I am Deaf and my first language is BSL.

I decided to change my career and study to become a teacher of British Sign Language (BSL). I gained my PTTLS certificate in teaching in 2014 and also my BSL Level 3. I am still quite new to the profession but I thoroughly enjoy it. I am a highly motivated and enthusiastic teacher and I have a good rapport with the students. I have recently passed BSL Level 6 myself so understand what students need from a course.

Prior to this I worked for 30 years as a qualified and highly skilled carpenter/builder. I was very proud of the quality of my workmanship and of the reputation of excellence I achieved amongst other colleagues in the trade. However, due to the manual nature of the work my health has suffered and it now prevents me from working in the building trade.

My other interests include fishing but my real passion is skiing. I have recently qualified as a guide to assist skiers with many different disabilities. My aim is to become a fully qualified ski instructor for able-bodied and disabled skiers.