My Experience as a Higher Education Placement at FSC Millport

By Bethany Brooks

Last September I took a big step in my university career – I took a year out to gain some work experience at the Field Studies Council. I’m a Marine Biology student at the University of Exeter, and I’ve wanted to get into teaching for a while now. Getting some teaching experience at a historical marine station on a beautiful Scottish island seemed perfect for me, and I jumped at the offer.

Left: Kames Bay, taken the day after I moved to Millport; right: Sunset over Kames bay on September weekend.
(Photos by Bethany Brooks)

I’ve had an amazing opportunity to develop a range of new skills, from teaching small groups; learning what a lab technician does; bar and shop work where I can interact with visitors face-to-face; what it takes to keep an aquarium running and so much more. And that’s not even counting the official first aid training and water safety qualifications I gained as part of our safety week in August.

A photo of me (far right) and some other Higher Education Placements at FSC Malham Tarn, where our saftey week took place.
(Photo by Julia, a seasonal tutor at FSC Dale Fort)

Day to day life at the centre changes all the time, depending on what groups we have in and what events we are hosting. It’s certainly never boring! We all have to work to tight deadlines to turn classrooms and clean equipment between groups; pitch in with the hospitality team; assist the maintenance team with the upkeep of the grounds and museum; keep the IT and technology working and updated so customers can use it. For Christmas and Burns Night we hosted huge events for the community, where we got experience as waiting staff.

A photo of Rosie, me, and Luke when we were helping to plant a flower meadow at the centre.
(Photo by Alex, a work experience student we had at the time)

I’ve also taken over the social media posts for our #speciesoftheweek, where I get to show off staff photos of local wildlife. My experiences out with the groups and working in the aquarium has made me much more familiar with UK wildlife, and much more confident when talking about them to a range of ages and experiences.

I’ve loved living in Millport, the community has been so welcoming and the staff at the centre are extremely friendly. The positive atmosphere at work has really made my placement, and I’m grateful for every single opportunity and experience I’ve gained since I arrived in September.

The education team at FSC Millport