Getting into Teaching Gigs

It was all started back in the college. I was active in organisations and campus events. Mostly what I do is leading the creative teams, everything was all backstage. If I ever teach people, it was more like teaching my team on how to follow the design guideline and giving them advices.

Until one day, one department in the event I was working on invited me to give a presentation about Brand Identity. I recalled the hall was filled with students from different communities. It was informal, but oh, it was a nerve-wracking experience for me! I'm happy the event was successful, but like any other "first-time" experience in my life, I know it was far from perfect!

Then COVID-19 occurred, the chance fell into my lap…twice. and with pay! There were Graphic Design and Basic Photoshop workshops for two societies in the uni. This time, I began enjoying teaching. I actually enjoy the process of thinking up materials and creating presentations. People said that one understands things better after teaching, I couldn't agree more.

Long story short, I did get a job in the city and graduated. But the fun begins when I finally landed on my second job. The work culture was pretty healthy that I had the energy to do volunteering over the weekend. I always loved illustrating for children's book and I have experience teaching people. So, I thought to myself: Maybe I can try teaching children, too?

So, I volunteered as a Sunday School Teacher. Some kids are so enthusiastic but some are uncontrollable. It wasn’t easy at first, but it was fun, and I learned by doing. Thankfully, I had senior teachers who guided me with advice and encouragement. Looking back, it’s one of the best decisions I ever made.

That experience made me realise that if I could choose my career path, it would have to involve working with children.

Fast forward, I tried to find my way and got a scholarship to study Children's Literature and Illustration in the UK. As much as I love studying children's illustration, I miss working directly with children. So, I applied for a volunteer program. It was a shared reading with a children-in-care. I went for their training sessions, completed a safeguarding certification, but when it came to the last stage: overseas DBS check. Unfortunately, despite having all the documents and doing follow-ups, the process stalled. So, I had to put that plan on hold.

In the meantime, someone messaged me on LinkedIn, out of nowhere, for an opportunity to work as Workshop Assistant at Imagimosaic. It is a course to enable children to publish their books. So, it was all about making children confident in telling their own story and getting all the creativity flowing out. The organiser had done similiar thing in China and tried to make it a success here too. It was exactly what I was looking for. So, I gave it a shot!

Being a Workshop Assistant turned out to be a gift. I learned so much from the lead tutors: Jo Rooks, Lijie Zhang, and Ciara Flood. Each had a unique teaching style, yet they all had the same ability to simplify even complex concepts (including some of the theories I’d been studying in my MA!) so that children could easily understand them. In a way, I became a student again, learning alongside the kids.

Some children were bursting with confidence in their stories, while others were hesitant. My role was to gently encourage them, ask questions to spark their thinking, and sometimes throw in ideas to inspire them. I always told myself to make sure they enjoyed the process and never forcing it. One student nearly finished a story only to decide they wanted to start over entirely. And you know what? That’s okay. The point is to walk the journey together!

The sessions were also filled with fun creative exercises, from marbling Easter eggs to making pop-up cards. Although the courses are currently on pause as the organisers refine the programme, I’m so glad I stumbled upon this opportunity.

Now, I find myself hoping I’ll get to teach and create with young children again. It’s a kind of work that doesn't just give away, but gives back…in energy, ideas, and joy.