Ben Ralf

• Year of graduation: 2023
• Current job title: Trainee Geography Teacher
• Current employer: The Cambridge Partnership
• Industry sector: Education

I wanted to study Geography because it was a subject I’d enjoyed at school and at A-level, and I also had an interest in it outside of school. I chose the University of Northampton because the lecturers were helpful and welcoming at open days and I liked that the class sizes were a lot smaller than most other universities.

The Geographies of Sport module and using GIS were my favourite parts of the course, as it helped me to learn more about my areas of interest and to develop new geographical skills. I also enjoyed looking at how other parts of geography such as migration, regeneration, and development link to sports.

Subject knowledge is important as a geography teacher, and doing a Geography BSc means I have up-to-date geographical knowledge that I can take into the classroom. Skills such as essay writing have been useful as part of my PGCE, as it means I already have experience with academic writing which fits with the types of assignments I’m undertaking for my PGCE. Learning to use GIS at university has also been very useful, as this is part of the school curriculum that isn’t widely taught yet, but I’ve been able to use it in my classes as part of teaching different topics such as Tectonic Hazards or Coastal Landscapes.

Alongside my studies, in the second and third year of my course, I was a Learning Development Mentor. This involved helping other students with questions relating to their assignments, such as referencing, essay structure, and understanding assignment briefs. This extra-curricular activity was useful when going into teaching, as it gave me experience in helping others with their studies and explaining different types of assignment. When I had my interview for teacher training, they were impressed that I’d had this experience before going into teaching.

Last year I went back to my old secondary school to gain some classroom experience and I began my teacher training in September 2023. I’m currently on a one-year course to become a Geography Teacher at secondary school level. For four days a week I’m in school teaching in classes and the other day is for training. Once I finish the course in June, I’ll become an Early Career Teacher (ECT) which means that teachers who are newly qualified are provided with extra support.

The skills and knowledge that I gained on my degree that are most useful in my current role are academic writing, communication and group work, geography subject knowledge (both human and physical geography), map and GIS skills, and an understanding of current issues in geography (e.g., climate change and sustainability).

If I could give any advice to undergraduates interested in this career path I would recommend getting some classroom experience by going into a school and observing classes before applying for a teacher training course (it’s worth contacting former teachers for this, as my geography teachers from school have been very helpful).

The University of Northampton gave me the opportunity to study an exciting and interesting course. I had a great time.