Student Story: Abi Harding

Abi is a bit of a superwoman. She’s serving RAF, is studying for a degree in Sports, Fitness and Coaching, plays football and rugby for the RAF and has given birth not once, but twice during her OU studies (and she’s only on her third year of study)!! (At the time of writing, both children are under 18 months old) Her motivation for study is to provide her with a career after the RAF, and her course is part funded by the RAF. She says “doing the OU course means I know that I’m set up for life”. She talks about juggling her studies around her life, and the support available from the OU, both formal tutor support and informal from other students.

I finished school with 10 GCSEs and went on to college and did a BTEC national diploma in Sports Performance and Excellence, and got a triple distinction. I applied for university to become a PE teacher, but I decided to follow a career with the RAF, so my academic education stopped at college.

“I was working full time and pregnant with my first child so studying at the OU fitted in with my needs”

I’ve been in the RAF for eleven years now, and want to stay in the force for as long as I can, but I also want to make sure I’ve got a career for when the time comes for me to leave. Throughout my whole life I’ve always played sport — I still play football and rugby for the RAF. Because I enjoy sport so much I decided to plan a future career as a PE teacher in primary or secondary. I looked into teaching and discovered that you need a degree and then a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) to become a teacher so I thought I’d start by studying a degree in something I enjoy and know a little bit about and that’s why I chose to study sports coaching.

I was working full time and knew there was no way that I’d be able to study full time. One of the girls I worked with was studying with The Open University, so I had a look and I could see that studying at the OU fitted in with my needs. I looked at other local unis to see if there were part time options with the courses I wanted, but there wasn’t.

“I’m now on my third module and I have a one-year-old and a newborn, which is a challenge!”

When I started the first module of my Sport, Fitness and Coaching degree with the OU in October 2018 I found out I was pregnant with my first child. I had an assignment due three weeks after the birth – I was a bag of emotions! During most of that first module I was working full-time Monday to Friday. I did my OU study two evenings a week for two or three hours. When it came to writing assignments, I would put in extra work to make sure everything got done.

I’m now on my third module and I have a one-year-old and a newborn, which is a challenge! Trying to juggle work, being a mum and doing a degree at the same time isn’t easy. You have to make yourself do it. Studying is not always something you want to do when you’ve had a day of it but you’ve got to get it done. Some nights I just want to sleep! There’s the odd occasion where, instead of going to the gym at lunch, I might smash out an hour out of study but most of the time I use the evenings. Last week I was trying to get my latest assignment finished but the little one, the newborn, wasn’t sleeping, so I had her on my shoulder while I was trying to work, but it’s not practical really! On a Saturday morning my other half sometimes takes the littlest one out to the park for a couple of hours to give me time to get some study done when I’m a bit less tired.

“Because I’m interested in the subject, I find all of the work enjoyable. Learning doesn’t seem like a chore if it’s something that you enjoy.”

My family has inspired me because it’s going to benefit all of us in the long run — and, if I’m honest, myself, because I’m a very determined person. And because I’m interested in the subject, I find all of the work enjoyable. Learning doesn’t seem like a chore if it’s something that you enjoy.

Although, this last assignment I came close to giving up. My newborn baby was just two weeks old and I felt so tired trying to juggle everything. But I knew deep down that I wouldn’t give up. The feeling only lasted a couple of days — while I was sleep deprived, and probably still a bit hormonal — but now I’m fine. I know I need to do it and, as tight as it sounds, I’m not wasting the money!

“The OU study material is really easy to follow, and I can’t fault the tutors.”

When you’ve been in the military for four years you’re entitled to Enhanced Learning Credits that you can use towards any education. My first two modules were 90% funded by the RAF and the remainder I paid. For my current module, which is my third, I got a student loan, because we had recently had a second and bought a house.

The OU study material is really easy to follow, and I can’t fault the tutors. The other day I was struggling to understand something and I thought, ‘I’ll just email and ask.’ My tutor was really quick to respond. My tutors have given me their email addresses and their mobile numbers and said I can ring and talk things through if I need help. I haven’t had to ring yet but it’s nice to know that the support is there.

“The tutor support you get with the OU is massive. I don’t even start my assignments without going to the tutorials because I find them really helpful. Really engaging.”

The tutor support you get with the OU is massive. I don’t even start my assignments without going to the tutorials because I find them really helpful. Really engaging. And because the students are all logged on together you can all ask questions in the chat bar about anything you don’t understand. It’s great because sometimes people will ask questions that maybe you didn’t think of. Or get answers to things you wanted to know but you didn’t know how to phrase the question. Personally, I massively benefit from the tutorials.

I’m in a WhatsApp group for the module and it’s supportive because there’s a lot of people in there that are in a similar situation to me. For example, there are students who are studying while homeschooling kids. When they’re saying ‘I can’t do this’, you know that you’re not the only one thinking that.

“The OU has stretched me because I didn’t think the work would be as challenging as it is. And I mean that in a good way!”

I’ve always been quite determined; if I set my mind to something I tend to do it, but studying at the OU has stretched me because I didn’t think the work would be as challenging as it is. And I mean that in a good way!

I’m happy in my job at the moment and I don’t plan leaving the RAF to teach any time soon, but doing the OU course means I know that I’m set up for life, so that when the time comes it’s just a case of doing the PGCE and getting qualified teacher status, and then I can be a PE teacher.

“Enjoy it. Embrace it. Accept that there will be times when it’s not that easy, but it’ll be worth it in the end.”

If you’re thinking of doing an OU course I would say look into what you want to do first, to make sure it’s definitely the right route for you, and then just enjoy it, embrace it. Accept that there will be times when it’s not that easy, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

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