Rita Lewis

Choosing Surrey

Having spent more than thirty years in publishing I was ready for a change. I had some experience giving guest lectures at different universities and was interested in developing a more formal position as a lecturer.

Surrey Business School attracted me as it places an emphasis on the value of vocational education. I was keen to make use of my extensive business experience in an institution that valued applied learning. In addition, I was impressed with the School’s track record of forging alliances and collaborations with business, placing the School at the centre of the local business community.

My course

The course was run efficiently. It was both stimulating and challenging, and advice and support was always available if required. In addition, we had a very interesting cohort of students.

"We were encouraged to work as a team, which resulted in developing one’s personal perspective, as well as learning from your course mates."

Favourite Surrey memory

My strongest memory is of the final task assigned to groups during the Summer School. We worked very hard as a team to fulfil the task, and there were many lessons learnt during that process. It was an equally challenging and rewarding experience.

Life after Surrey

I was very fortunate to be offered an Associate Lecturer position within Surrey Business School. I very much enjoy teaching and interacting with students during seminars. Since Covid-19, this has transitioned online. It has, therefore, been interesting for me to adapt teaching practices to the online environment. I chose the course to enable me to develop my chosen career path.

Advice to students

I came to this as a mature student, having had a very successful and high-profile career in publishing. This is not the usual route. My advice to anyone considering transitioning to teaching within the university sector is to gain some experience. I would recommend trying out your skills in the capacity as a guest lecturer.

Increasingly, individuals are looking to forge second careers in a changing work environment. If, like me, you want to make that change, I would only encourage you to do so. I have found it immensely fulfilling to develop new skills, coupling these with my existing experience, and incredibly satisfying to continue to learn, to take that learning, and to make use of it in a stimulating environment. 

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