About me: TV Producer to first-time Teacher

From telly to teaching

Hi,

I'm Nadine, and I live in London. In June 2021, I left my job as a TV producer on the ITV Daytime show ‘Lorraine’, to become a primary school teacher. Having worked at ITV for 12 years, I was a 38-year-old career changer with no previous experience in teaching. I wasn't a parent and hadn't been around children for well over a decade. Everyone I told about my new venture was amazed by my decision and in complete shock and awe. They thought it was an incredibly brave and noble thing for me to do and wished me all the very best.

Teacher training is something that I always wanted to do, and after years away from education, it was a privilege to be able to study and learn again. I wanted to feel like I was making a difference every day, and I knew that working with children would be fulfilling and rewarding. Although we were over the worst of the pandemic, restrictions were still in place, and Teach First's summer training (known as Summer Institute) was all online. I was pumped to begin my teacher training journey, and I was prepared to fully immerse myself in all things teaching and learning.

In September 2021, I began teaching full-time in an outstanding London primary school, in year 1 (5 & 6-year-olds). As well as being a full-time teacher, I was also a student and had two 6,000-word essays to write. On top of all of that, I had to prepare for multiple observations, termly reviews and training sessions.

I  love writing and started to journal about my experiences and feelings when I began teaching. Having been through so much and learned so much, I was bursting with knowledge and information that I was desperate to share. I wanted to inspire and encourage other trainees and reassure them that everything would be okay. As well as writing a blog, I also wanted to create a helpful resource and guide for new teachers. As I began to blog, TV to Teacher was born, and I'm loving every moment of it. It captures my real-life tales from telly to teaching and beyond. It’s real, it’s honest and I hope it makes you smile. It's a must-read for trainee teachers and career changers of all ages. Enjoy, be encouraged and feel free to get in touch :).

Hugs 'n' sparkles, 

Nadine x