Coach Luke

5th May 2014 – 5th July 2014 (British citizen)

Personal Profile
I am currently on a Gap Year programme working for Arsenal in the community. I have a huge fascination towards sport, teamwork and working with children. My ultimate goal in life is to be a Physical Education Teacher and make a difference to peoples’ lives. My interest in this particular field has engaged me since an early age. I would constantly query my parents about the importance of sport and I have always been thoroughly involved in it. This encouraged me to complete a Physical Education Course at GCSE and A Level. I have a place confirmed at St Mary’s university, one of the top sporting universities in England to Study Sport and Physical Education. Since completing my GCSE’s I have participated in various types of working environments which I believe have been extremely valuable. I have had to have high levels of customer service in the fields I have worked in and I think this has allowed me to develop numerous skills and be confident in an array of situations. I believe I am equipped to deliver an excellent service whilst also taking pride in my work. Every task I am asked to undertake I embrace with 110% of my efforts. In addition, I am organised, hard working, enthusiastic and take initiative whenever feasible.

Education

• A Level Grades: Business Studies, P.E, English Literature
• GCSE Grades: English Literature, English Language, Maths, Science year, Science year, P.E, ICT, French, Business Studies, Religious Studies, Citizenship

Professional Experience

• June- July 2011,  UBC Media Group, Work Experience Placement: During the two week placement, I worked in several departments and was set various tasks such as front of house, shadowing the HR Manager, updating databases, assisting with the creation of advertisements and generally having a ‘can do’ attitude within a workforce.  This helped me to cope with the ongoing pressures of meeting deadlines as I was working for several managers, who had set me tasks but also to prove to myself and my manager’s that I could work to a good level.
• July 2011- Present, S.Cawdery Furniture Makers: Part time/Free-Lance I have worked for my Father who is a bespoke furniture maker. During this time I have experienced and enhanced many different customer-based situations, where I feel my skills have improved in terms of customer service. I have had to deal with many situations in which I have to set a good example for myself but most importantly the company i was working for. This experience has also allowed me to get a feeling of what it’s like to cooperate as a team, at times working with 3-4 people on sight; one which I feel could benefit me largely when working for your company.
• December 2011- January 2012, UBC Media Group, Receptionist: After my work experience, I was contacted by UBC Media Group, which is an independent media production company based in Central London.  I was offered a temporary role to cover the reception and assist in administration over the Christmas period. During this time i was also able to gain experience in transactions, selling company merchandise over reception, using transactional skills, maths and till work.
• August 2010- Present, Football Officiating (Referee): Since completing my course in Refereeing in 2010, I have officiated every weekend on a regular basis, refereeing provides me with skills such as decision-making, dealing with pressure, answering enquiries and questions, and a good level of punctuality. During refereeing it is key that I fulfil my task with a good degree of confidence, which I believe I have, this allows me to approach spectators, players with any questions that they may have. Furthermore, I have to be able to deal with ‘on-the-spot’ decision making, where I have to make decisions to suit best the environment that I am given.
• June 2012- August 2013,  Coaching and Extra Curricular School assistance: As well as officiating, I took an FA Level 1 coaching course to further my avenues and opportunities down my path of coaching. I assisted in many extra-curricular school activities at Enfield Grammar in an array of sports such as cricket, table tennis and football. Again, this was to gain experience and build my skills in preparation of reaching my goal of becoming a physical education teacher.
• June 2013- Present, LED Coordinator: As a part time job in between my gap year programme, I work for the IT department of Arsenal FC, coordinating the LED advertising boards that surround the pitch of the Emirates Stadium. This is where some of the most renowned businesses in the world advertise their products and expect their products to have the correct amount of air time for the world to see. This is quite a technical, time pressured job and any mistake can be seen by the whole world because of the huge global audience of football fans watching Barclays premier league games. As a person I have developed the strength of dealing with pressure, paying extreme attention to time keeping, working with expensive, highly technical equipment and adjusting to customer needs.
• August 2013- Present, Arsenal Gap Year Programme: Whilst watching my favourite team Arsenal FC, I saw an advertisement of a gap year programme. I was looking for something to do in my gap year that was relevant to my desired studies and this was perfect. It would allow me to mature as a person and gain more experience in the coaching and teaching environment. After applying and partaking in a selection process I was offered a place on the programme. From August-January, I worked in an all girls school called Highbury Fields as a member of the PE department. Leading lessons in PE, Sport Education, taking students to school fixtures and assisting the department throughout the school day. In January I was selected to go to South Africa and work for a community based, social housing company called Communicare under the supervision of Arsenal. It was the best 3 months of my life and we reached out to the whole western area of Cape Town and coached over 2,000 children. The soccer programme developed by Communicare focused on nurseries, primary schools, secondary schools, housing tenants, homeless shelters, drug rehab homes, football clubs and even prisons. The differing audience each day was a real breath of fresh air and it allowed me to develop working in different environments with varying genders, ages, backgrounds and languages.