Faces of Reading

I was encouraged by my first manager to use my initiative, to have the courage to develop new processes, to learn about different roles within the wider team and to volunteer for new opportunities – and this is a philosophy I have carried throughout my career. Early on I was also encouraged by a colleague to apply for a secondment, something I would not have independently considered. When I secured my first secondment, I was able to expand my knowledge, my experience and my network further.

Over the past 13 years I have held five different roles, ranging from school-based administration to centralised quality assurance and exams, and now as Head of Timetabling and Booking. I have always enjoyed the huge variety of the roles I have held. No one day is the same and I work with a range of colleagues from both academic and professional services.

Not long after I joined the University, my personal circumstances changed, and I needed full time work. Fortunately, I was able to increase my hours with an additional role in another School and was later made full time in my main role. Being able to increase my hours when I needed reduced a lot of stress for me at a difficult time in my life. 

I moved over to the Walker Institute in 2016 as a permanent Executive Administration Officer. The work I am currently supporting is helping us to address some of the fundamental challenges society is facing such as migration, food and water security, biodiversity loss, extreme weather, and disasters. 

Coming from a working class, ethnic community, I was unsure how I would fit into the world of higher education and academics, but I have enjoyed all my roles at the University and have found colleagues to be friendly and supportive. I would recommend the University as a place to work because it is like a little town within a town, full of people that you can connect with, people who are similar, and also, people who are different and that makes life interesting! Being able to walk to work through the woods every morning is also a bonus for me. 

I came here with lovely childhood memories of the campus, but now I have great new memories, of achievements, wonderful colleagues, picnics in the Harris gardens and all the interesting work, both local and international, that is carried out. 

In 2019 my colleagues in the Vice-Chancellor’s team nominated me to attend the Royal Garden Party for my voluntary work in the community and I had a lovely, sunny day there with my new husband. In August this year, it will be ten years since I started my part-time, temporary role, and I am happy to say, I am still part of this unique community.

I teach a module on ancient education, which is my research speciality. Reading students are fun to teach and that’s something I really enjoy.

I also run the ancient schoolroom. Over a period of two weeks, we have up to 60 children a day coming in, and I’m responsible for providing all kinds of different activities, all related to ancient education.

I’ve written several books on how Greek speakers learned Latin and how Latin speakers learned Greek. I discovered some ancient Latin textbooks, edited them, and published Learning Latin The Ancient Way a year ago and now the whole world has got them.

I came to Reading in 2013. I had been the only linguist in a classics department for a really long time, but here there are three of us. That’s much better for my research.

I live in Oxford and work part time. It works well, as I don’t have to commute in five days a week.

I’m involved in the LGBTQIA+ group at Reading, but it’s not a place where, as a lesbian, you feel isolated. British universities are good places to be a lesbian; everybody is very welcoming. And it’s nice to have colleagues as LGBTQIA+ allies.

I speak several languages, so I know exactly what the main problems are with learning a new language and what students find most difficult. I try to encourage them to speak the language and overcome any difficulties on the way.

Everyone here has given me the opportunity to show my potential and challenge myself as a language teacher, but most of all to do what I love.

I'm an audiovisual translator and I study BSL. I believe that deaf and visually impaired people should have access to language learning too. My aim is to work as an interpreter in the future, and I am proud that BSL will be taught here at the University.

I'm a School Champion for Diversity and a member of the LGBTQIA+ staff scheme. I think it's important to promote diversity and inclusion.

At the University of Reading, our students come from all around the world and this makes their learning experience really interesting. I really like to build a relationship with my students, watching them grow as independent learners, helping them with their learning process, and making them feel part of a community.

I give a lot and receive a lot; it's beautiful. This is why I'm still teaching after 12 years.

Read more about the University's LGBT Plus Staff Network.