Nynke worked as a family law lawyer until 2016, supervising numerous alimony cases, divorces, access issues and disposals in her career. 'The 16 years as a lawyer were as beautiful as they were challenging at times. I noticed that as I got older, I could not let the firm disputes slip away from me as easily. It was time for something else. Something that required me to get out the door, and preferably something with children, because as a volleyball coach I got tremendous joy from those young people. And although I had always resented teaching, especially because my parents were both in the profession, I changed my mind.'<\/p>\n\n\n\n
'I decided to write to a number of schools and was able to join Schools by the Sea<\/a> ended up in Den Helder for an internship. I joined the vocational education department and immediately clicked with the teachers in the Dutch subject group. The fact that the lower grades at this school offer Dutch in a learning environment really appealed to me. Here, two classes are taught simultaneously by two teachers. That meant that, as a rookie, I could gain experience alongside an experienced teacher. I found -and find- that super and it led to me starting at this school in September 2020.'<\/p>\n\n\n\n 'However, the lateral entry route proved challenging. A college in the north of the country did not want to give me permission to take the aptitude test. In their opinion, my law degree and lawyer background were too far removed from Dutch. Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences<\/a> luckily judged otherwise. In my first year of teaching, I started putting together my portfolio and in year two I officially started. I must say, it's quite tough. I am in school every Tuesday and have been taking mostly didactic and pedagogical courses for the past year. Next school year, I hope to complete my training. I can be brief about the support I receive: both from the school and from the HvA is great. I have an experienced teacher next to me and the lines of communication with the HvA are short, it can't get any better'.<\/p>\n\n\n\n