Hi, I’m Rachael O’Neill and I am the Head of Department for History. I’m Irish, from the North of Ireland. I graduated from Queen’s University in Belfast in 2013 with a First Class Honours Degree in Modern History and have been teaching History since 2014. I have taught in Exeter, Plymouth, Birmingham, Walsall and now Dubai! I moved to Dubai in August 2019 and I am loving my experience so far. I hope to inspire an interest and love for History among the students I teach. As one significant historical figure once said: ‘People without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.’
When I’m not working, I enjoy going to the gym and in June 2018 I participated in my first (and last!) bodybuilding competition. I absolutely love travelling and have visited 37 countries so far – watch this space! I also enjoy exploring what Dubai has to offer, buying indoor plants and re-watching Ru Paul’s Drag Race episodes.
I’ve always loved studying History and after being successful at GCSE/A Level & University level History, it seemed an obvious and natural decision for me to continue in education, specifically teaching History. I started my teaching journey at Exeter University, securing a PGCE in secondary History teaching. I then moved to Birmingham for my first teaching post. Since then I’ve worked in a variety of schools ranging from inner-city comprehensives to rural grammar schools. As previously mentioned, I have been teaching at SCS since August 2019 as a History teacher, Head of UAE Social Studies and Head of History. I really do love my subject and my speciality is 20th century European history. I particularly enjoy learning and teaching about the Soviet Union, the complexities of inter-war Europe and anything related to the Emerald Isle!
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