So currently I’m working in West London covering the area from Uxbridge to Finchley. It’s a large space but it benefits from good transport links and the sheer amount of schools keeping me busy. You can find supply work all over the UK but London seems to be a place with more opportunities and honestly, I wanted to try living in the capital and learn more about teaching, to see if it is a long-term trade that I want to commit myself to.

London is interesting and contains many different types of schools from religious to private institutions. I work in Primary education as I love to work with young children. I mostly teach Reception to Year 2 but I can end up working in any year up to Year 6.

Teaching in primary you teach every subject but you can use your experience to promote yourself as a specialist such as a music teacher or IT lead. London is a multicultural city so this will be reflected in the students you will teach which I love as I’m exposed to different religions and languages. Some will speak English only as a second language so patience is needed.

Teaching here is amongst the most difficult and challenging education settings in the West because the UK has succeeded better than many others in making sure the multicultural society experiment works.

This has drawn many to seek out a better life and the UK is a big draw because of many things such as its colonial history and its never-ending search for new labor sources for its aging citizenry.

This draw means that most schools are full to capacity in the suburbs.  Many of these children will struggle to integrate culturally and have the added prospect of having to learn a new language simply to communicate.

London for me is good and bad, great for schools, experience and amount of things to do but these are coupled with high rental prices, cost of living issues and expensive daily transport. I’m still glad for the experience.