Ian’s Story

It’s hard to get even five minutes of Ian’s time these days. Ian is one of Omega Centre’s
busiest staff members, dividing his time between paid work as an LSA (Learning Support
Assistant) and running voluntary ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
conversation groups. He also regularly mans Omega Centre stands at events around
Portsmouth, and today has organised a bring-and-share lunch for ESOL learners. He
meets me fresh from getting feedback on his teaching skills, which were observed last
week; because on top of all this, Ian has recently started teaching his own courses.

A lot can change in a year, and it certainly has for Ian. He left university in 1999 with a
degree in linguistics and English language but wasn’t sure what to do with it:

“I kind of fell into retail management through doing retail work in my university days, but
ended up staying for five years and then becoming a bank manager. I gradually realised
that it didn’t give me enough opportunity to use my language and people skills.”

In late 2009, stressed and unsatisfied at work, Ian realised he had to make a change:

“I thought, ‘I’m 30-years-of-age, I’ve got to work for another 35 years and I don’t want to do
this’.”

Ian knew he wanted to use his language skills but wasn’t sure where to start. He found
Omega Centre through the doit.org volunteering website, went for an interview and was
soon a volunteer assistant in ESOL classes. He immediately felt a sense of purpose
which had been missing in his previous jobs. This spurred him on to start a PTLLS
(Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector) course, which is free to volunteers.
At the same time, he enrolled on a CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to
Adults) course at Chichester College and before long was leading ESOL conversation
groups at Omega, which helped him put theory into practice. His skill and enthusiasm
attracted more and more learners, and his conversation group grew from eight people to
around 15-20.

Having successfully completed his PTLLS course, Ian started paid work as a LSA
(Learning Support Assistant), giving one-to-one support to learners. He is now teaching
his first course - Money Matters - which draws on his experience of banking, offering
guidance on how to take control of your finances and know what to look out for at the
bank. Ian has also started working part-time at a private English language college in
Portsmouth, but says he will always find time for Omega Centre:

“I’m still hoping to have hours here even though I’ve got another job. It’s done a lot for me,
being here, and I’ll miss being here all the time.”

Ian hopes to start the next part of his teaching qualification in September. In his own
words, coming to Omega Centre was a key starting point in turning his life around. He
now feels optimistic about his future career:

“There is a way to go to work and go home thinking you’ve achieved something.”

The WEA is always looking for volunteers and many have gone on to find work in the adult
learning sector. To find out more about volunteering at Omega, click here
or call 023 9229 1346.