Stacie is a Lecturer in our Sport & Public Services department, where she teaches the Level 2 Gym Instructing course. She is also a self-employed personal trainer and competes professionally in power lifting.
She said: “A lot of people prefer to work in the industry for a while before starting their teaching careers, but I’ve always known I wanted to teach, especially since studying the Level 2 and Level 3 Fitness courses at college – I wanted to be like the teachers that taught me.
“After finishing my Level 3 course, I completed my top-up degree at Teesside University and then studied my PGCE with Middlesbrough College. The support I’ve received here has been brilliant – I would recommend Middlesbrough College to anyone, whether you want to study or work here!
“I still work as a self-employed personal trainer; however, I’ve always known that I have a passion for teaching. It’s more stable, which is great, but I also really enjoy passing my knowledge to other students while I still work in the industry.
“In my own experience, I’ve found that the real-world is completely different to what I learned in the classroom. I was really shy before getting into the industry and wasn’t totally prepared for it as you need a lot of confidence to build a rapport with your clients. I make sure all my students fully understand that side of the job and do my best to prepare them for it by teaching important life skills and setting work to boost their confidence, such as presentations and group work.
“I think that’s what makes Middlesbrough College standout – we ’re all dual professionals, so we’re still active in the industry while teaching and we know exactly what it takes to make it and can use this to enhance our teaching styles.
“It also helps me build a rapport with the students and we have fun in lessons – they all try and bench more than me and they think it’s cool I’ve won medals, even though they won’t admit it!
“In my spare time, I love to train and I’m always in the gym. I never get sick of it, it’s my favourite thing to do!”
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