Local training provides pathway for teachers

Education Services is currently looking for a new cohort of local graduates who would be interested in on-island teacher training, which has been running in its current format since 2011.

The year-long Initial Teacher Training programme, which University of Brighton curate and provide training for, leads to Guernsey Qualified Teacher Status upon successful completion.

Jess Cobb, 54, who took the course during the 2011-12 school year, is a media studies teacher at the Guernsey Grammar School & Sixth Form Centre.

She said she felt happier in teaching than in any of her previous vocations, and said the career move would not have been possible without the on-island programme.

'I started training here at Grammar in 2011 in the drama department, which is what I got my degree in in the early 1980s,' she said. 'I ended up teaching media studies – I worked for Radio Guernsey and in public relations previously and I gravitated towards that area. Going back to university was not doable for me and this course fitted brilliantly.

'I was very lucky to get a place, as working in-house you learn the nuts and bolts of teaching by observing other teachers and analysing your own performance.

'It was honestly the hardest thing and the best thing I have done, but it has to be as you cannot just walk into teaching. We were really well-supported and I felt highly valued and respected during the training. I come into work every day with a smile on my face and I would recommend the course to anyone.'