UK Project Managers

All Project Managers at Grow Virtual are based in the UK and are experienced in education and business administration.

I am Sarah Andrews a Project Manager at Grow Virtual Ltd.

From the age of 4, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher like my parents. I admired and idolised them for their passion, reputation and philosophy. I enjoyed a diverse and successful career, but it was not always, or even, often, easy.  The hours that I put in outside of school became unmanageable and affected all aspects of my health.  I had not previously resented the time commitment, or even found it intrusive until I married and had a family of my own - realising that I was ‘scheduling’ them around my work.

The education system increasingly distracts from the ‘teaching’ with the pressure of evidencing the ‘impact’ - the ratio of administration to actual teaching is grossly unbalanced.  The average career for teachers is now only 5 years, a large proportion of these careers end in mental and physical breakdown.  With talented teachers believing that they are anything but.  I had to leave teaching because I truly believed that if I didn’t, I would become seriously ill.  I had already experienced what I thought was a stroke (thankfully, it was not).

I was certain that there must be a better way.

This is what has led me to work with Kamal Ahmed at GSL Education on developing Grow Virtual Ltd.

Throughout my 20 years in education, at all levels from teaching to governance, and now also as a parent, I have experienced the challenges brought about by administrative systems that, despite the best efforts of the staff involved, simply do not work as they should.

I have worked with and am proficient in a wide range of systems and structures. I understand the need for quality assurance, consistency and systems that work. I have experienced first-hand the frustrations and negative impacts of inaccurate data, poor communication and delays in reporting.

I am innovative and creative – I have had to find new ways to solve problems and am passionate about achieving targets of the highest standards.

I have the ability and social skills to project manage- to lead and train teams to deliver services which are successful in meeting the needs of all stakeholders.