Sarah with her family celebrating at the Barbican degree ceremony

At the age of 32, Sarah Benham started her Open University degree with the hopes of changing careers and making her dream of becoming an English teacher a reality.

“I amounted to nothing at school,” Sarah tells us, “I subsequently spent over ten years working in travel, with half of those feeling miserable.” It wasn’t until she began working as a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) at her local secondary school that Sarah finally found her calling. 

“Having spent two predominantly happy years as an LSA, I realised I had more to give,” says Sarah, “But if I wanted to move into teaching, I would first have to do something I hadn’t done at 18 and apply to do a degree.”

After spending her Christmas break researching the options available, Sarah found The Open University and realised she would be able to study for her qualification whilst continuing to work.

“The Open University seemed an obvious choice,” says Sarah. “I could choose when to work around my job and any other commitments but there would be tutorials and help along the way should I need it.”

After gaining encouragement from her family, Sarah took the plunge and enrolled for a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English Literature.

Finding support and encouragement

“I'd love to be able to say that the next six years were plain sailing, but I don't think I've ever met an OU student who's had a perfect six years. The first assignment I ever got back nearly floored me, I scraped a pass and almost gave up.”

Sarah’s family convinced her to attend a tutorial that weekend so she could speak to her tutor. “They were convinced that the tutor would be able to explain where I'd gone so wrong and help me put it right, I'm glad they insisted because they were quite correct.”

Over the following years, the OU tutors proved an invaluable source of support for Sarah – especially as she prepared for her end of unit exams.

“As I much as I tried to keep my nerves at bay, I was terrified of my exams. One week before the exam I was close to giving up, a practice paper had thrown me, and I felt like I couldn't do it. At my tutor’s insistence I emailed her a scanned copy of what I'd done in my three-hour practice run and was a little surprised when her response was that I could totally do this, but only if I remembered to breathe.

“The real low point though was discovering with two weeks to go that my plan for my first level three module was not going to work and I'd have to go back to the drawing board. As angry and emotional as that experience made me I'm grateful that my tutor for that year pointed out my massive flaw I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn't attended that tutorial and she hadn't offered to glance at what I already had.”

A newfound confidence

Reflecting on her OU journey, one of the biggest positives for Sarah has been a newfound confidence. Not only has studying helped Sarah to believe in herself more, it has pushed her out of her comfort zone and across London for various tutorials and trips.

“My virtual journey incorporated various expeditions, including The British Museum to find a glass boat that I had to write about, The Houses of Parliament when I was studying its architecture and history, and places like The Bridge Theatre London and the RSC Stratford to see and hear Shakespeare performed live. Before embarking on the OU I would have looked at all these destinations and considered them too difficult to get to despite only living an hour from London.”

‘I never believed I was worth it’

Though family and friends commented on how much Sarah’s confidence was increasing during her degree, she only started to see this for herself during the run-up to her degree ceremony. 

"Six years ago, if someone had asked me to stand up in the Barbican, never mind walk across the stage I would have refused to stand up in front of that many people. I honestly never believed I was worth it."

Sarah with her tutor at the degree ceremony

“When the day dawned I loved every minute, from the giggles over what a mess my hood looked after I'd had it on a couple of hours, to the sheer joy and relief of all my fellow OU students, we all felt the same and realised we've come a long way. My day was made after the ceremony when my favourite tutor sidled up to congratulate me, neither had realised the other was coming to that ceremony.”

What’s next for Sarah now that she’s finished her OU degree? “I have just come to the end of my first half-term teaching,” Sarah tells us. “I got a place as a PGCE student and am loving every minute.”