Personal Statement

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Thank you for taking the time to view my portfolio; I consider this section a snapshot of my contributions to the education industry providing insight into the experiences and events that have shaped me into the person I am today. This overview of my personal life aims to give audiences a glance at my life experiences and values to gain a clearer understanding of the kind of person I am outside of work. These reflections have contributed to my established outlooks, morals and professional journey and offer a perspective of what I bring to the table on a personal level.

Family

I was brought up in a multi-cultural family. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland to a Dutch mother and a British father of Indian origins, I have embraced cultural diversity from an early stage, growing up in Europe, the Middle East and Canada. I was blessed with the opportunity to travel the world and participate in a variety of cultural experiences, opening up my horizons to various traditions and a global perspective. My family has given me the opportunity to grow into an empathetic and productive member of society thanks to their supportive and caring nature.

My wife and child are the driving force behind my ambition as I look to secure our future and provide stability and a positive environment that enables us all to live a full and healthy life. My priorities as a father have provided me with a fresh perspective to approach my work with an understanding of what parents go through raising their children.

Sports

Growing up with an older brother, I was extremely active in sports clubs and extra-curricular opportunities, nurturing my social skills, competitiveness and ability to work collaboratively to achieve results. To this day I enjoy playing tennis, football, squash, basketball, table tennis and many other sporting pursuits. I have been involved with a softball league in Abu Dhabi, helping our team to compete in and win the 2019 season recreational playoff competition. The sportsman in me remains alive and well, and contributes to my outlook away from sports arenas in positive ways.

Career Path

Upon graduation from secondary school in Ontario, Canada, I struggled with determining what my life’s purpose and career path would be. I dabbled with a variety of potential options from educational organisations to corporate sales entities. I pursued my education in Audio Production, acknowledging my passion for media and film, although I soon realised that my true strengths were found in supporting the development of others through motivation and alternative perspectives. I developed a keen interest in social dynamics and learned to apply this to my work in every field in which I contributed. When I made the firm decision to develop my abilities as an educator, I proceeded to work on my credentials to consolidate my legitimacy as a teacher completing my iPgCPP (professional practice), my TEFL diploma and my Diploma in Global Teaching Practice. I completed the courses successfully while teaching full time and embedding learned skills into my teaching practice. At work, I developed my niche as an educator by excelling as a teaching and learning coach, both in an official and unofficial capacity. I participated in various training programmes and also developed and delivered professional development training in various focus areas.

Teaching children has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I have had and I have been able to carry my professional insights and strategies with teaching and learning into my personal life as a husband and father. My training with GEMS and HPL has given me a unique perspective raising a daughter under the overarching belief that there is genius in every child and that there is no ceiling on the potential that children can achieve. This has become embedded in my core beliefs as I support and encourage her strengths, passions and effort to overcome challenges.

Other Interests

I enjoy reading various genres of literature including historical accounts, classic literature, modern fiction and most often, self-development. I have developed a keen interest in financial trading and investments, putting skills and strategies into practice in order to investigate additional sources of income. I enjoy analysing market trends and timing, looking at historical data to determine strategies that have been lucrative and pitfalls to protect against losses. More recently, I have taken to developing my understanding and implementation of crypto-currency and block-chain technology. My biggest take away from my financial research and practice is the ability to follow a predetermined strategy and avoid emotional decisions that present risks and uncertainty.

Next Steps

As I continue to grow, both personally and professionally, I plan to take full advantage of my momentum and leverage my skills and abilities to ensure I contribute as much as possible to my field and my relationships and gain as much experience and insight along the way.

I enjoy approaching complex projects with a holistic approach. A large part of my success while working with people stems from my ability to cultivate an intuitive understanding of their needs, and spearhead the project from there. Have a look at the work I’ve done in the past, and get in touch to learn more.