Some 4,300 miles away from Merseyside, there’s a unique community of Liverpool Hope University students living in Doha, Qatar.
And while the glittering Persian Gulf is perhaps a strange location to have a thriving Hope enclave, there’s a rather special explanation.
Grace Kelly, 27, is one of the growing number of people choosing to study a Hope programme remotely while based in Qatar.
She’s Assistant Principal at the Oryx International School, which delivers a British curriculum to boys and girls aged 3 to 18 years old. The majority of pupils at Oryx are the children of staff members who work with the airline Qatar Airways.
And Grace, originally from County Derry, Northern Ireland, is one of a number of teachers there working towards a Hope Master’s in Educational Leadership & Management.
She explains: “I want to climb the ladder, I want to better myself, and my studies have definitely helped me in my practice to reflect, think and to develop as a leader. I’ve learned so much.”
Grace initially studied at Hope as an undergraduate, completing a four year BA in Primary Education with QTS (Qualified Teacher Status). After teaching in Liverpool for a number of years, she was ready for a new challenge and moved to Qatar. She’s been there for five years now.
And since October 2021, Grace has been working towards her Master’s.
Grace, who also played Gaelic football for Hope, adds: “There’s a large British and Irish expatriate community here in Doha, which has increased due to the fact that Qatar is hosting the World Cup later this year.
“And in all honesty, I came to Qatar on a bit of a whim expecting to leave after a year - but I love it simply never left.
“To be honest, the Master’s is going so well for me that I mentioned it to lots of other colleagues - and now there’s around eight of us who’ve joined a Hope programme. There’s a great little Hope community here in Doha!”
Grace says her dissertation will examine how senior school leaders perceive ‘workload’ compared with how class teachers think, as she’ll examine ways in which schools can prevent teachers from quitting the profession.
And as for her time at Hope, Grace adds: “My Liverpool Hope days as an undergraduate were probably the best years of my life. If I could go back again, I would.
“Hope is all about community, and family. Back in the day, I always felt that the lecturers really took the time to get to know you and were really helpful. And that is still true with the Master’s. Yes, it’s sometimes difficult to do a day’s work and then to come home and start studying, but we’re all fully supported and everyone at Hope is flexible - and realistic when it comes to expectations.”
Another member of Hope’s Doha cohort is Mark Booth, a 42-year-old North London native who made the move to Qatar six years ago. He’s Head of English, Primary, at Oryx.
Having once been a professional actor, Mark eventually realised his passions lie in the classroom, not the theatre. He completed a PGCE in Primary Education at Middlesex University in 2014 and swapped treading the boards for life in front of a whiteboard.
And Mark, who is also on the Hope Master’s in Educational Leadership & Management, is relishing his time teaching in Doha.
He explains: “Because we’re not limited by having Ofsted always looming over us, we can - in comparison to my experience in the UK - teach children what they need to know, as opposed to lessons that tick a box.
“And I’ve seized the opportunity to return to education myself.
“Yes, it’s tricky to manage professional workload and study requirements, but it’s a sacrifice - and anything that’s worthwhile and meaningful takes time, otherwise we’d all be walking around with Master’s qualifications.
“The key for me is that I really enjoy it. I find discussions about pedagogies and leadership strategies fascinating. There have been moments where the scales have fallen from my eyes and I’ve thought, ‘Okay, I can apply this directly to my school setting’.
“I’m not doing this to have a nice certificate to put in a frame on my wall, it’s about impacting my leadership performance and making me much more reflective as a practitioner.
“You can perhaps lose sight of the passion that made you apply to do a PGCE in the first place. Studying at Hope reminds me of my commitment to the children.”