My memory of the actual interview is a bit of a blur, though I can recall regurgitating some key phrases that my siblings had drilled into me the night before. I repeated jargon that I didn’t truly understand – ‘SEN’, ‘differentiation’, ‘pupil premium’ – like teacher’s Tourette’s.

As the interview came to a close, I was packing my folder away when it suddenly dawned on me that these were the last few seconds I had to show this panel how passionately I wanted this job. My mind went to the kids I’d passed in the corridor, and with sudden inspiration, I stopped mid-action, looked up and said, ‘I just want to say that I grew up on these streets, went to the primary school next door, and would love the opportunity to be able to help the students who are growing up just like me.’ They smiled. Confidence spread through me like wildfire. And before I knew it, the following words came tumbling out of my mouth: ‘I just want to add that people think you can’t be both pretty and clever but I just want to prove that you can.’ I have no idea where that came from and I still haven’t lived it down with my friends. It’s like something from Legally Blonde that I’d dug up and decided was appropriate for the beleaguered and bewildered secondary school headteacher in front of me. And with that grand ending, I picked up my folder, thanked them for their time, and sashayed out of the room.

I don’t know how or why I got the job, but they chose to overlook the narcissism and offered me the role. And a couple of months later, I was set to embark on my new adventure, ready to change young people’s lives.

But you see, the slight issue with changing young people’s lives is that it’s a very difficult task when you’re a young person yourself.

Mehreen Baig’s new book Hidden Lessons: Growing Up On The Frontline Of Teaching is out now in hardback, ebook and audiobook, £16.99.

Images: Hodder & Stoughton

In Hidden Lessons: Growing Up On The Frontline Of Teaching, Mehreen Baig takes us inside the classroom