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Straight after completing her WEA teaching assistant course Anna successfully secured a job at a local further education college.  

She now helps students aged 16 to 25 who need additional support in their classes.   

“I can be working in any class, from maths and English to art and design. It’s very interesting work. 

“Working in education is a vocation for me - sometimes it can be challenging, but it’s always so rewarding. I really wanted to work in education and am very happy to be working at the college.”  

Originally from Venezuela, Anna moved to Spain more than 20 years ago, when she won a scholarship to study a master’s degree in radio broadcasting. She then had a career in retail and sales, including facilitating employee training. 

“I’d always wanted to live in Europe. My family is originally from Italy. In Venezuela things are more traditional for a young woman, leaving home to get married etc. I wanted to be young, free and independent!”  

Anna moved to England last year with her British partner, a software engineer, and their eight-year-old son. 

She’d been a piano teacher in Venezuela and had enjoyed helping retail employees with training. Anna had wanted to return to education for a long time and it was whilst at a local playground with her son that she saw a flyer advertising WEA courses and contacted us. 

She joined a WEA teaching assistant course last September and completed in March this year. 

“The WEA course was really flexible and allowed me to pick up my son from school when I was studying. It gave me a great understanding of how the education system works in England and the tutor was very interesting and knowledgeable, with a lot of experience in education too. 

“This WEA qualification and experience helped me get the teaching assistant job for sure.”