Courtney Gall
Care
HNC Childhood Practice
“NESCol is the place that restored my faith in the education system and I was very fortunate to form great relationships, making friends for life and learning from lecturers that could see my passion and believed in me!”
After travelling the world, Courtney Gall returned to her home city and to the career she’s always dreamt of having achieved her HNC in Childhood Practice.
Courtney (27) worked in various office, retail and health care roles after leaving school. In 2015 with her job as a procurement administrator under threat due to the oil and gas downturn, she decided it was the right time to turn her dream of travelling into a reality.
She spent the next 14 months travelling across Canada, America, Australia and Asia and had an amazing time. It is this experience that Courtney attributes as the motivating factor for applying to College.
She said, “It was my decision to go and travel that not only changed my perspective on the world but sparked the realisation that life is too short to do anything but what you love. From a young age I had always wanted to work with children but always veered down other routes for various reasons. When I returned to Aberdeen one of the first things I did was to apply to NESCol. I started on the NC in Early Education & Childcare and soon realised I had made my best decision yet. I knew from everything I was learning and my placement in a nursery that I truly was following my dreams. Yes it sounds like a cliché but it’s true! NESCol is the place that restored my faith in the education system and I was very fortunate to form great relationships, making friends for life and learning from lecturers that could see my passion and believed in me!”
Courtney progressed to the HNC in Childhood Practice and enjoyed another successful year at NESCol, winning one of the Childcare team awards for the second consecutive year, this time the overall ‘Star’ award for her enthusiasm, dedication and passion shown.
Courtney initially worked for a private nursery in the city after leaving NESCol but is now employed by the local authority and works within a primary school with infant classes promoting play based learning. She said, “I’m thrilled to be working as an Early Years Practitioner and feel like I’m making a positive difference to the children in my care who bring me sheer joy! I can honestly say I’m living my dream thanks to my College experience and would recommend NESCol to anyone who wants to work in the career they’ve always desired.”
Find out more about our Childcare courses and apply online now.