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Two Preston mums have shared their stories of juggling work, study and parenting to graduate with a degree in teaching.
Rehmatun Mohtat and Shauntelle Riley embarked on career changes, studying at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk.
Single mum-of-three Shauntelle, who already works as a supply teacher for a prison education service provider Novus, embarked on her teaching career with a Postgraduate Diploma in further education and skills.
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The Preston-based 45-year-old has had years of experience. She’s worked as an auxiliary nurse in care homes and a hospital’s acute mental health unit, as a civil servant for DWP processing benefits and completed a law degree while working in a law-based role, commuting daily between Stockport and Stoke-on-Trent.
Shauntelle has also supported homeless people working for a housing company and volunteered as a Magistrate and school governor.
Doing all this while raising three children, Shauntelle also spent time in Zimbabwe helping look after her sick father and still spends her weekends working for the Red Cross.
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Shauntelle’s sister prompted her to take her career in a new direction.
“She said I was just sitting on my law degree and not doing anything with it – something I was well aware of. But she planted the seed about teaching. I started researching, not knowing whether I fancied teaching primary or older kids. As my children were growing up, I decided on teenagers, thinking it would be more fun and relatable.
“The next thing I knew, I had pressed the application button and was invited for an interview,” said Shauntelle.
Her real passion is to teach law. Shauntelle said: “Teaching law is my ultimate goal, but I’m happy for now. I need experience under my belt and to be confident and comfortable. Prisons are a challenging and rewarding environment in which to build and hone your skills.”
Mother-of-four, Rehmatun, has also gone down the teaching route, completing her latest qualification at 49 years old. She worked as a nursery nurse and then moved into family support before becoming an outreach worker.
Rehmatun later returned to nursery work as a centre manager while studying for an undergraduate degree in primary teaching, but her focus turned to older children. She decided to take a PGDE (Further Education and Skills), specialising in early years and childhood studies.
However, juggling caring for her four children, aged between 10 and 24, the past 12 months has not always been easy.
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She said: “It’s been difficult, but I’ve enjoyed it. There’ve been lots of late nights and takeaways. We’ve all rallied around. The support system at the University has been really good. If I’ve contacted my tutors out of hours with any questions or issues, they’ve always come back to me the next day. I’ve appreciated it immensely.”
Rehmatun is now excited for the future. After placement at Runshaw College in Leyland she has been given a temporary contract.
She added: “My priority is to gain experience in secondary and further education in my specialist subject, so I’ve joined several agencies to get some short-term work, hopefully starting in September. I will then look for a full-time role.
“I do see myself teaching until I retire. Once I’m well-established, I want to get Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills status (QTLS), which will prepare me to take on team or course leader roles with more responsibilities.”
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