Teachers’ helper

Roger Loosley | Features | Work in Progress

Date posted: 1 Sep 2015

Subject: Rhian Williams, an Education Consultant who lives in West London. Rhian works part-time for an Academy Trust in Devon and also as a self-employed consultant.
Age range: 40–50 years.
Interests: Photography, reading the classics, music and any sport.

RJL: How did you become a Christian?
Rhian: When I was 9 I thought that I had become a Christian, but when I was at Chester University my heart and mind were changed.

RJL: What is an Education Consultant?
Rhian: Local authorities and schools employ me to give leadership coaching – to get the best out of their staff. I help teachers who are struggling in a particular area. My background is in the area of children with Special Needs and so I give specialist training in that respect, but I work for mainstream schools as well.

RJL: Please explain how you came to be an Education Consultant.
Rhian: God has a real sense of humour! When I was young I was very shy, but at university I got into leadership. I started teaching at a primary school and was gradually given increased responsibility. In 2003 I was teaching at a Special Needs school when it was inspected by OFSTED. They recommended that I be made a lead teacher and so I started doing more support work. I developed a passion for Looked After children, i.e. those with foster parents or in care. I gradually took on a more advisory role.

RJL: Are you subject to any particular inﬂuences which are not compatible with your Christian beliefs e.g. government policy on education?
Rhian: No. There is a lot that I don’t agree with, but it does not conﬂict with what I do.

RJL: Do you have any regrets about your choice of career?
Rhian: I have no regrets. When I look back on my life it highlights to me that what God wants us to be is always better than what we want to be. I started out as a nurse and this has helped me with teaching – you need a clear head in an emergency!

RJL: Do you work with other Christians?
Rhian: Sometimes. I ﬁnd that there tend to be more Christians in areas where compassion is needed such as Special Needs and Looked After children.

RJL: Does your job give you opportunities to witness?
Rhian: Yes, but not on a large scale. Witnessing is to do with building relationships and setting yourself apart by being more caring.

RJL: Do you have problems or disagreements with clients?
Rhian: Yes, but communication is the key. As a child I hated confrontation, but I have learnt how to be direct without being rude or hurtful. I try to follow the example that Jesus set, even when people are rude to me.

RJL: What is hard about your work?
Rhian: If I have colleagues who don’t have the same value system, I will resign. I will be straightforward and tell them why.

RJL: Are there any conﬂicts between your job and your home/church life?
Rhian: No – I have never been a workaholic. Being a single woman who is in leadership in her profession leads to the wrong perception that I want to be in leadership in the church. People don’t know what to do with me – churches don’t think through these issues!

RJL: Would you recommend Education Consultancy as a career for a Christian?
Rhian: Yes – provided it has been well thought through.

RJL: What are your ambitions?
Rhian: No speciﬁc ones: I just want to glorify God and put my full effort into what I do – but I am not a career person.

RJL: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers about being an Education Consultant?
Rhian: I miss having contact with children, but my job enables me to have a greater impact for more children than if I was ‘hands on’. I did have some involvement with the Rise Academy in Battersea for two years.