I first came to Beijing in 2009 as part of a British Council scholarship programme, the Prime Minister’s Global Fellowship. The trip started an interest in China that I am still pursuing.
Originally from a small village near York in the north of England, I studied history at the University of Sheffield. I spent the second year of my degree as an exchange student at the National University of Singapore. After graduating I started my teaching career working as an English Language Assistant at a secondary school in Chongqing in south-west China, which solidified my interest in teaching as well as my love for Chinese history and culture. When I returned to the UK, I worked as a secondary teaching assistant for children with special educational needs, an extremely rewarding role, before training as a primary school teacher. After I completed my PGCE at Sheffield Hallam University I worked as a Year 2 teacher in a large, multicultural infant school in Sheffield. I then made the decision to return to China and started working at BSB Sanlitun in 2019.
Outside of school, I enjoy cycling around Beijing and finding new routes to explore. I also have regular Chinese lessons and I’m currently working towards obtaining the HSK 5 qualification in Chinese.