James Hayes

My name is:

James Hayes

I am trained to be a:

Primary (with PE) Teacher

I chose to be a teacher because:

I wanted to have a career where I could wake up every morning making a difference in the lives of children. I grew up in Tameside and I was lucky to receive an excellent education, due to great teachers. I wanted a chance to improve the life chances and outcomes of the kids in and around Tameside and Oldham and ensure they get the same chances I did.

The reason I chose to train with Manchester Nexus is:

Through employment in the Cranmer Education Trust, I had the opportunity to see first-hand the support trainee teachers receive from Nexus. I felt confident this was a provider and a path that would suit and support me and give me the best chance of success in the profession.

The thing I find most challenging about the course is:

Probably overcoming the day-to-day challenges – lessons don’t always go the way that you want them to, however, it was exciting and an opportunity to learn how to overcome, reflect and be flexible to change.

But the way I am supported with that is:

Through high-quality and experienced mentors, training sessions and a culture which promotes openness to ask challenging questions. Networking with the other trainees and hearing how they have overcome challenges was also a huge help.

The most enjoyable thing about the course was:

The personal development journey, starting out not being able to do something initially, but through confidence building, support from the partner schools and plenty of reassurance, I had the opportunity to try different methods of teaching in contrasting schools. This developed my own practice.  

The best thing about working with children

The excitement of seeing them learn and become engaged in something that they may not initially have shown any interest in. For example, they might go home and research a topic that we have covered in class – seeing the excitement when they show me what they have learned themselves the next day is such a great feeling. Every day is different, in its own exciting, challenging way. I feel a sense of job satisfaction, knowing I’m making a difference to kids in a complex area, from a range of backgrounds.