Wondering what a career as a teacher is like? Read (or listen to) Vijendra’s story to find out…
My name is Vijendra and I am currently a Secondary School Maths Teacher at King Henry School in Erith.
I think many people should consider becoming a STEM teacher. You have to recognise that STEM is one of the core skills that the world needs to tackle some of the toughest problems we have.
If you come from a STEM education background and you pass the knowledge onto the next generation, you’re having a really big impact. You’re part of the solution to the future problems because you taught children the equations that eventually led them to becoming scientists who solve something, and you play a role in that journey.
My journey started in university when I heard about Debate Mate. Debate Mate is an amazing charity that works with young children to teach them about debating. Before I knew it, I had the training and come September, I was in the classroom teaching.
Over the course of a year, I’ve had opportunities to go to Rwanda to teach debating. That was one of the best moments in my whole life. I felt like I was a part of the team. That’s also what convinced me to work with Debate Mate. The reason I chose to was because I love teaching and that made me think ‘if that’s the case then I should just become a teacher’.
You live most days feeling like you accomplished something, or you made progress with a child. A child can come to you looking upset, and you speak to them about how their day is going and how they feel. They leave feeling happier. As a human, it’d be hard not to enjoy helping that child smile because of your interaction. I think that’s special. It’s very hard to find that in other jobs.
Many people do it for a short period of time and they have a complete career shift. If I were advising somebody, I would say consider teaching. It doesn’t have to necessarily be a long term career (but it absolutely can be). If you’re just curious about what it would be like to teach, then do it!
Get Into Teaching
Your favourite teacher started exactly where you are now. You are more of a teacher than you think!
