Jennifer Waterfield, Lantra Instructor
A yearning to be in charge of her own destiny led Jennifer Waterfield into the world of teaching - and she has never regretted her switch from a career in contract management.
"I have worked in grounds care for more than 42 years," she reveals, "starting on the tools aged 17 in grounds maintenance, before building up into contract management."
Between jobs she fell into teaching roles, growing her bank of technical information but felt the need to break loose from work issues. "I left contract management fed up with poor service delivery as a consequence of financial constraints and wanted to be more of a free agent," Jennifer recalls.
"I felt that being a training Instructor was the perfect job to give me freedom of choice of how and when I wanted to work"
The environment has always held a special interest for Jennifer, particularly technical knowledge, and her current role presents the opportunity to ever expand her grasp of that, she believes.
"Teaching has allowed me to continuously explore this path. Being able to impart that knowledge to those who wish to learn and to discuss aspects of their roles is far more fulfilling than sticking to a daily grind job."
Matching supply to demand
She is acutely aware of the importance of matching course content to the requirements of Learners, and that means doing her homework beforehand.
"Preparation is key. First, understanding and knowing your Learners for the day so that you can assemble information relevant to that audience. It's about delivery of subject relevant to Learner capacity, helped by lots of visual or practical impact to help everyone achieve their goals."
Jennifer's day doesn't begin in front of her trainees, as you'd expect, but in the stable getting down and dirty. "I have to get up and muck out my beautiful shire horses before I go anywhere!" she states.
Even then, her day can stutter to its start. "Travelling to the job always involves me getting lost – sat navs never take you to the right place!
"When I do arrive, Learner introductions lead to discussions of how any teaching or assessment will fit into daily roles. Sometimes it takes time to calm people down before coaxing the best out of them."
Speaking from the same hymn sheet helps too, she adds. "Learners like to know you have experienced the same job role as themselves – it gives them confidence that you understand them."
And when Jennifer returns home - without the aid of her sat nav hopefully! - "it’s good to reflect if you have given all you can and feel that someone has achieved something, or you have turned someone’s negative thoughts around and given them confidence. If not, then I think 'How can I make it better'."
Variety is the spice of life for Jennifer. "Travelling to different places all the time is the joy of my job - no one day is ever the same - as is having control of my own destiny, which gives me a good work/life balance because I manage when and how I work."
Even this vocation is not without its challenges though. "I hate standing out in freezing cold rain and loathe the paperwork involved, I am not very organised in that respect and sometimes there's far too much of it."
Teaching can be a two-way street, in which the Instructor can admire their Learners and vice versa. "I take my hat off to those from eastern Europe, who learn our language," Jennifer enthuses.
Thirst for learning
"Most are keen to achieve, and while I feel I cannot delve so deep into a subject with them, they try really hard. Often, when I return to a farm, they always greet me so warmly and take time to ask after me or my horses – often bringing gifts of apples or other food for them."
After more than 40 years in work, Jennifer is as eager as ever to do the best she possibly can, "keeping up to date with information and making learning fun. You are never too old to discover new things. I learn from my Learners daily, as much as they learn from me".
Keeping current with new technology and machinery presents a continuing challenge Jennifer has learned to handle. "Some of the farm machinery is so advanced now. I love to go on to farms for example and discover a new piece of kit and have a chance to sit in the machine and enjoy a quick play with the controls - often with a bit of guidance from my Learner. I would say I have had to overcome my fear of technology and go with the flow."
Have the land-based industries delivered any slip-ups for her? "Not really, I have always just fallen into roles and tried my best," she notes. "Like any job, someone always wants to trip you up, but you have to just keep trying. Things always happen for a reason. The more life experiences, the more you learn."
Is training and professional development important within that career timeline? "Very – you can’t stand still in this world if you want to get on. You need to be smart, learn from your experiences and others around you, and have confidence in yourself. Learning keeps you alive."
My job in three words
"Keeps me ticking"