Zainab Mohiuddin shares her story of how EYITT took her from South London to Vietnam.

After gaining a degree in law I worked part-time in my family’s business, Norbury Hill Cubs Nursery in South London. I achieved Early Years Teacher Status with Best Practice Network in partnership with e-Qualitas in 2016. I now work at Apax English in Vietnam. Our setting is a language centre in Hanoi where I teach a phonics and English-based curriculum to 4-6 year old children.

During EYITT, my mentor was the manager at the setting and I was really well supported. It was a pleasure working professionally and academically with someone I respected. My tutors, Vanessa Wheeler and Pam Sokhi, were invaluable in the lessons they taught me on how to become a better educator and facilitator and how to broaden my perspective of how I saw childhood development.

I chose to study EYITT as I wanted recognition for something I was, and always will be, passionate about. I was assessed as having demonstrated the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years) at outstanding level which was a huge reward and one that will always stay with me. I previously left a PGCE incomplete and this showed me just how far I had come since then, thanks to hard work and the support of amazing tutors.

Highlights of the training were the face-to- face training sessions where I always felt like I walked away with new knowledge and new ways of approaching care and education. I also enjoyed being observed, however daunting it was, because after each observation, I felt like I had gone through a big learning curve.

The key things I learned were how to make my activities open-ended and full of choice rather than being led mainly by me. Also, how to work on making the nursery I care about full of learning opportunities indoors and outdoors and to understand that things should not be overcomplicated. Small things, like how we ask children questions, should not be overlooked in terms of importance.

I feel I am making a bigger impact on the children’s learning and development now that I have completed EYITT. Working with a company in Vietnam it's really rewarding to see progress in young children who don't speak my mother tongue. My interactive approaches and knowledge of early childhood are very valuable to the company I work with and I've been given responsibility to train colleagues in making the curriculum fun and interactive.

I always wanted to travel and being an ‘outstanding’ early years teacher certainly stood me in good stead when applying abroad.