Andrew Powell

NAME Andrew Powell
SCHOOL St Joseph’s Roman Catholic High School
LOCAL AUTHORITY Newport
AREA OF WORK Secondary education
QUALIFICATIONS HND engineering; BSc secondary teaching in mathematics and science with QTS, University of Wales, Newport (2008)

When I left school, I did an apprenticeship in engineering and worked in the construction industry for 15 years across technical and marketing roles. Teaching is something I had always considered, and when staffing cuts began and several friends were made redundant, it seemed a good time to get out of construction.

Life as a secondary maths teacher

I teach children aged 11 to 16 and enjoy the variety. The school I work at has a two-week timetable, but I’d say it averages out as 21 hours contact time plus four hours of preparation time per week. I try to get as much preparation done at school as I can, and probably spend an extra two to three hours a week at home. As I’m in my 30s I haven’t really struggled with classroom management, and the biggest challenge is inspiring those who have decided they hate maths! It’s important to be mentally strong and self-critical, because as a teacher you are in charge of how each day goes and whether or not you get better at the job. The best thing about teaching is building a rapport with your class – teenagers can be difficult to deal with at times, but they are on your side at the end of the day.

Training and teaching in Wales

I have had a very positive experience training and teaching in Wales, and believe the only difference from the rest of the UK is that we adapt some of the curriculum to include Welsh names. Next year I’d like to become more involved with extra curricular activities, such as coaching rugby and organising school trips.