It is always nice to welcome back former member of staff, and get to learn about their new life. Well, last time on Career Bites (the school’s interactive program set up for the students of upper school, where we get the opportunity to listen what it is like out in the workplace, and get valuable advice from guest speakers from various fields), we had the opportunity to listen to the former Head of Humanities, Mr Pletts, or ray as he is now known!

Mr Pletts talked about his shift in work/life balance, and how after 17 years of teaching, he felt that it was the right decision to reconsider his hours working on site, to not miss valuable time with his family. This can be a very big decision for many parents out in the world, so having this knowledge prior to entering the workplace can change our job decisions for the better.  

Mr Pletts also touched on the idea of “choosing the right job for you”. Whilst the work/life balance aspect also applies to this, it is important to choose a job that you feel comfortable doing and can enjoy it. For instance, one of Mr Pletts’s favourite things about teaching at our school, was organising school trips for us students to go on, such as the ski trip or the Iceland trip. He then decided to bring this perk to his new job, and now works for a travel company, which deals with schools who want to book school trips, particularly to Iceland. His job requires good communication, negotiation and sales skills, which makes him an asset for his agency.  

I’d like to finish with probably the most important thing about Mr Pletts, that he is a “Top Bloke”, as described by Mr Humphries.  

By Ryan Belciug, 11 Throwley