Kai Zhong
Two years after coming to the UK to further his education, Kai Zhong graduates in September as an Early Career Teacher.
Kai worked as a Business and Accounting teacher in an international school in China but wanted to expand his knowledge further and decided the UK was the place to do it.
He applied for and completed a Masters’ degree in Educational Management and Leadership at the University of Southampton before applying to study for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at the University of Worcester.
“I came to the UK in 2021,” he said. “After working for a few years, I felt that I needed to move forward and learn more so I applied to do a Masters. During my Masters, I visited a number of secondary schools in Southampton and learnt more about the teacher training programme. I found the programme to be more practical and although it was challenging, I wanted to challenge myself.”
Kai looked around for a PGCE and stumbled across the University of Worcester. “I chose to train as a teacher at the University of Worcester because it has a great reputation,” he said. “When I had my interview with my tutor, Yvonne, it was a great feeling and she was really experienced. After that, I was convinced that I should choose the University of Worcester because I knew I could learn loads from her. And that is indeed what happened.”
He added: “At the beginning, I just thought that a year was too long. But when you start working, you lose track of time. You're busy preparing teaching resources, teaching, building trusting relationships with students, discussing with mentors, doing some duties and so on. It's busy, but also very rewarding. I have gained a better understanding of the British school system, improved my subject pedagogy and mastered different teaching strategies. This has been very beneficial to my career development.”
Kai is returning to China where he has secured a new job working in an international school.
The University’s annual autumn Graduation Ceremonies will take place as planned from September 12-14 in the beautiful and historic Worcester Cathedral followed by celebration receptions at the City Campus. No Worcester graduates have been affected by the marking and assessment boycott.
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