Daniel Franklin
Find out how studying at the University of Birmingham helped Daniel achieve his career goals.
Daniel Franklin, MA Teaching Studies, PGDE Secondary English
Daniel's Graduate Story
Degree Title(s): MA Teaching Studies, PGDE Secondary English
Job title: Secondary English Teacher
The course helped prepare me in both hard and soft skills for my career. Working in two secondary schools, with a mentor within the faculty, made progressing even smoother due to the frequent lesson observations and gradual target setting. This allowed a seamless transition from a trainee teacher to an Early Career Teacher (ECT).
I am currently a secondary English teacher at a mainstream secondary school.
My typical day includes starting off the day with my form group and ensuring they are settled but also building strong connections with the pupils to ensure they are prepared for the school day. Each day I may teach three to five lessons, with a range of different year groups from Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) cohorts all the way to teaching sixth form groups. Needless to say, copious amounts of dad jokes and subsequent groans from pupils are an absolute staple in the profession.
During the PGDE I applied for multiple schools within the West Midlands. There are a large range of schools from private or public, religious or even academies. It is important to realise that interviews are a two-way process, therefore, it required multiple interviews to find a school that was a correct fit for me.
The course helped prepare me in both hard and soft skills for my career. Working in two secondary schools, with a mentor within the faculty, made progressing even smoother due to the frequent lesson observations and gradual target setting. This allowed a seamless transition from a trainee teacher to an Early Career Teacher (ECT).
As I had half the credits from the PGDE, going on to complete my Masters in Teaching Studies was fulfilling. I got to work with my school to professionally develop my ability to conduct investigations to support literacy among pupils with autism. Additionally, being entrusted with Key Stage 5 (Year 12 and 13) - the holy grail of teaching - is an incredible experience as I get to share my love for linguistics and delve deeper into the nuances of language.