Alan Bannister is looking forward to taking his teaching career to the next level this month, when he becomes head of maths at the new University of Birmingham School. The school is the first of its kind in the country, designed to become a centre of excellence for teacher training and professional development and with strong ties to the university. “This job was too good an opportunity to miss,” he says.
Bannister, a 33-year-old Oxford graduate, moved to Birmingham from his home in Southampton to complete his teacher training 10 years ago. He spent two years working in Worcestershire after qualifying, but was keen to move back to the city he now calls home.
“I was living in Bromsgrove and I loved my job but I was then in my mid-20s and wanted to move back to the city. Birmingham is a very vibrant place – it has a lot to offer me and my wife,” he says. “We enjoy live music and it’s a city that attracts big acts; there are also some fantastic free houses.”
He has also been able to buy a three-bedroom house for his young family – something that would have been more difficult in Southampton or Oxford: “Considering I am just on a teacher’s salary I don’t think that is something I could have achieved so easily in the south,” he admits.
The social and entertainment opportunities offered in the city have made it easy for Bannister to achieve a good work-life balance. “I think the challenges you face as a teacher in Birmingham are similar to those you would face anywhere and I also think achieving the right work-life balance can be hard for teachers,” he says. “You can’t just be a teacher and live for your work.”
Bannister says the city offers him unequalled professional development opportunities. “There is a buzz in education in Birmingham,” he says, summing up why he, his 31-year-old wife Rebecca, and their 14-month-old baby Phoebe, will stay in Birmingham. “I am a big convert to the city. I think Birmingham is our future.”
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