Mathew Brown has returned to New Zealand after his year as a tutor at Shrewsbury School. Matt is very grateful to the Trust for the opportunity to spend a year at one of England’s premier schools.There is no doubt that the scholarship has achieved its objective. Matt has gained independence and matured with the responsibility of his duties at the school alongside staff members and other tutors and scholars from around the world. He assisted in the classroom and boarding house on a regular basis as well as coaching rugby and rowing and accompanying the schools winning team to Henley. As well as travelling with school teams to other schools in the UK Matt travelled in Europe over the summer holidays with other Gap students.
In Matt’s words “…..…I made so many wonderful friends at school and in my travels and I can honestly say I was sadder to leave the UK than I was to leave home to begin with.......I have made life long friends”. “I feel confident with the University choices I have made, and am better prepared for the future….”.During the year the Trust offered support to Ed Taylor from Shrewsbury who is a Tutor at Rathkeale and at present the Trustees are in the process of selecting another student to travel to Shrewsbury in 2009. The Trustees are grateful for your continued interest in the James Meikle Shrewsbury Scholarship.
Matt’s Year at Shrewsbury School
I was so lucky to be given the opportunity to take this year abroad, so I would like to start by thanking the Meikle family, and the rest of the trustees for this chance.It is hard to prepare for such a life-changing experience, and always difficult to say goodbye to friends and family for the first time. I was very lucky to have a supportive family behind me, who encouraged me to embrace such an amazing opportunity. In preparation for departure, one of the most difficult obstacles of which I had to overcome was the airline’s twenty-kilogram baggage allowance, of which to my relief, I later found rather flexible.
It is important to take a lot of clothes with you. Some for sport, and at least one suit or set of formal clothes. I also found I wore a dinner suit regularly, so that could be useful to take. There are a few very formal occasions when one is necessary.On arriving in England, the school was very good to me and the other gappers. The accommodation which the school provides is fantastic and everyone there was very welcoming. On the day I arrived my two mentors, who were young teachers at the school, came to visit one after the other, bringing me my first English kebab and a dozen English beer. They then promptly took me down to the pub for a night out with all the staff - a wonderful start to the year.
Throughout my year at Shrewsbury, I met people who had not had such favourable tutorship experiences, especially with house and work mates, but I was fortunate in the fact that the two other gappers I worked with were great guys. I trust that you will have plenty in common with the Shrewsbury gappers and other employees.
The day-to-day jobs we are expected to complete are always varied, so the work is never boring. We are given a timetable with the P.E. classes we are to teach, our coaching responsibilities and the other jobs that are constant throughout the year, such as cleaning the cricket center. The rest of the day is spent helping the grounds men, or on call to the P.E. department, so our days were always pretty full, but there was still plenty of down time, when you can go into town or to the gym.
At Shrewsbury, there are a few things that may take you a while to get used to, such as the English weather, and the varying daylight hours. But this adjustment doesn’t take long, and soon you see how similar the UK is to New Zealand.
There are various opportunities given to you through the year, such as trips to sporting matches, theme parks and concerts, all of which you may be invited to. I really enjoyed these, and took full advantage of them by going to see various Heineken cup rugby matches and Super League games.
As a gapper at Shrewsbury, you live in a flat that is attached to a boarding house, and you do a duty there on a Sunday night. This is fun, and a really good way to meet the guys. The English school guys are great and I have made life long friends there. Through them you get to experience a lot of things you cannot do you your own, such a pheasant shooting and hunting in the English countryside. Another ‘perk’ of the job is working as a barman at various school events, such as the house dances. It was a bit of a surprise to see these guys drinking with the girls in their boarding house, but they all seem to be responsible about it, while having a great time.
The holidays sneak up on you fast, and provide many travel opportunities. In the first set of holidays, Tom (the ozzy gapper) and I went to Morocco, utilizing the cheap airfares the UK offer. For such occasions, it is important to save the pay that you receive throughout the term otherwise you will not be able to fully enjoy the experience.
Through the summer, I took a Contiki tour of Europe. I found this the best way to travel, as it takes all the hassle out of your holiday. Contiki run these trips through the summer period especially for GAP students, so you are guaranteed to travel with a group of like-minded people, of which is always fun. The school is very accommodating of your situation as a gapper, and more than happy to give time off for travel, and advances on wages. They always seem to find the reasons for these favours’ rather amusing. I found that a GAP year like this changes you, for the better. I feel much more confident about the university choices I have made, and a lot better prepared for the future. This is exactly what I wanted to gain from my year abroad, and am so thankful for this opportunity. I made so many wonderful friends, and I can honestly say I was sadder to leave the UK than I was to leave home to begin with!
