The first time I walked into HMP Northumberland, I was apprehensive. Like most people, I’d never set foot in a prison before, and I had no idea what to expect from the prisoners I was there to teach.
I could never have guessed it would be the start of an unexpected new chapter of my career after more than two decades in the hospitality industry – one which has given me the chance to make a difference to so many people’s lives, as well as to achieve new goals of my own.
My parents had a pub, so I grew up immersed in that world. As a teenager I collected glasses and washed pots, and from there it was a natural step to train as a chef. I ended up managing pubs and hotels, then starting various businesses, and I ran my own pub for a decade. But in 2007, I decided the time had come to do something totally different.
That’s when I spotted an advertisement looking for teachers to work at HMP Northumberland. I was in my late 30s, with children, feeling restless and looking for a new challenge as well as a different kind of life after more than 20 years of working around the clock. I’d never considered anything like that previously, but it seemed to be a perfect fit.
I didn’t have any teaching qualifications, but I’d done NVQ training with my staff members and college students on day release and knew I enjoyed supporting people’s development. The job at HMP Northumberland gave me the opportunity to make that the main purpose of my work.
I discovered that anyone with a trade, specialism or industry experience is particularly sought-after to teach in prisons because they can share practical knowledge to help prepare people for jobs on leaving prison. By sharing my experience of catering, and of being an employer, I hoped I could make a difference to their lives.
Before I began, there was a reassuringly extensive induction period; the system is highly structured and teachers feel supported in their roles. Every prisoner who engages with prison education chooses to do so, which means that our job is to empower them by finding out their long-term goals and helping them on that path by developing skills they can one day transfer to the workplace.
In that first role, I was teaching modules such as food safety, as well as working to get my employer-contacts in the industry engaged in offering further training and opportunities to ex-offenders. I quickly realised I was able to offer the learners chances many had never had before, and they were mostly very motivated to learn.
Of course, I was aware from the start that some prisoners have a variety of complex needs, which can include learning difficulties, so it could be challenging. But what inspired me was how quickly I saw them make progress. They’d often had negative experiences of education, but this was an environment designed to help them succeed.
The groups were small, which allowed me to get to know them and engage with them on a personal level, and, over time, I could see their self-esteem growing.
The NVQs we teach are level 2, which are industry level, with a wide range of options, from hospitality to IT, woodwork and horticulture. Some of the most important skills we teach, though, go beyond qualifications: they’re qualities such as teamwork, communication and respect. It’s so rewarding to see learners develop a real understanding of what’s expected of them in a workplace.
Part of that is about teaching them the value of their skills. When they work in the prison kitchen, for example, they’re feeding 1,400 people three times a day – that’s industrial catering, although they might not realise it. Helping them to appreciate and articulate that experience makes a huge difference to their confidence.
I’ve held a variety of roles since that first position, all drawing on my professional experience in catering. I went on to train NVQ trainers around the region and was supported by Novus, my employer, to study for my Certificate in Education and Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) award, which enables me to monitor assessors to ensure they’re fair.
I moved into management, and in 2020 I was delighted to become an education manager, overseeing approximately 40 staff members delivering education across different subjects at the prison. There are so many opportunities available to advance your career within prison teaching, depending on where your interests take you.
What we do is so varied, such as teaching industrial cleaning qualifications, which dovetails with the prison’s need for cleaners. But last year we invited astronomers from Kielder Observatory to give talks to the learners, who used what they learned as inspiration for an anthology of poetry, a project that had a profound effect on the men who took part.
I’m so thankful I spotted that advertisement back in 2007. While I was looking for a new sense of purpose, the journey this job has taken me on has been fascinating and more fulfilling than I could have imagined.
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