Graduating university is exciting, but daunting – it can often feel like you must choose your path for the rest of your life right away. In this post, Chatteris Tutor Maeve Fahy shines a light on why this is unlikely to be, and doesn’t need to be, the case…

 

Graduating and Grappling with Career Paths

In my last year at university, in between dissertation writing and final assignment submissions, there was a list of career events in my calendar. These events were inspiring and daunting in equal measure and I often found myself coming away from them not fully having found the direction that felt ‘right’. Thinking about your next steps post-graduation can be challenging, especially as you start to navigate your own career journey. Add in a job market that is undergoing significant changes due to a shift towards decarbonisation and automation, and it can be hard to know where to begin.

However, finding the ‘right’ career path for you doesn’t need to (and for many of us, probably won’t) happen straight away. In fact, The World Economic Forum, which publishes a biannual report on the future of jobs, has suggested that having multiple careers will become the norm in a person’s working life. Young people who are completing their school studies today are predicted to have at least seven careers in their lifetime. While this can be disconcerting to think about, it also offers reassurance that you don’t have to pick the ‘right’ career for you straight away. In fact, the career path that you begin on will unlikely be the same career path that you find yourself on in a decade’s time.

Teaching and Transferable Skills

This shift to a working life with multiple careers emphasises one thing in particular: the importance of transferable skills. Developing a skill set that allows you to adapt to new jobs and industries will be hugely beneficial and provide you with more flexibility in your career choices. It is for this reason that I think teaching is a great place to start on your career journey. The skills that you learn while teaching are not only valuable for a career in the education sector but also in many other industries.

Adaptability

One of the skills that I’ve enjoyed developing the most during my time on the Chatteris International Graduate Programme is the adaptability I demonstrate during my lessons according to my students’ needs in real time. For example, if you have a chatty class in the morning, it may be best to prioritise student talking time through implementing more pair or group work. Or, if you have a sleepy class on a Friday afternoon, playing a game with them may be a great way to re-engage the class and work towards the lesson aims whilst having fun. Learning to be flexible and adaptable is a vital skill that stretches beyond the classroom. In a future role if you are, for example, pitching an idea, being flexible in your approach will allow you to confidently communicate your message to different stakeholders.

Creativity

Another invaluable skill I have developed during my time on the Chatteris International Graduate Programme is creativity. As Chatteris Native-speaking English Tutors, one of our main goals is to make English language learning as fun as possible for students in Hong Kong. This involves thinking creatively about our lesson materials and the activities we plan for students. When I am preparing materials for my lessons, I often find myself asking, ‘could I make this more fun?’ Using fun as a guiding principle for lesson creation challenges me to think creatively about the ways that I deliver curriculum content to students. So far, I have enjoyed bringing interactive games into the classroom to diversify student learning, and I am excited to develop more ideas as the academic year progresses.

 

Skill Valuation

Flexibility and creative thinking are two of the top five skills projected to be on the rise for 2025 to 2030. These skills are not only highly valued in the education sector but by employers across a wide variety of professions. Developing and strengthening these skills cultivates a transferable skill set that will be beneficial both now and in the future. No matter where you envisage yourself on your career journey or if you’re not exactly sure where you’re going yet, teaching is a great place to start!

Join us today for a chance to develop your flexibility and creativity in Hong Kong! Click here to apply for the Chatteris International Graduate Programme