Fran Wilde, Freelance Artist Educator

‘When I was younger I wanted to do something working with people (but not teaching). I only knew I didn't want to be a teacher as both of my parents were teachers. I studied ‘A’ levels History, English, Music.

‘I decided on Speech Therapy as a university course becuse of the interesting psychology content. I was a Speech Therapist for 8 years specialising in learning disabilities and neurological trauma. I learned much about perception and what contributes to learning and communication which has contributed to my work ever since. Art came later, I found Speech Therapy too female orientated! and I thought I had little life experience so I went on a full-time Art Foundation course.

‘My first job in gallery education was as a freelancer in a session working for Tate Britain’s Community Access Curator.

‘I found out about gallery education through my work on a dissertation for an MA in Arts Administration (2000). I then found out about engage and did some voluntary work for them.

‘Since then I have taken on a combination of Arts in Education contracts and projects including individual project work and management, evaluation, consultancy work for ACE East on their Arts in Education, advisor to develop an Arts in Education Strategy for Essex, sessions and project work for Tate Britain and National Portrait Gallery on their access programmes, regional rep for engage and work on developing my own artistic practice.

‘I most enjoy the variety, and being part of new developments in arts education. In galleries, I enjoy working with original artworks - these are the most incredible tools for discussing life in general and achieving particular educational outcomes.

‘The hardest part is getting the balance of work and other living right – it is not always easy since working independently often involves additional work out of paid hours to enable the paid hours to work. In gallery work, the preponderance of one-off sessions is regrettable since there is no afterlife to sessional work, but there seems to be rising interest in project work in the galleries I work for.

‘In the future I am keen to continue my work but within a broader portfolio. Session work is not necessarily reliable and permanent education posts are not well paid on the whole.’