I joined RM after working as a Secondary School Computer Science teacher for 15 years. When a colleague originally showed me the job advert for the post it sounded far too good to be true. I wasn’t looking to leave teaching at the time, but I applied on the basis that it was literally my dream job and I didn’t think I would stand a chance of securing a job in industry.

I have now been working at RM Resources for two years and my role has more than lived up to my expectations. The transition from the classroom to industry was difficult at first but now I can’t imagine doing anything else. As a teacher you can influence your class and their futures, but in this role I am part of a team with the ability to influence so much more.

I am the Innovation Manager for Computer Science and ICT. My role is to create new products for the TTS range. An example of this is a new product we have recently launched, KITT.

KITT is an accessible robotic technology that aims to get children excited in the same way as products currently available on the consumer market.

Products like Kitt are developed with significant contribution from educational experts and teachers around the world. I still teach as often as I can, especially with new products to ensure that we have done our job correctly.

Kitt was developed as a response to teacher insight which told us; teachers needed EdTech to support in reducing workload, to support in blended learning and to support all students in the class – not just the most able.

With that in mind there were a number of technical requirements Kitt must fulfil. It needed to hold charge for longer than a tablet, be small enough to travel home but not connect to the internet so be safe to use. Kitt’s beauty is in its simplicity.

When I left teaching I worried that I would have the same sense of camaraderie with my colleagues. I couldn’t have been more wrong. My team are the most inspirational and talented group of people, It is a joy to work with them every day. My role is different, but as varied, as my teaching career. I wouldn’t change it for the world, I can’t imagine doing anything else.