Originally from Cerdanyola, David Clarós had always wanted to be a teacher, and he is currently working as such at Radley College, Oxford. As a Spanish language assistant in a prestigious boarding school, he prepares Sixth Form students –the equivalent of the first and second year of bachillerato in Spain– for their A Levels, the U.K.’s official university entrance exams. This could very well be the path taken by any university student who has been able to turn their vocation into their profession. However, David Clarós’ story features a decisive chapter: in addition to studying Primary Education, he also studied Humanities, thanks to the double degree offered at UIC Barcelona.
“It was the fact that I studied Humanities that caught my current employer’sattention, since the foreign language teaching model in the United Kingdom prioritises the teacher’sknowledge over academic books”, explains Clarós. He is well aware that his awarenessof Spain’s past and present, which he acquired during his time at the Faculty of Humanities, was a key factor in landing him the job. In fact, he even believes that studying both Primary Education and Humanities helped open his eyes: “Every educator works with the future of humanity and it is precisely the Humanities as a whole that help us understand the world”.
Life at an English boarding school
For the young man from Cerdanyola, day-to-day life at Radley College is never dull. Every morning he teaches until noon and, after lunch, he either continues with classes or supervises physical education. Being a boarding school with top-level sports facilities, there are activities running throughout the day. In his classes, Clarós noticed that his students were very receptive to his humanistic background, as they often asked him for help with their projects and assignments. “Through my bachelor’s degree, I've learnt that the desire to know more and explore further enables me to offer each studentthe best solution for them”, he says.
With the pandemic, the UICBarcelona graduate has been unable to fully enjoy the art and culture in Oxfordshire, but he did visit the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford University and Christ Church College, famous for inspiring author J.K. Rowling to write the Harry Potter saga. Moreover, he hascontinued his training by taking several online courses and, despite the fact that he is currently focused on his work as a teacher, he intends to complete a master's degree in art history one day, also abroad.
Studying Humanities, the key to understanding today's world
Looking back, David Clarós is sure that his time spent at university changed the way he sees the world: “The person I was before my degree was never interested in knowing anything more than what he learned at home or at school, while the man who left UIC Barcelona sees the world from different points of view, rather than sticking to just one”. For Clarós, “the world is made up of people with very different ideas but who all pursue a common goal: happiness”.
