Thamilarasi has been working as a Travel and Tourism lecturer at Waltham Forest College since September 2019. She found that she really enjoyed the teaching experience and wanted to pursue it as a career and become a qualified teacher by completing the PGCE qualification. Therefore, she decided to make her career dreams come true, by studying at Greenwich.
“I am currently studying for the PGCE in Further Education and Skills Sector as a distance learner.” Thamilarasi told us. “It was one of the most recommended courses by other people who have completed their PGCE and who work with me at a Further Education establishment. The reason that I enrolled to study the PGCE at University of Greenwich is so that I can become a qualified teacher.” Thamilarasi goes on to say “I choose Greenwich simply due to the fact that my sister (Perarasi) studied at the university and had a fantastic experience with my younger brother (Komainthan) joining in September 2021. This was also the only university in London that considered students for distance learning, which met my needs.”
So far Thamilarasi has successfully completed her first year at the university as a distance learner. She says that her experience so far has been really enjoyable. “Initially, I was really worried about signing up to study a programme as a distance learner.” Thamilarasi revealed “However, the university has provided great support through my tutor Michelle Best and my mentor Sharon Samaroo at Waltham Forest College. The course is well structured, allowing me to balance and manage work/home and my educational career. All the required resources for the course are accessible through the Moodle site and if I require additional support, my tutor at the university is just an email away. She is very quick to respond to my emails throughout the academic year.”
Thamilarasi said: “As a distance learner, I feel like I have more contact with my tutor; she is very knowledgeable about the subject content, is very thorough in the feedback provided, and has been a great support when observing my lessons.” Thamilarasi goes on to explain “I have had study days with both Michelle and Charmine, who both create a positive virtual environment that enabled me to enjoy the course/modules. Furthermore, as a distance learner, I have a mentor in my place of work. Both my mentor (Sharon Samaroo, a PGCE graduate of the University of Greenwich) and my tutor (Michelle Best) are both willing to help others. The target settings and feedback provided inspire me to plan and deliver excellent lessons for my travel and tourism students. These lessons are student-led, engaging and motivating.”
Finally, we asked Thamilarasi if she would recommend the course. “Yes, I will recommend the course to other individuals who want to advance their career in teaching.” She responded “The course helped me understand the principles of teaching and learning and put theory into practice. The course is designed to give in depth view of teaching and learning in Further Education. The subject content is directly applicable to my place of work, such as Personal Development Portfolio (PDP), Theories of learning and policy and curriculum issues. There is an excellent team to provide support and make materials available on-line through Moodle.”
We thank Thamilarasi for sharing her story and wish her all the best for the future!
