So I have this awesome new job.
But I know nothing about it.
Allow me to explain...
I went for it after it was listen as an 'SEN Teacher'. Great, I thought. Exactly what I want. And from what we had been told, any interview experience is good experience. So I went along to the school for a visit, spoke with the deputy head about the role.
Turns out it was more one-to-one based, and I would be more of a support assistant for a particular child, working with him in and out of school. This didn't put me off at all - in fact, I felt far more comfortable with that than I probably would with an actual teaching job. I still don't feel like I'm quite ready to be a teacher yet, I don't think I could cope. Perhaps this is because it's been built up for so long... I don't know. Maybe I found comfort in the new description of this job because it is pretty much what I do already, just in a more school-based context.
The more I found out about the job, the more intriguing it became.
The pay was a little shy of what I would be getting as a starting rate for teaching, and I would only really be involved in school 3 days a week. There would be afternoons where I would work with the child in his home, or in the community, but this would literally be the one-to-one client services that I started doing when I was 17. In essence... I am now pretty overqualified for this.
But that in a way spurs me on even more - in a recent meeting, I was introduced as a support assistant and carer. In the general heirachy of the meeting, I was bottom of the pile (and also newest). After a while, I started to show my colours a bit more and the other members of the team were surprised at what I knew. This made me feel even more like I was in the right position to deal with this properly. I want to research things, put plans together, work with an attitude to move things forward for this kid. His family are lovely, and are in the position where they don't know much about what is going on and aren't being told. If anything, being a mediator is a position I am more than willing to take up.
As shocked as I am about how easy it seemed to land a job, I am still conscious of the fact I am not 'teaching' in the same route that I started the course to follow. But four years is a long time. Long enough for ideas and aims to change, and definitely long enough for you to be put off something.
I'm in the right place, doing the right thing. And the more that I find out, the more excited I get.
For the first time in my life, I feel like I have something solid to hold on to, and a genuine sense of direction.
Just thought it was worth noting.
