Why investing in your child's education is one of the most important things you can do. Part 4

My University Experience - Part 4 2/2

My success at UCL became my failure. I kept having the narrative that I just wasn’t ‘good enough’ and that I didn’t ‘belong here’. And of course it was pure and utter nonsense. I ended up completing my first year at UCL and transferring to Reading.

I lived in Halls which I didn’t love. I was never really aligned with the lifestyle of going out and staying out late (took me a while to realise this!) But I love my sleep! I love to be in bed early and I love to just read books and relax! On my third year I did my Erasmus year in Bologna. This year I loved so much! I met my current best friend in the whole wide world and I made some beautiful friends that I still speak to. I didn’t study much at all as I found it all very ‘easy’ and I completed my studies by January. The rest of the year was pretty much a vacation and I did have a lot of fun. My final year at Reading, I lived in a house with 5 other girls and it went very well.

I graduated with top marks and I received my degree.

Once completed however, I was completely lost. I couldn’t get a single job (and I was applying for hundreds!). I didn’t have ‘experience’! Well how could I have experience? I had just graduated.

I wanted desperately to interpret law but all the doors just closed on me.

My peers were offered jobs. They went to better schools that me, got better grades than me and had connections. I had none of that!

I did a law Post grad course for one year and tried again. Still nothing.

That’s when I decided to do my PGCE. I specialised in Early Years. I was naturally very gifted. I had always worked with young children from the age of 18 (working in a Nuffield Gym creche for 7 years, teaching swimming to young children and also working as a nanny). It came naturally to me and at 25 I landed my first teaching job at a top prep school - The Mulberry House School. I worked so hard for 3 years preparing children for their 4+ and 7+ Assessments and we had amazing results.

I will always speak words of positivity to my son. I will always tell him that he is ‘more than good enough’. I will always tell him that he can be whatever he wants to be and I will provide him with the stepping stones to get there. It is the privilege of my life to provide him with the best education possible for him and to be able to provide my students with the same.

When I think of the thousands of students I’ve now personally helped to secure places at amazing schools, I feel proud. I’m so incredibly proud of myself and I’m so proud of them. I know that I’ve helped to provide them with what they need to have the success that they want and to make it that little bit easier for them. So that they don’t have to struggle as much as I did. They will struggle as that’s part of life but having extra opportunities and have doors opened for them is what I know I was able to help them with.