Meet the newest Owl: Matthew Thirlwell

Matthew Thirlwell joined Wise Owl in November, and is well on his way to becoming a fully-fledged Owl. This January, he delivered his first course (Introduction to SQL in Manchester).

Matthew Thirlwell is the newest addition to the Wise Owl nest.

Matthew joined us after completing a degree in Accounting Studies at Newcastle University.  I thought I'd put him on the spot by asking him a few questions!

What have you been up to since joining Wise Owl?

In the first few weeks I've had the pleasure of sitting on a number of courses from different trainers at Wise Owl. I've been to both Manchester and London venues, and enjoyed the benefit of all the lunches the delegates get to have!

I prepared for my first course by giving lessons to the trainers. I've had a lot of fun learning SQL, as I hadn't used it before (but knew how important it was to businesses).

How did the first courses go?

Really well! My first one in Manchester had just three people on. I was incredibly nervous but quickly got into it as the course started.

I enjoyed my first London course as well. I liked the experience of working in London, as well as experiencing a course with more people on (five this time). Both went extremely well.

Now I'm excited for my next ones, which includes my first onsite course in March, with Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

Before he delivered his first course, Matthew went from angel to assassin on our Wise Owl day out at The Archertype.

What do you look forward to as a Wise Owl trainer?

I'm looking forward to all the difficult questions from delegates!

What do you like to do outside of work?

I like to walk my dog, Baxter. He is a Great Dane and is as tall as me!

Matthew (right) and Baxter.

I also really enjoy playing different sports, of which I play table tennis competitively.

I've volunteered in Madagascar! My friends may accuse me of going on about this too much, but it was an amazing experience. I taught English as a foreign language and did construction.

I am also a big film and TV fan and enjoy nothing more than a trip to the cinema or a boxset on Netflix.

Quickfire questions

Coffee or tea? Neither, sorry everybody :(
Dogs or cats? Dogs, I'm allergic to cats!
Early bird or night owl? Night owl
Favourite sport? Table tennis
Tell us a joke. There are 2 types of people in this world. Those that finish lists.

You can connect with Matthew on LinkedIn.