A campaign to encourage more people to follow a career in teaching in the Welsh medium sector has been launched with a Wrexham teacher taking centre stage.

As part of work by Teaching Wales, the ‘Love it. Teach it.’ campaign documents the stories of 21 teachers who have successfully combined their teaching careers with their day-to-day interests or have life experiences that have benefitted their classroom teaching.

They include the psychology teacher who runs one of Wrexham’s best known community pubs, the French teacher who runs cross country for Wales, the Birmingham born Welsh language teacher, the chemistry teacher who has a background in pharmacy and the biology teacher who officiated at a Rugby World Cup.

During the pandemic there was a greater realisation of the value of our teachers and the key role they play in educating future generations and many have turned to a career in education. But more are still needed, especially in the Welsh medium sector.

The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, explains: “Teaching is a fantastic career, offering the opportunity to share your passion for a subject and help children and young people develop and flourish. We want more people to join the profession, especially in secondary and Welsh-medium schools, and there are financial incentives available for those keen to take the step into teaching.

“The teachers’ real life stories in this campaign are inspirational and highlight how they, as well as playing an important role in the classroom, also play key roles within our communities. There are now a choice of ways of training to be a teacher that can suit your way of life - so why not take a look at what could work for you?”

Wrexham based psychology teacher Chris Evans is also responsible for the running of Saith Seren community pub in the town.

He believes it’s a way to connect with his community even further and highlight why the Welsh language shouldn’t stay in the classroom.

He said: “Any pupil that I teach will know I run this community pub in Wrexham. It’s important that they do know because I think it helps them to see that the Welsh language is not just the language of school, but it’s used in the community too.

“The best part of teaching is definitely when you get good results out of the pupils. When they struggle to begin with, I worry about them but then you start to see them develop, and it’s great when they realise their academic potential.

“The voluntary work I've done in addition to my normal teaching work has given me great pleasure and has led to many varied opportunities which I otherwise wouldn't have had. I've met some wonderful people, made some great friends, and learned new skills which I've used in teaching.”

“I must enjoy it seeing as I’ve been at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd for more than two decades. I expect I’ll be there for another 10 years!”

There are various ways to get into teaching that can suit your lifestyle and financial incentives to help you train in Wales.

To see and hear more about these inspirational stories, please visit loveitteachit.walesonline.co.uk