Sussed

I think I've got it sussed, finally. After lots of thinking I realised that really I always knew what I wanted to be and these past few years have just been "testing the waters" to check that it really is what I want to do... I want to be a primary school teacher! It's what I dreamed of being from about the age of 9 or 10 until someone put it into my head I should do something else first when I was 16. I've returned to the idea lots of times and I guess the message finally hit.

I emailed my old nursery manage the other day and she's told me to send her my CV so she can think about roles I could apply for in childcare but unless she can come up with a better opportunity I'm gonna work this next year as a support worker at the uni and apply to do teacher training next year. I have two possible routes - the first working as an unqualified teacher but being paid whilst training on the job - the second doing a postgraduate course which is more expensive for me but allows me to train in a language specialism for young children. I'll see what is available at the time.

I've spoken to my dad and he's ok with me working at the uni over the summer (which will only bring in about £25 per week, so isn't much but I can give him half of my earning and still have enough to have a bit of a life) and using the rest of my time trying to get some targeted work experience in child care settings, just to make sure that teaching truly is the direction I want to take in the childcare sector - but I truly think it is, this is just to be certain!

Then, come September when the students return to uni I'll have much more work to do and be able to hopefully save some money up and start applying for teacher training. I feel good now I have a direction and one I am happy with... I'd become increasingly down and stressed with the pressure I was putting on myself to find a job but now I know I have a direction I can work towards productively I feel ok with only working 4 hours per week and using the rest to prepare for the future.

I'm not closing my mind to any other options that may come available, but I know I truly want to follow my heart in childcare and this makes more sense financially and career wise as well as making me hapy and peaceful so it is nice to have the direction, finally!

And on and end note... I have finished transferring my posts from Typepad to Blogger so this will be my last post on Typepad as well as Blogger... in future you can find me here.