We spoke with Daniel to find out about his 13 years with United Learning and his career progression over the years.
Daniel Rodas has been working at Surbiton High School for thirteen years. We spoke with him to find out more about his career progression over the years and his experience working at a United Learning school.
Summarising his journey so far, Daniel said: “I joined Surbiton High School as a cleaner in 2010, after being made redundant following the recession. Within a couple of months, I was helping out with caretaking on an ad-hoc basis which led to becoming a caretaker later that year. In 2011, I was promoted to Deputy Premises Manager and I stayed in that role for a year, before entering my current role of Head of Facilities in 2012.”
During his time at the school Daniel has had many achievements, but there is one he is particularly proud of. He said: “I identified areas for improvement and advised that we needed a maintenance team to allow us to do all refurbishments in-house, therefore reducing costs by no longer hiring external contractors. In September 2015, this idea came into fruition, and over the past seven years we have successfully refurbished every school site.”
Speaking on the CPD opportunities he has been given, Daniel said: “United Learning are very supportive and have allowed me to access The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) to complete various courses on safety and risk assessments. Receiving these qualifications has improved my knowledge and helped me to perform my job better.”
When asked what he enjoys most about his role, Daniel said: “I love the diversity of my role. I oversee ten different buildings, lettings, and maintenance, and I’m the school’s biggest budget holder. As a result, there’s always something to do and not one day is the same.”
Daniel explained what makes working for a United Learning school special, saying: “United Learning truly cares about their staff. They care and they listen – which can be seen through the annual staff surveys, with measures often implemented as a result of these to further improve staff wellbeing. They understand the need for work-life balance and go out of their way to ensure staff are treated as best as possible.
I enjoy what I do, and am proof that with hard work and commitment, United Learning will provide the opportunities for you to grow and develop.”