Report: Peter Bakirtzis PE teacher trainee
During my time at William Ruthven, I enrolled in VCE for Year 11 in 2019. My original plan was to finish school with a VCE certificate and a VET certificate, however this plan changed. As I got closer to Year 12, I realised that it would be much more practical for me to do VCAL for my chosen career path as a carpenter. At the conclusion of 2020 I graduated from WRSC with a VCAL Senior certificate and a Pre-apprenticeship in Building and Construction (Carpentry).
Once I had finished school, I was eager to go out into the world and get my first job as an apprentice carpenter. After having worked as an apprentice carpenter for about two months I realised that it was not the job for me and was left feeling unsure about what kind of career path I wanted to pursue. During a visit to WRSC near the end of 2022, the Vice Principal at the time, Glenn Esnouf, told me about an entry level position at the school as a PE teacher trainee. I did not need to have any prior training or education in relation to the job, I just needed to show that I was keen to learn and make the most of the opportunity. I had always thought about being a PE teacher so of course I jumped at it. Fast forwarding to early 2023, I had proved successful getting the job.
While working at WRSC this year some of my day-to-day duties include attending classes and supporting the students and teachers, sorting and auditing sports equipment, establishing sports events on Compass, going on excursions and camps and washing sports uniforms. Alongside my traineeship I was also enrolled in a Certificate 3 in Sport and Recreation course which I would complete during school hours. The Certificate 3 course is run by my employers over at AFL Sports Ready. AFL Sports Ready are an education company who hire trainees like me and help them to get a start in teaching.
Being back at WRSC this year as a staff member has been an invaluable opportunity for me. Since working here, I have decided to pursue a career in teaching. In 2024 I am going to La Trobe University to study a Bachelor of Secondary Education specialising in Physical Education.
If you could take one thing from my story, I’d like to emphasise how important trying different careers is for someone who is unsure of what career path they’d like to pursue. Year 10 work experience is one of the best times that you’ll be able to try out a job that you might not have been able to try otherwise, and it definitely should not be wasted. And finally, you do not need to know what you want to do the day you graduate, just try to enjoy your journey.