This week's 'A Conversation With...' features a familiar face at Shiplake College. Formerly a Joint Head of College and now a Sports/Teaching Assistant, we caught up with Mr James Burgess to find out what he's been up to since leaving Shiplake in 2021, and how different it feels being back here as a member of staff.
What is your role and how long have you been at Shiplake?
I have returned to Shiplake for the year in a Sports/Teaching Assistant role. My time at Shiplake began back in 2016 when I arrived as a pupil, where I was a weekly boarder in Welsh House. In June 2021, I finished Year 13 and thought that was the end of my journey with Shiplake, but I was wrong, as I returned in September 2022 as a member of staff.
What were you doing before Shiplake and what brought you back?
After completing my A-levels, I headed to Cardiff University to study Business Management, which I thought was the best decision for me to make at that moment in time. Despite this, for a couple of reasons, I made a conscious decision not to return to Cardiff after the first semester. Ultimately, I didn't feel I was in the right environment for me to progress how I initially planned to and that is no fault of Cardiff University - it was just not the right place for me. Following on from this, I spent a year trying different jobs and getting a glance at "real life", which I felt was productive in helping me establish the direction I want to go in.
When the opportunity to return to Shiplake came about, I didn't think twice. I have had experience in coaching and teaching prior to this role and it therefore felt like a constructive and positive step forward for my development.
What is a day in the life at Shiplake like for Mr Burgess?
My day to day has me heavily involved in all things Shiplake sports. It has been a pleasure teaching and coaching the pupils in a variety of sports throughout this first term and I am constantly encouraged by their motivation in trying new skills. I am also a part of the Lower School staff team, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. The energy and positivity the Year 7 and 8s bring to the College daily makes it a really good environment to be around and despite having a bias towards Welsh House, due to my time as pupil, it's fair to say my mindset is broadening on what is the best house to be a part of...
You've previously done one of these features as a pupil at Shiplake, how does it feel doing one as a member of staff?
It is different and not something I would've expected to be doing when I was a pupil here; writing one of these but as a member of staff. It's funny because when I left, in our end of school yearbook, there was a poll which posed the question, "Who is most likely to return to Shiplake?", to the year group and I happened to gain the most votes. At the time, I played it off as "No chance!" but a year later, here I am back as a member of staff, and I must say I couldn't be happier that the poll came true. The only thing that is similar about writing this to when I was a pupil is the time of year, as if I recall correctly, my last 'A Conversation With...' was in the lead up to Christmas.
Does the College feel different to you now that you work here?
Yes and no... It feels no different to when I was a pupil in the sense of the community feel around the College, which I've always believed is at the forefront of what Shiplake does so well. The biggest difference was being able to walk into the Staff Room for the first time! There were many familiar faces, and part of me felt as if I was going to get told off for walking in there! Pretty quickly though, that feeling was eradicated due to how welcoming everyone was and I now feel very much part of the staff body.
What do you do away from work?
When I am not at work, you'll often find me down my local golf course desperately trying to improve my golfing ability, which is proving to be a challenging task. As well as this, I am a huge Arsenal fan and therefore a lot of my weekends revolve around the kick off time of Arsenal, but with the World Cup currently on, my weekends are a lot more open.
What does the future hold for Mr Burgess?
I am going to try my hand at university again, but this time I am looking to study Sports Science. Thanks to Mrs Rapple Moore, who has been super helpful with my UCAS application, I should know soon which university that may be. I feel my time at university this time round will be done with more purpose and direction, as I am keen to return to a similar role to what I am in now. I am going to continue to get involved in coaching and teaching at university to ensure I continue to progress in this field of work.
