft

Just about everything can be outsourced these days. That's why there's a strong likelihood that the skills on your résumé contain one or more freelancing opportunities.

You may be required to think outside of the box — we're not all graphic designers or programmers. However, you may find that your "secondary" skills can offer up freelancing opportunities. For instance, if you are a strong writer, then you have the potential to develop a freelance writing business.

Don't be paralyzed by a preconception that you do not have the necessary skills or experience — you would be surprised how little experience you need in order to get started. A little faith in your abilities will take you a long way.

2. Create a Brand

If you plan to succeed in the world of freelancing, you will need to create a strong brand that sets you apart from the competition. Your brand is your identity (i.e. your website, blog and social media accounts) and it should clearly communicate your unique selling proposition — what you do that makes you special.

With that in mind, you should narrow down your focus to a specific industry. For instance, as a graphic designer you might choose to do branding work for digital startup businesses only. This form of specialization will make you far more attractive to a specific set of prospective clients and give you a greater chance of success. You can try to cater to all and sundry, but you will probably only provoke indifference.

3. Build a Portfolio and Source Testimonials

The world of freelancing lacks the red tape of the corporate world. Many prospective clients are not concerned with qualifications; they simply want to see what you have done in the past and judge whether it is the right fit for them.

Therefore, if you are good at what you do and can demonstrate your skill through a quality portfolio and positive client testimonials, you have every chance of success. The conundrum, however, is in building a portfolio without experience.

Many freelancers will react to this by picking up the smallest and least lucrative jobs around, but that puts them into a vicious cycle of bargain-basement work. To work for high-paying clients, you need to demonstrate that you are worth big money by doing good work.

So don't be afraid to do pro bono work for the right clients when you are first starting out. The free work you do at this stage can ultimately be priceless when it clearly communicates your worth to future potential clients via an extensive portfolio and glowing testimonials. Also, offering your services at no cost is a gentle introduction into the world of freelancing where you do not feel the pressure of having to deliver a service of requisite value.

4. Start Pitching

You should only seek paying clients when you are able to demonstrate your abilities (and your reputation) with a quality portfolio and testimonials. Once you have done so by working on pro bono jobs, it's time to start pitching.

But whom should you pitch? Well, if you branded yourself correctly then you should know exactly whom to pitch. By having such a narrow focus, potential clients are far more likely to take you seriously than if you offered a generic service. Businesses want to work with freelancers who seemingly came into existence to serve them specifically — you can create this illusion through specialization.

Potential clients can be found everywhere: from Google to social media to your doorstep. The possibilities are endless.

The two keys to successful pitching are relevance and volume. Only pitch those clients who fit the mold of your brand and pitch a lot of them. Ruth Zive of Marketing Wise, a content marketing firm based in Canada, had a "ten before ten" rule when she first started out as a freelancewriter — she would make sure to pitch ten prospective clients before 10 a.m. every working day. Those numbers add up quickly.

5. Play the Odds

Ultimately, securing freelance work is a numbers game — the more prospective clients you contact, the more likely you are to find work. That is the equation you should keep in mind. If you have a reasonable skill set and create a quality brand, there is no reason why you cannot succeed in the world of freelancing like so many others have before you.

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As a student of a disciplinary course, I think that I have many different and transferable skills that allow me to pretty much choose any craft I like. As games were my main focus in my third year and I had demonstrated good modelling skills since my first year I think that games and modelling would be my area of choice to further explore as a hobby. 

As for branding, as an generalist it will be difficult to pin point a title for myself as a creative. Multidisciplinary Artist or a Designer sounds quite appealing as it still puts me in a position to branch out and try other things. As a generalist I think it's important to show that flexibility to better help me find work but that isn't to say I can't have strong points or specialisms. The pitching section also seems to suggest that a specialism is more favourable with clients so maybe I need to sit down and think about my core skills.

Building a portfolio isn't as complicated as I have work and projects I'm proud of that I can use as a base before using examples I've drawn from work and clients if I become successful. So in essence I'm not starting from nothing if I do decide to take freelancing seriously.

It is important to work out my title and create a logo of some kind as this is the only reason I have not yet made any business cards. This is extremely important in terms of networking at events and such. I also need to think about creating a web presence with whatever name or brand I decide on so that everyone knows how to find me as all my accounts will be named accordingly and linked. 

Voluntary Community Work

So as part of working within the community and for gaining experience I have been looking into voluntary work. I went onto http://www.leeds.gov.uk/ to look up about working within the Leeds Museum and Gallery and found some interesting stuff. 

As a volunteer you can come from any background and there is no need for previous experience, just an enthusiasm towards the work given to you. The application section does state that all individuals are required to have a CBR check otherwise known as DBS check now (Disclosure and Barring Service). This is something that I've have already been told about and that I've looked into as it is required for a career path i'm interested in (teaching). The DBS check is taken to show that you've no criminal records making you safe to work with children under the age of 18. This of course would be necessary for museums of any kind as they are a popular destination for school trips and history. 

After reading through all the necessary information these are the available positions currently showing on the site...

 
CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES
​Grayson Perry, Vanity of Small Differences - Temple Newsam

Retail Operations - Leeds Museum Discovery Centre

​Memoria – Leeds Industrial Museum, Armley Mills

Kirkstall Abbey Tour Guides

Happy Abbey Volunteering
 
Community Garden Volunteer

Growing for Colour  - Leeds Industrial Museum, Armley Mills

War Memorial Researcher - Leeds Industrial Museum, Armley Mills

Project Development Volunteer – Queer Art Project

These positions show an array of different roles and places all of which I'm familiar such as, Armley Mills, Temple Newsam, Leeds Museum and Kirkstall Abbey. 

The tour guide role I found quite interesting but despite knowing and living near Kirkstall Abbey for a long time I've never been to the museum so I'm not familiar with the tour itself. The role would also requite being quite knowledgeable about the local history and I'm afraid history has never been a favoured subject for me. Not being a big history fan kind of puts me off the majority of roles here. Although they would all be very beneficial I don't want to take on work I'm not enthusiastic about never mind voluntary work. 

The community garden volunteer sounds interesting and I've always enjoyed the outdoors and nature so I think I'd enjoy this role. 

The other role I quite like is the retail operations role at the Leeds Museum as it involves serving customers in their small gift shop section.

The most intriguing role is the Vanity of Small Differences up at Temple Newsam. I'm not entirely sure what this role involves as the title doesn't give much away but even more reason to enquire about it!

School Teacher Stabbed to Death

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-27193638

In recent news there has been a stabbing of a teacher in Leeds that has caused a lot of unrest among other teachers regarding their safety. The reason for bringing this up is because I am obviously considering a teaching career and with this awful news and the grieving of it's community, you do have to question what rules and regulations there are for the safety of school staff.

I am a little uneasy about hearing this story and probably even more so about the thought of teaching for a middle school as the behaviour of youngsters these days seems very unpredictable as the attacker was described as a good guy. That said, I cannot let things like this stop me from wanting to create a stable career for myself and also do my bit as part of the community. I think in a way it makes me want to teach in a Primary school even more just so that I could potentially stop things like that from happening by leaving a good impression on the younger generation and also preaching good morals and values.

Teaching Career

Teaching is something that always pops into my mind when I'm unsure what to do in terms of a career path and after some further encouragement I think it would be unwise of me to ignore this constant nagging feeling about becoming a teacher. So I've decided to do some research into the requirements needed to become a teacher.

First of all, In terms of teaching I'm more interested in both extremes with regards to age groups, kids (primary/nursery) and adults (college/university). Out of the two I'm more interested in working with a younger audience just because I love kids and also I would like to be there to make a good impression on them at an early stage. I have been told by various friends, colleagues and superiors that I have a good make up for a teacher and the correct temperament. I do feel like I would make for a great teacher myself but I've never known where to start looking and with so much support and encouragement I think maybe the role of a teacher would suit me very well.

Now onto my research and findings on how to become a teacher..

First of all, because I want to work with a younger audience I'm to take a DBS previously known as a CBR check. This is a test that shows I'm clean (no criminal record) and suitable to work with kids.

I also need to take a Initial Teacher Training course (ITT) in order to become a teacher in the UK. These courses also involve spending time as part of school for several weeks. 24 weeks for a secondary school and 18 weeks for a primary school. There are many different ways of achieving the ITT qualification and I'm especially interested in School Direct.

This is the description of their training programme...

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School Direct

The School Direct Training Programme offers places in some of the best primary and secondary schools in the country, and your school will have a job in mind just for you. There are two School Direct routes to choose from, depending on your circumstances:

• The School Direct Training Programme is for high-quality graduates who want to be part of a school while training. You'll pay fees but could be eligible for a bursary of up to £20,000 or a £25,000 scholarship to help you along the way.
• The School Direct Training Programme (salaried) is an employment-based route for high-quality graduates with at least three years' work experience (in any field), so is a good option for career changers. On this route, you will earn a salary while you train.

School Direct programmes generally last for one year and successful completion leads to qualified teacher status (QTS); many also include a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE).

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As you can see though, although it's great for career changers it does require up to 3 years of experience in any field. But this does mean that I could revisit this idea at a later point in life and get myself sorted out in the here and now so it is something to still take into consideration.

I really like the idea of taking this on at some point if I decide to go down a different route in the meantime because upon successful completion it offers all the qualifications needed and also some valuable experience working within a school.

There are of course various other and quicker ways of becoming a teacher because in the 3 years of waiting to build up experience for the above programme I could take night classes to get a PGCE (post graduate certification in Education) and a QTS (Qualified Teacher Status).

Now onto wanting to be a teach specifically for a primary school.. There are certain subjects that I am required to have basic knowledge of which are the key stage 2 subjects which are listed below.

National curriculum subjects for key stages 1 and 2

Status	Subject
Core subject	English
	maths
	science
Non-core foundation subject	design and technology (D&T)
	information and communication technology (ICT)
	history
	geography
	modern foreign languages (MFL)
	art and design
	music
	physical education (PE)

As well as basic knowledge of these subjects a degree is also required but not a specified one so I would able to get into primary school teaching with a bit more ease as they also provide training. Specialist training for subjects such as PE for example may still require similar experience and training.