In-Service Training: it's not just for teachers!

Shawlands Academy in Glasgow is a school used to being involved in international education. But in June of 2008 they took their involvement even further: instead of sending students or teachers overseas, they sent their senior Janitor, Peter McGeown.

For a number of years the school and Obchodni Akademie, Teplice, Czech Republic have been developing closer ties with the schools taking part in both Comenius School Partnerships and eTwinning initiatives.

As Peter had been an integral part of many of the projects Shawlands Academy participated in, he was intrigued to see the impact of his work in a partner school. He was also keen to explore the opportunities that so many of his colleagues had benefited from.

‘I thought: why don’t I go for it? said Peter. 'I hoped to learn from the day to day running of the school there, something that could be applied back home and offer the benefits of my experience in return'.

With this in mind, Peter successfully applied for a Comenius In-Service Training grant. It allowed Peter to travel to the Czech Republic and job-shadow Zdenek Rezek, his counterpart at Obchodni Akademie.

Peter said: ‘The first thing I noticed in the Czech Republic was how friendly the people were. I was amazed at how much we had in common when it came to working in schools'.

During the seven days Peter spent working at Obchodni Akademie, he helped clean the school mural, service the boilers and worked with staff to carry out essential maintenance work.

The visit was not all work, and although a sombre and reflective experience, Peter took the opportunity to visit Terezin, a former concentration camp.

However, it was working with the janitor in Zdenek Rezek that had the most impact.

‘He and I became very good friends,’ said Peter. ‘Our jobs are not all that different but I did learn a lot from him, as a person and a janitor’.

‘The trip gave me a greater understanding of the issues and challenges that other non-teaching staff experience. I found out more about the supportive nature of the janitor’s role in assisting with developing Comenius projects. I think it allowed us to work together to enhance the international partnership between the schools that wasn’t just restricted to the teaching staff'.

Peter would recommend the experience to anyone ‘I would urge others to do it. You don’t just have to be a student or teacher. I would like to thank the British Council and those involved in both schools for making my job shadowing a unique professional development opportunity’.

The Comenius programme provides opportunities for schools and colleges to introduce or strengthen the European dimension in their curriculum. Comenius In-Service Training grants are available to all members of staff working in the field of school education and allow teachers to attend a professional development course or European conferences abroad or, like Peter McGeown, to job-shadow colleagues with the aim of sharing best practice.