Olivia Beer

Olivia is a Nursery Manager on our MA Education with Montessori, and hopes to one day manage her own chain of Montessori nurseries.

How is ARU preparing you for your future career?

The materials that I learn on the course massively help me in my current role as Nursery Manager. My Montessori course has massively helped with my understanding of Montessori pedagogy, and the leadership course has helped me when leading change and managing staff. It’s given me much more confidence in my field.

I also attended the recent Montessori Conference at ARU, which was inspiring and a great way to connect with others.

Why did you choose to study at ARU?

Because it’s local, it offers a great range of courses, and it's currently the only university that offers a Master's in Montessori.

What are the most valuable things the course has given you?

I love the people and getting together at workshops online. I do think even if you’re a distance learning student there should still be promotion of events and networking evenings if applicable, like at ARU. The support for students is great. The tutors are experts in their fields and offer additional support, extra tutorials, and advice whenever necessary.

What are your ambitions when you graduate, and how is the course helping you achieve them?

To own my own branch of Montessori nurseries. My course massively helps with the leadership side of things but also with the networking and deepening my Montessori knowledge.

What has the student community at ARU been like?

It is slightly harder because of being a distance learner, so you have to be really strict with managing your own time and studies. I think if you are capable of this then being a distance learner is great. At the Montessori conference I saw what an amazing community ARU has, and I’ve been making the most of it by connecting with people on LinkedIn too.