How I Became a NEBOSH Tutor (And Why I Started New Day Training)

I definitely didn't plan on working in health and safety!

Believe it or not, when I was younger, becoming a health and safety professional was never part of the plan.

I wanted to work in forensics!

As a teenager, I loved crime series, was pretty good at science and thought forensic science sounded like the perfect career.

Unfortunately, it seemed everyone else my age had exactly the same idea! Competition was fierce, so I ended up doing an apprenticeship and working in a laboratory instead.

And I hated it.

The work was incredibly monotonous, but I stuck with it and eventually landed a job in a semiconductor factory, carrying out all sorts of testing.

This included environmental monitoring, such as testing wastewater, air emissions and noise levels.

Finally, I'd found something I actually enjoyed!

My role gradually expanded into environmental management, including waste management, COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) and emergency response.

Naturally, there was quite a bit of overlap with health and safety. I started working closely with the safety team, getting involved in discussions and helping solve problems.

And to my surprise, I really enjoyed it!

Unfortunately, just as things were going well, we were told the factory was closing and everyone would be made redundant.

Not ideal!

Luckily, I found another job fairly quickly as an Environmental Manager. But before leaving, my colleagues had been offered NEBOSH training as part of their redundancy packages.

They all came back raving about their NEBOSH tutor, a chap called Brian.

Little did I know just how much Brian would change my career.

My first NEBOSH General Certificate (and meeting the legendary Brian!)

The following year, my manager decided it would be a good idea for me to take on health and safety management responsibilities too.

Which meant one thing.

I needed to get my NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety.

And guess who my tutor was?

Brian!

I finally got to meet the man everyone had been talking about, and I quickly understood what all the fuss was about.

Brian was a fantastic NEBOSH tutor.

He didn't just teach us health and safety legislation and theory. He brought everything to life with entertaining stories, real experiences and examples that actually made sense.

More importantly, he genuinely cared whether we succeeded.

He taught us how to approach the NEBOSH assessments, how to structure our answers and how to get the most marks possible in our practical risk assessment.

He even invited us to his home for extra study sessions around his kitchen table!

How many training providers would do that?

When assessment time came, I absolutely nailed it.

And that was it. I was hooked!

I loved the challenge so much that I went on to complete a whole collection of NEBOSH qualifications.

Once I'd figured out what I called the "NEBOSH way" of approaching assessments, I wanted to learn everything.

I was basically collecting NEBOSH qualifications like Pokémon.

Gotta catch 'em all!

From NEBOSH student to NEBOSH tutor

Just as I was becoming highly qualified, life threw another exciting challenge my way.

I had my first baby!

I loved being a parent, but I also wanted to keep my career ticking along while I was on parental leave.

So I asked Brian whether he needed any help.

And that's how I started my career as a part-time health and safety trainer and consultant.

Guess which course quickly became my favourite to teach?

Yep. NEBOSH!

I loved sharing my experiences, helping learners understand difficult topics and passing on all the assessment hints and tips I'd picked up along the way.

There was something incredibly rewarding about watching someone go from feeling overwhelmed by a NEBOSH course to suddenly having that lightbulb moment when everything clicked.

As my children got older, I returned to working in health and safety management while continuing to deliver training on the side.

But when COVID and the lockdowns came along, like many people, I started questioning what I really wanted from my career.

And the answer was pretty obvious.

I wanted to be a full-time NEBOSH tutor.

Brian took me on, with the idea that when he eventually retired, a few of us fellow tutors could carry on his work.

It turned out to be a pretty good decision!

Early on, one of my learners received a NEBOSH Best Candidate award for achieving the highest marks in their NEBOSH Certificate.

I honestly couldn't have been prouder.

Seeing learners succeed, gain confidence and go on to achieve great things in their careers is still one of my favourite parts of the job.

Becoming a NEBOSH examiner taught me even more

As I was now self-employed and needed full-time work, I approached other NEBOSH Learning Partners to see whether they needed experienced tutors.

Over the following years, I worked with several large NEBOSH training providers and learned a huge amount.

And I didn't just deliver courses.

I also:

• Supported learners who were struggling with their NEBOSH assessments.
• Carried out failure analysis to understand why learners hadn't achieved the marks they needed.
• Conducted closing interviews and provided additional tutor support.
• Developed NEBOSH learning materials and textbooks.
• Helped update course resources when the NEBOSH General Certificate syllabus changed.
• Became a NEBOSH examiner, gaining valuable insight into how assessments are marked.

That last one was particularly interesting!

Being an examiner gave me a much better understanding of what learners need to demonstrate in their answers, why they sometimes lose marks and how small improvements in exam technique can make a big difference.

Today, the NEBOSH General Certificate uses scenario-based open book assessments alongside a practical risk assessment.

For the current qualifications, these are GNC1 and GNC2 for the National General Certificate, and GIC1 and GIC2 for the International General Certificate.

And one thing I've learned is that knowing your health and safety isn't always enough. You also need to know how to demonstrate that knowledge in your assessments.

That's why I'm so passionate about helping learners develop their exam technique, rather than just teaching them the syllabus and hoping for the best.

Why we decided to start our own NEBOSH training company

Although I enjoyed working with other NEBOSH Learning Partners and learned a lot from them, something had started to bother me.

I kept thinking back to Brian.

Remember those kitchen table study sessions?

That personal support, the encouragement and the feeling that your tutor genuinely wanted you to succeed?

I wanted every learner to have that experience.

Large training organisations can provide excellent courses, but I sometimes felt frustrated that I couldn't offer learners as much individual support as I wanted to.

Sometimes people just need someone to explain something differently.

Sometimes they need reassurance that they're on the right track.

And sometimes they need a tutor who'll take the time to go through their mock assessment and explain exactly where they're going wrong.

A few of us tutors had been talking about this for quite some time.

Then, when Brian retired, we decided to do something about it.

And New Day Training was born!

Bringing the kitchen table approach to NEBOSH training

Our aim is pretty simple.

We want to provide the kind of NEBOSH training and support that we would have loved to receive ourselves.

We've brought together years of experience teaching NEBOSH courses, supporting learners, developing training materials and helping people improve their assessment performance.

And we've used that experience to create something we're really proud of.

At New Day Training, we believe learners deserve more than just a set of course materials and a date for their assessment.

They deserve a dedicated tutor who knows them, practical advice they can actually understand and support when things get difficult.

We've also developed additional learning resources, quizzes and exam preparation support to help learners build their knowledge, confidence and assessment skills.

Because ultimately, we don't just want you to complete a NEBOSH course. We want you to understand it, enjoy learning and give yourself the best possible chance of passing first time.

And perhaps most importantly, we want you to leave feeling confident enough to put what you've learned into practice and make workplaces safer.

After all, that's what health and safety training should really be about.

Thinking about taking a NEBOSH course?

If you're considering the NEBOSH National General Certificate or NEBOSH International General Certificate, but you're feeling a bit nervous about the assessments, don't worry.

You're certainly not the first!

I've helped learners with all sorts of backgrounds and levels of experience, and I know how daunting it can seem at the beginning.

Whether you're completely new to health and safety, changing careers or looking to gain a recognised qualification, we'd love to help.

Have a look at our NEBOSH courses, explore our free NEBOSH Pass Success Toolkit, or simply get in touch for a chat.

No pressure. No complicated sales pitch.

Just a friendly conversation about what you're hoping to achieve and how we can help you get there.

And who knows?

Maybe one day you'll be collecting NEBOSH qualifications like Pokémon too!