Blog

Learning Services Staff in Focus - Mark Illman, Academic Skills Adviser

A day in the Life

I start the day at 6.30 with a strong cup of tea. I like to sit down and check the news online while I eat breakfast and then after this I will usually play the piano for 30 minutes or so to ’loosen up’. I have been learning now for about 6 years and I am quite strict about making sure that I practice daily for at least an hour – I do a bit in the evening as well to make up the time. As a result, I have made some quite good progress and can now play many tunes from memory.

After driving in to work (car or motorbike) depending on the weather and my level of alertness, I start by checking my appointments for the day. As an academic skills adviser, my time is divided between 1-1 tutorials, workshops, administration, meetings and project work.

I enjoy the 1-1 tutorials and workshops especially; there is a lot of variety in dealing with academic issues, such as referencing, academic style of writing, being critical, and managing time, all wrapped up in different subject areas. My designated area of support is for arts, humanities and business, although I don’t really get too involved in the actual subject content (that is for the subject lecturers, you see) However, I focus on supporting and developing the underlying generic skills needed to be successful in studying (and in life in general).

The job can be quite tiring and requires a lot of concentration most of the time. However, there are many compensations – in particular, it is very satisfying to see that ‘light bulb moment’ when a piece of advice allows somebody to walk away with a new found confidence and a spring in their step, happy in the knowledge of what to do next to move forward with their academic tasks. At the end of the day, it is nice to feel that you have a job that is helping other people from all walks of life to succeed in their aspirations.

Mark Illman

Academic Skills Adviser