How DofE helped Mark discover a love for teaching

When Mark first signed up to do his Bronze and Silver Awards he thought it would be something fun to do and worthwhile, but he didn’t realise that just a few years later, his DofE would help him discover his passion for working with young people and pursue a career in teaching.

“Looking back I don’t think I realise how much of an impact my own DofE actually had on me and how good of an opportunity it was. Everything I’ve done through DofE has paved the way for me, but the Volunteering section was the one that made the biggest impact and made me realise I wanted to go into teaching. When the opportunity to come back and work for the school, I thought definitely! I now work supporting students with additional needs, and although I’m planning on teaching in a mainstream setting in the future, the skills I’ve learnt from my experience in this role will be invaluable in a mainstream setting.”

“DofE has now come full circle for me as I’m supporting Emily, the DofE Manager to deliver the programme to younger students. I would love to be a DofE Manager one day, it did so much for me personally and I believe The Awards are really important, particularly in the area of London we are in. Many young people can become very comfortable and are set to join the family business once they’ve finished their education, but DofE gives young people the opportunity to go out and do something for themselves. A lot of our students wouldn’t have spent any time away from home, let alone go camping on the weekends. Some of my best memories from school are doing my DofE so I’m keen to encourage young people to do the same.”