035 - Pit Pony Ruth O'Neill - Classroom to SEND Consultant and Tutor

The Pit Pony Podcast - Life After Teaching

In today's episode of The Pit Pony Podcast, we sit down with Ruth O’Neill, an educator who spent over 20 years in the classroom before stepping into a new role as a SEND consultant and English tutor. Ruth’s journey took her from teaching in the UK to classrooms in Cairo and Costa Rica, before returning home to take on a challenging SENCO role. Over time, the pressures of the role, increasing workload, and systemic challenges pushed her to breaking point.

Ruth opens up about the realities of working in SEND, the emotional and professional toll of the job, and how she ultimately found a new, fulfilling way to use her expertise outside of traditional education.

Now, she supports families navigating the SEND system, helps children access the right support, and provides English tuition—all on her own terms.

If you’ve ever wondered what life after teaching could look like, or if you’re a SENCO questioning your next steps, this episode is for you.

Send us a message.

Buy Us a Coffee ☕️

Loving the Pit Pony Podcast?

We’d be so grateful for your support! We’ve set up a Buy Me a Coffee page where you can make a small donation to help keep the podcast running.

https://buymeacoffee.com/thepitponyclub

Voice Message Us: https://www.speakpipe.com/pitponypodcast

Interested in coming to our conference? https://www.tutorsconference.co.uk

If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in our podcast there are organisations who can help:

• Education Support
• The Samaritans
• Mind
• Andy's Man Club

Join Us:

• Subscribe to the Pit Pony Podcast
• Sign up to our mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/i1L5ck

Thanks for listening 🙏
Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real