Class of 1996
English with Linguistics
IF YOU STUDIED YOUR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMME AT YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES, DID YOU GO ON TO POSTGRADUATE STUDY?
Yes, at York St John University
JOB
Freelance Proofreader – White Rose Proofreading
WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN THIS PHOTO AS YOUR YSJ SNAPSHOT?
It’s the photo I use on my website and profile pictures for my freelance proofreading business. I’ve spent over 15 years in education but discovered I had a real knack for spotting mistakes and inconsistencies in documents, so I retrained as a proofreader! I’m now a member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading.
WHAT ARE YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES OF YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY?
I love York, so I never left! I remember lectures and seminars at Gray’s Court, the smell of the old wood and the creaky floorboards. I loved learning about Linguistics and Phonetics, and the exciting feeling of possibilities opening up to me.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES?
I got in through clearing, so St John’s found me! I wanted to do an English course but combined English with Linguistics was available and sounded interesting, so I went for it. I’m so glad I did. I was able to do a semester at Oslo University (studying English, in English!) which was amazing.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE COMPLETING YOUR STUDIES?
I did a PGCE at St. John’s, then spent the rest of my career teaching, apart from a 6-year career break to be a stay at home parent. I decided to retrain as a proofreader, so I got my qualifications and I’ve been doing freelance work alongside my ‘day job’ for the last seven years.
Having a degree in English with Linguistics has certainly helped with both teaching and Proofreading. Both jobs require a high level of literacy and accuracy with words. My Linguistics also included a module on Child Language Acquisition, which has come in useful many times in the course of my teaching career.
WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A CURRENT STUDENT, OR ONE ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
Don’t rush through life. Just enjoy the journey. When the time comes to find a job, think about what you love doing, and what you’re good at. You will be working for a long time so you need to enjoy your job!