After I completed my teacher training in Cambridge in 2005, I decided to move back to Aberdeen, where I had been an undergraduate. During this period I was introduced to working with young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND).
I covered for a couple of teachers in two schools in their learning support departments and realised that I wanted to teach young people with additional learning needs. However, I also needed a bit more classroom experience teaching my specialist subject, geography.
In January 2008, I relocated back home to East Anglia to work as a geography teacher at a school in Norwich. The idea of being a SEND teacher never left me but I struggled to find a way of achieving this ambition in Norfolk. There were limited opportunities in mainstream schools in terms of SEND, and I realised I would need to relocate to get my dream job. So, off I went again, this time to London.
My first job in the capital was a maternity cover post, teaching young people who spoke English as an additional language (EAL) at a school in Tower Hamlets. I loved the role and it confirmed to me that working as a support teacher was what I wanted to do.
Settling back in to Suffolk life
Several things changed in my personal life while I was working in Tower Hamlets, including my father having a stroke (from which he, fortunately, recovered). Shocked and upset, I decided to move back home. So, in the summer of 2016, I returned to East Anglia and started my job as special educational needs coordinator at Hobart High School in Loddon.
I had a bit of a culture shock when I returned home as it is such a different pace of life. I like the beautiful countryside, the fresh air and the tranquillity, as well as being surrounded by nature; all things I missed while living in London. I also enjoy living near the coast and going for some great walks. And, ultimately, I enjoy living in the East of England because it is home.
One of the advantages of working in a rural school is that there is more stability in terms of staffing. There was a high turnover at my school in London, which made it tricky for the young people (especially those with additional needs) to form positive relationships with teaching assistants and teachers. Now I work with a small but highly experienced and skilled TA team, which makes a world of difference.
Creative buzz
There are lots of creative things happening around East Anglia: Southwold Arts Festival, concerts at Snape Maltings, events at The Cut in Halesworth, Norfolk and Norwich Arts Festival and much more.
There are also great museums, such as the Time and Tide in Great Yarmouth and Norwich Castle Museum. And I am looking forward to the inaugural First Light 24-hour arts festival in June in Lowestoft.
But East Anglia is not a complete rural idyll. It has its problems, especially around a lack of government support and investment.
I live in Lowestoft, in Suffolk, which has felt the loss of the fishing and manufacturing industries that were once prevalent in the area. At times it feels that people around here have lost their way, through no fault of their own; the jobs that were once here have disappeared.
But, overall, I would happily recommend this part of the world to others. It is beautiful, friendly and peaceful. I would like to think that places like Lowestoft could benefit from people relocating, bringing new ideas and vision to the area. What we need is more young people with entrepreneurial spirit settling here.
Where will your next career move take you? Find the latest teaching jobs in the East of England