Julie Young

First Job: Sales Assistant in Birthdays, Castle Court

What it taught me: My father was shocked when I arrived home, age 16 and told him I had a part-time job! The job taught me how I needed to bite my tongue when dealing with members of the public, that I wasn’t always right and the ‘stick-ability’ factor that today’s young people seem to lack.

Family/status: 2 daughters (age 15 and 10) and a pup, Bailey

Best advice anyone ever gave you: Never be surprised at anything that each day throws at you!

Best advice you could give someone thinking of a teaching career: As long as you’re not afraid of working hard and know that teaching is your calling then it’s the best, most rewarding job you would ever want.

Pupil at Belfast Model School for Girls’, studied at QUB, graduated with an Honours Degree in Applied Maths and then did a PGCE. First teaching job was Belfast Boys’ Model...and this is now my 25th year there. I am a teacher of Maths and am in charge of External Exams and Data Analysis. I enjoy my job, our boys are fantastic! Team Boys’ Model are a hard working group, led by an excellent SLT and captained by the hardest working person I have ever had the pleasure to know. In my spare time I enjoy running - I was persuaded to run for part of a relay team 15 years ago (I was always the girl who was picked last for team games in school). I now run any distance, have 11 marathons under my belt (including London, Dublin and Berlin) along with numerous half marathons. I also enjoy walking, especially along the North Coast, with my daughters and dog, Bailey.