Newly qualified teachers

• A welcoming and supportive environment
• A full statutory induction
• Support from a mentor
• Access to a continuing development programme and accreditation of learning. For example, your reflective portfolio can count as 20 credits towards an MA or other awards, through a programme run in partnership with the University of the West of England (UWE)
• Friendly networking opportunities including induction meetings with other South Gloucestershire NQTs

South Gloucestershire schools also offer other training opportunities - for example the Graduate Teaching Programme (GTP). Here's what one of our staff has to say about the programme:

"Teaching wasn't the career I had in mind when I left university, but after working in a number of other roles, I knew that I wanted something different from life. I'd always had a passion for English and history, so when I heard I could become a teacher via the graduate training programme, I went for it. It was a good, secure career with an attractive salary and if I decided to become a mother later in life, it would fit in well with that because I could go part-time. Thankfully, it was the right move for me. Every day is different - I'm never bored and the pension package is good. Even when you have the odd little 'battle', you'll get some personal feedback or break down a barrier, and it re-energises you. The school here is very supportive, the management are great and I'm always learning from peers. You must be prepared for a career that can be tough and tiring, but the rewards are better than anything!"

Gina Cristofoli
GTP – English and History

Get a taste of what it's really like to work here from a few other of our NQTs:

"I studied Maths and Philosophy at Bristol before completing a PGCE. I'd always enjoyed explaining things and I like maths too, so it seemed a natural progression for me. Getting thanks from the kids or making a difficult class work gives you a real sense of achievement. It keeps you on your toes and, despite all my best planning, you never quite know what's going to happen!"

Dominic Bareau
Mathematics

"I attend external training days organised by the council and get to meet other NQTs and share ideas. Observing other teachers on both a formal and informal basis is also very useful for my development. There are some good benefits too. The PGCE grant really helped as did my £4k 'golden hello!' "

"I live in Bristol and love the south-west area. If I were going to move jobs, I'd still look for opportunities within this area. But I'm happy where I am for the moment - it's been a fantastic job to go into with new challenges at every turn."

"After graduating from University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC), I saw this job in the TES. It appealed because of its close proximity to Cardiff. As well as organising and delivering my lessons, I'm also involved after school and the NQT programme is brilliant, with two mentoring lessons every fortnight. I'm always really well looked after, there's help available at all times and it's a young team here. All these things helped me settle in quickly and I love being able to concentrate on teaching graphics, which is my specialty. Teaching has given me much more than I expected. The holidays are wonderful obviously! I've already had a promotion and I see my future in this area."
David Stanton
Design and Technology

"Previously I worked in the finance department of a big multi-national company but I wasn't happy. I'd been thinking about teaching for a long time, so I went and did my PGCE at Exeter. I wanted to come back to the Bristol area but didn't want to work in the city. I didn't know much about South Gloucestershire previously and I was a bit uncertain when I went for the interview. But the people were wonderful and I was won over immediately. Seeing pupils that are absorbed in what you're doing is one of the most satisfying aspects of the job. It's also rewarding when you make progress with a child that has previously been difficult to teach. I've found the senior managers here to be very encouraging and I find the network meetings (where we meet our peers) very useful. I'm given time off to pursue my Masters in Education and the Starter Home Initiative is great – there's no way I could have afforded a house on my own!"
Sarah Lockyer
Modern Languages

"I studied at the University of the West of England plus had a placement at Manorbrook nearby. Once I'd finished at Uni, I took a position as teaching assistant for a junior school's final four weeks of term. It was there that I heard about the vacancy for my current job and applied. I considered travelling to Gloucester or Swindon, but the fact that it was in a nice area and very close won me over and I took the job. I feel very lucky to work within South Gloucestershire. My school has two 'Advanced Skills Teachers' and a leading English co-ordinator, plus my head is Ofsted-trained. I feel that the school has excellent staff who understand best practice and are able to offer excellent levels of support. As for the area, I say go for it. It's a great place to live and work, there's an excellent support network and the area is small enough so that you get known."
Jacqui Cook
Primary Teacher