Rachel began her career in finance before making the change to work as a Teacher's Aide. It was Rachel's encounter with a young child on the spectrum that influenced her decision to complete a Special Needs, Teacher's Aide course, and ultimately lead her to a career at Aspect.

Rachel came to Aspect with some knowledge of autism but it was the learning opportunities that provided her with a deeper understanding. Rachel uses the training she has learnt during her time at Aspect to support the students every day.

"The rapport and bond developed with children has been amazing. Seeing that relationship grow and it flowing through to that child being able to sit for longer or achieve more academically or socially."

South East Sydney School has a base school at Peakhurst and 11 satellite classes in the area. Teachers, teacher aides, support staff and allied health professionals are just some of the roles that make up the team.

"It is amazing, we are so blessed. Our Principal Jo Tisdell is incredible, she is so understanding. She understands that we all have our jobs and that we're all passionate. She also understands that can also come with problems, needing to debrief and needing to be educated. I can't say enough about Jo."

"It is a real team environment. We all band together and we all get the job done. We all work together to get the best for the kids."

Some advice Rachel would give to someone looking at a career at Aspect would be to “learn as much as you can about autism. One of the key sayings is that ‘no two children with autism are the same."

"The number one thing that I do, that I think is important, is to build rapport with the students in my class. If you have a good relationship with the children you can accomplish so much."

For people thinking about a career in an Aspect School, Rachel believes a unique and rewarding opportunity is available to those who are passionate - but it's important to make sure you're the right fit for the role and the culture at Aspect.

"There is no day that is perfect where you will have all your ducks in a row, you just have to roll with it and keep on going and rely on that relationship to get you through to the end of the day. The more people I can encourage to come along, the better for everybody. It's the best job in the world."