I am going to be honest and straight to the point. When I first started National Learning Network in 2008, I was not ready for a change. At only 17, I was looking forward to a change I'd left school a year early. I don't know how that worked out, but it did. I had done my last two years in the top part of the school.
At the time of leaving school, I knew I was getting stressed, I didn't want to leave but at the same time I was looking forward to it, I was spent 12 years in the school. I had done a sample in a course called Vocational Skills Foundation, and got accepted. I was that shy, quiet person that had no confidence. I found it hard to settle in at the time.
I had left school in May or June so I had a few months off until I started NLN. After a few months off, it was the 11 of August 2008 when I first started. I remember the instructor at the time saying we all have to say our names so I did, and so did the others. I was really nervous and thinking to myself what I am doing here?
My instructor had welcomed me with a big smile, and said for us to register with Fás. So I went to my local Fás centre and registered with them. Then it would have been about 2 weeks when we would have been fully on the course. I met all the instructors and other staff there too.
I remember the RO there, a person that helps you through and struggles you may have. She does also IAP's (individual action plan), a 4 month contract that helps you to set goals during the course. Doing this was helpful for the instructors and also helpful for the trainees.
At FETAC level 3, I found it hard at the time, because of my 'lack of confidence' I had at the time. Since I had started the course, I found that the instructor was helping me through the daily struggles I had. I still didn't settle into the course and this would have been around December 2008.
In April 2009, I finally was starting to settle in. I was getting on with my friends more and I was more happier. Every Thursday we went on day trips, one day trip was to the cinema, while the other day trip was going into shopping. I was having the time of my life. I was really happy.
We all done FETAC exams, and we all passed them. One of the modules was telephone skills, it may have sounded easy, but I found it hard due to my 'lack of confidence' again. I couldn't make or answer the phone to anybody, even if I wanted to. Then another one was self advocasy, where u had to give a presentation in a group.
A few other modules was health and safety, where u had to know when u put a fire blanket over a fire. Yet again due to my 'lack of confidence' I couldn't get up and show others how to use a fire blanket. Now looking back at it I say I can do it now.
I had done two work experiences at the same time, one was in a creche and the other one was in a charity shop. This was the beginning of November 2009. I had gained a bit of confidence at this point. I just started believing in myself.
After 2009, I got more and more confident with the help of my instructor. I started using the phone, but only if somebody rang it. I was allowed with the receptionist to use the switch board, this was scary at first, but I got used to it. At first, I wasn't able to answer the switch board, the receptionist answered it. But the more I went it easier it went.
In December 2009, my instructor announced that she was going on leave to have a baby. My world went to bad to worse. I was really nervous that I'd thought I'd lose my confidence We where waiting for another instructor, and this sort of 'older' person came in. That was in January 2010.
In the same month, another instructor came in. I just wanted to quit to be honest, I just wanted to leave badly. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would have been. The man instructor was really understanding, he knew what I was going though.
In May 2010, it was time for me to leave, without saying goodbye to the instructor I had at the beginning, I badly wanted to say goodbye to her, but she wasn't back in time. I went on a sample course in Roslyn park college, which I disliked it, REALLY. I wanted to get out. But this was only a sample, which meant I had the power to say yes or no to the course.I ended up accepting it because I felt I had no other choice not to.
Apart of the course, we all had to do a 6 month work experience. But we all had to find the work experience by ourselves, with no help. This was going to do my head in, I wasn't used to finding my own work experience, so my sister helped me and got me a work placement in tesco, in her job. I was delighted.
After doing a month of work experience in tesco, I found a another work placement in a pet shop, called maxi zoo. I did a 7 month work experience there. During the 7 month work experience, I loved it until a bad day in April 2011. On that day, I was really stressed out, then until this person pushed me to the limits. I had got that stressed out, I had taking a panic attack. This panic attack had paralysed me from top to toe.
Everything went well after that. It was July/August when we went on our summer holidays. After we came back from our holidays, I had to find a new work experience, as the time was up in the other one. This really stressed me out a lot.
Travelling 4 hours A DAY to and from college, I couldn't handle it any more, so I got so stressed out I had finally done something about it with the help of my dad. My dad had rang the instructor a few times, because I had no confidence to confront my instructor about it, so I rang my dad.
I had left Roslyn Park college, and went back to the other college, where I am currently am today. I had met the instructor who I had at the very start. I loved seeing her face, all my past just caught up with me, shes the reason why I am who I am today. Not in a million words can describe how grateful I am to have her as an instructor.
Today July 2013, I am now currently doing a catering course, with two sort of mad instructors (sometimes strict). But thats the ususal. Since I have started National Learning Network, my life has changed from having a low self esteem to having plenty of confidence, thanks to the instructor I first met 5 years ago.
