Second Time Around
Sherborne Boys and Sherborne Girls are delighted to be Ambassador schools for the Boarding Schools' Association (BSA) Aspire programme which aims to encourage people with a military background into new careers in teaching and boarding schools.
Will Mackenzie-Green, Senior Housemaster and Military Families Tutor, recently contributed to an article in The Independent School Parent magazine about teachers who had different careers prior to coming into the world of education. As the article states,"Teachers don’t step into the classroom without experience. Many come from other careers, influencing how they teach, connect, and bring realworld insight to their students."
Independent School Parent Magazine Spring 2026: Will Mackenzie-Green
It was from the Royal Marines to the classroom for Will Mackenzie-Green, and it’s a path many veterans have taken,thanks to bursaries for former service personnel. Now Military Families Tutor and Senior Housemaster atSherborne Boys in Dorset, Mr Mackenzie-Green says the £40,000 bursaries to retrain as secondary school teachers in priority subjects such as maths, physics, chemistry, biology,computing and languages, have been life-changing tools for many veterans.
He said the scheme remains “one of the most significant financial incentives available for career changers” and the profession is well-suited to ex-service personnel because “veterans bring transferable skills such as calmness under pressure, resilience, adaptability and leadership that enrich the classroom far beyond discipline alone”.
“While some imagine the ‘soldier-turned teacher’ as a drill sergeant barking orders, the reality is far more nuanced,” he added. While “teaching had long been at the back of his mind”, he served with 42 Commando and completed two tours of Afghanistan before “a brief stint in maritime security” convinced him “that office life was not for me”. He undertook a PGCE at the University of Exeter before starting out on his new career path, where he was immediately “struck by the clear parallels between a commando unit and a school”.
“Both foster fiercely loyal communities, both rely on dedicated officers or teachers who view the mess or common room as sanctuary, and both demand long hours on tasks well beyond the official job description.”
While he admits that it was the extracurricular opportunities that first attracted him to teaching such as the DofE expeditions, Combined Cadet Force training and international trips, he found it was actually the classroom itself that was “the most rewarding part of the role”.
“Surprisingly, much of my military training turned out to be directly applicable to teaching. Leadership and management diplomas, coaching and mentoring qualifications, and the experience of working with people from diverse backgrounds under immense pressure all provided a foundation for education. Even the long hours and expectation of self-discipline in the military translated well to the demands of teaching.”
And he said that his own experience of the profession couldn’t be further from the stories of falling teacherretention and speedy attrition. “Supportive colleagues and motivated pupils have made the job immensely fulfilling. In stark contrast to wanting to leave the profession, I’ve found teaching to be my truecalling – one where the skills I developed as a Royal Marines Commando are put to use every day and one where as a teacher I aspire to inspire a similar passion for life in the pupils I teach,” he said.
He adds, “In both the military and the classroom, success depends on relentless positivity, clear boundaries and consistent leadership. Veterans aren’t just capable of teaching, they’re often exceptionally well-suited to it. For me, becoming a teacher wasn’t a departure from my military past but rather a continuation of it. The classroom, like the commando unit, is a place where resilience, teamwork and purpose come together to shape the next generation. Similarly, the commando spirit which is characterised by courage, determination, selflessness and cheerfulness in the face of challenging situations, is perhaps one that can be referenced in qualities we aim to instil in our pupils as they learn, develop and grow as individuals.”
