Emma Chaminade
Emma Chaminade says fate brought her to Worcester and that it was one of the best things to happen.
Emma, who hails from Rodez, in the South of France, has completed a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) in Modern Foreign Languages from the University of Worcester and is set to graduate in September.
“When I was young, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life,” she says. “Teaching was always on my mind but at some point, I wanted to be a beautician or a journalist. After my baccalaureate, I went to university to do an English degree as I loved languages and then I went to Edinburgh for a year abroad and I loved living in an English-speaking country. I then moved to Ireland and worked as a French language assistant in a secondary school. This experience definitely confirmed my will to be a teacher.”
Emma was studying a French Masters in French as a Foreign Language (FLE) but when she realised that the qualification wouldn’t be valid to work in secondary schools abroad, she said fate took hold.
“On a random rainy day of February, I went on Google and looked at qualifications I needed to teach in the UK. A PGCE seemed to be the best option. I clicked on the first link I found which was the French university of Angers, which had a partnership with the University of Worcester.
“I had absolutely no idea of where Worcester was, but I sent an email to the Education department because the closing date for application was due five days later.
“In the meantime, I went through the university website and contacted Isabel Schafer and she guided me very well and encouraged me to apply for the PGCE, which I did. I had very low confidence at this time, and I would never have thought I could do this, but I was offered a place and I booked my flight. I found out very quickly that Worcester is one of the best training providers and that made me realise how lucky I have been to study here.”
Emma said she was excited to now be graduating.
“I can’t imagine that nine months ago I arrived with just two suitcases and now, I am leaving with too many things, some very good friends and tons of memories,” she said.
“The 12-year-old me would be super proud. We don’t have graduation ceremonies in France and it was my childhood dream to wear the graduation gown but I thought that I would never have this chance. Turns out that we never know what life can bring us!”
The University’s annual autumn Graduation Ceremonies will take place as planned from September 12-14 in the beautiful and historic Worcester Cathedral followed by celebration receptions at the City Campus. No Worcester graduates have been affected by the marking and assessment boycott.
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