Alumni
Home / Alumni / Ian Armstrong

Ian Armstrong

Country: United Kingdom
Sector: Primary & Secondary Education
Job title: Head of Senior PE & Head of CCAs and Service Learning
Subject of study: Education
Year of graduation: 2023
Type/Level of study: Postgraduate Taught

Current Employer/Organisation Name

Stonyhurst International School, Penang

What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?

I have been a teacher for the past 20 years, having graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2001, then travelled the world, and worked at KPMG in Birmingham for 3 years. I started my teaching career at Adams’ Grammar School in Shropshire, where steadily worked up the pastoral ladder for 10 years. My wife and I then decided to work Internationally, and obtained jobs in Taiwan, where we worked for 6 years. I was a PE teacher and Head of Year 8, and she was Head of Year 1. After 6 years, including the global pandemic, we moved to Malaysia, where we currently reside at a brand new school, called Stonyhurst, where we joined as founding members two years ago. Between our final year in Taiwan, and our first year in Malaysia, we did our Masters qualifications, which mine was from Exeter University!

Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?

I love teaching, as it has allowed lots of personal interactions, it has also given me the chance to impart sporting wisdom onto others, and travel the world.

What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?

Having not been in education for 20 years, it was great to learn a few new things, do some research, and put together some interesting essays, and a dissertation.

What did you most enjoy about studying here?

Whilst I wasn’t on campus at all, and never actually got to go to Exeter throughout the time I was studying, I enjoyed the routine and ongoing up-skilling through participation in the course.

Why did you choose to study at Exeter?

A prestigious, and highly acclaimed place to study.

What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?

Just the ability to be more critical of what I research, and not to take on face value the results of studies. Also, to be more observant of the reasons for certain results, and articles being produced. Usually, there is some sort of marketing angle that might not always be obvious.

What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?

Be consistent with work, enjoy what you do and get into a regular routine. 

What are your plans for the future?

Continue to develop as a teacher and maybe look to go into SLT when I am a bit more experienced in my role. 

 

Print or download PDF
Download Photo

Similar Alumni

Anamaria Arana

I continued my international teaching career. I worked as Accreditation Coordinator, English as an Additional Language Specialist/Instructional Coach in a preK-8 international school located in Toamasina, Madagascar.  Recently I started a new position in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am the ESOL coordinator in Middle School.   I started my international teaching career in Romania, my home country, as a teacher assistant and support teacher. Since then, I taught in the Philippines, China (where I started my MA with Exeter), South Korea, Madagascar and now Malaysia.

View bio  ›

Nathan Unwin

Newton International Academy. Choosing the University of Exeter for my MA in Education was a decision driven by a deep-seated passion for education and a desire to make a meaningful impact in the field. With a background in teaching, I was looking for a program that not only provided a strong theoretical foundation but also offered practical insights into the challenges and opportunities within the education sector. Exeter’s MA in Education stood out to me because of its reputation for academic excellence, the expertise of its faculty, and its commitment to research-driven education.

View bio  ›