Akshay's story

It’s a cliché, but I’ve always wanted to make a difference. Teaching is in line with my values: if we’re positive teachers we can support our students, and they can support others in the future – maybe even becoming teachers too.

I chose NITE at Coventry University because of what you hear about it. After my BA in Social Care at Northampton University, I talked to a teacher who helped me make the decision; they said the support, quality, and communication are great. That’s what I’ve found, they’ve kept us informed, made it clear what the expectation is, and my mentor’s been really supportive too – it’s been brilliant.

FutureLearn is very interactive. I like the fact that you can comment and others can comment too; you can disagree with each other but also respect and value each other’s opinions. If I get stuck with anything I can email a lecturer and they’re in touch within 24 hours.

Coventry understands what we need to do, and what our objectives are. In teaching it’s really important to be person-centred, to differentiate between every pupil that you work with, to make sure you can meet their learning needs. With one student it was just about breaking it down for them, and understanding their perspective. It was a real lightbulb moment: wow, I know what it feels like and what it means. It made me feel good as I had the confidence to support them.