I’m a teacher now?

Not something I ever foresaw, not a box I or the career advisors ever ticked as an option for me, yet throughout my time in investment banking, because I kept finding myself in the “change” arenas, I often had to pass on information, to educate others.

I stood up and presented to dozens of colleagues and strangers. I attended conferences and answered questions on panels. I taught new team members one on one. I helped my IT teams and developers understand what exactly it was they were building for me. And finally I passed on everything I could before I left my derivatives world behind…..

But I never considered myself a teacher. Then I started this new life, and now I am a qualified instructor, and I hope soon to be a tutor too.

I have friends who teach, who have worked crazy hours and weeks to become heads of department and even head teachers. I have friends who lecture at universities and those who educate their peers. I have friends who picked up my baton of conferences and presentations in the City. And, of course, I have friends who are sailing instructors, who inspired me to take this life leap, and encouraged me to know that I could.

Instructing is very different to teaching students who don’t want to learn, who are in your classroom because they have to be. When we are out on a yacht, sometimes in terrible weather, it is entirely out of everyone’s comfort zone, the only way anyone can or will learn is if they want to.

If people don’t want to be here, or just don’t want to learn, the best thing for them is to speak up or step off, and thankfully we are all adults so that’s an option. But for those who want to learn, to experience, to stretch themselves, to have their eyes opened every day, that’s what I do, what we do. We teach.

I can recall all of my most influential teachers, tutors and instructors over the years.

It’s amazing to think I may now one day feature on other peoples lists.