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Ian Webber

Ian worked as a restaurant manager for a fast food chain before he enrolled on the Access to HE course. He is now a primary school teacher.

1998: Access to Health Careers, Sutton Coldfield College
2001: BA (Hons) Sports, Physical Education and Community Studies, University of Birmingham
2002: Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), University of Birmingham
2007: Teacher at Coppice Primary School, Sutton Coldfields

When I left school, I'd always planned to go on to further study but with one thing or another life somehow just took over. In the back of my mind I think I'd always wanted to be a teacher. Later, I coached a basketball team and this made me realise that I really enjoyed teaching kids.

I was 32 years old and working as a restaurant manager when I decided to enrol on the Access to HE course. I attended an open day at Sutton Coldfield College and met some former students who told me how the course worked and how it had helped them.

To become a teacher, I needed GCSEs in English and Maths. Fortunately, I could do these as part of the Access to HE course. I took the part-time option so I could continue to support my wife and our one-yearold son. I found jobs that I could fit around my course.

At times, I did find it difficult to get to classes on time - I was juggling three different jobs (milkman, running a concession stand and a nightclub doorman), but the tutors understood the situation and my wife gave me a lot of support. I guess I became highly disciplined: I wanted to succeed and so I just kept at it.

The Access to HE course set me up really well for study on my degree at the University of Birmingham. It's a funny thing, but once you've got through the Access to HE course, you find you can achieve anything - because you've already learnt how to study.

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