Meet The Incredible Cath Rule!

We had the pleasure of speaking with our Geography Tours Development Manager and Field Study Tutor, Cath Rule, to find out more about her background and time at Rayburn Tours as well as some of her most memorable moments as a passionate geographer. Cath has been with us for 9 and a half years, and what would we do without her! She brings the magic to Geography and ensures that everyone gets the most of their trip once the itinerary has been put together. Working internally and externally with our FST team, new members of staff, and our product team, Cath is a valued member who reflects her passion for geography on to others!

“Geography is all around us, it’s easy to see, constantly changing, constantly moving. There’s a thrill and rawness to it.”- Cath Rule

So, what is a Geography Development Manager? Cath works with all our departments, whether this be speaking with party leaders with our sales team, helping improve our products, or developing resources for marketing to share with teachers. Cath manages a large team of FST’s externally, which has grown immensely over the past few years.

Let’s find out more about Cath!

Before Rayburn Tours

Cath’s hometown is in Liverpool, and she can put on a cracking Liverpool accent! Geography was Cath’s favourite subject at school, so much so, she went on to study it at university. During and after university she moved on to the job role of a Chartered Surveyor for 4 years, and although it met her interests in Geography, she had a desire to do something more useful and helpful in the world. This led her towards the path of teaching…

Before working at Rayburn Tours, Cath was a Geography teacher for 16 years in Merseyside and became a Head of Year during her time in teaching. She is all about liveliness and loved being in a classroom teaching Geography as “young people have a real energy that you can feed off – it keeps you young at heart!” Field trips ignited Cath’s passion for geography when she was at school, and so she introduced the Iceland trip which she ran for 10 years. This was what she really enjoyed – getting students out of the classroom to see the world and to see what you are studying in real life instead of a textbook.

“Field trips galore with every year group throughout the school. This could have been overnight trips or day trips.”- Cath Rule

And then Rayburn Tours introduced the job of her dreams….

Imagine arranging field trips for schools, working with a team of people with the same passion for geography, and getting the best seat on the bus to continue teaching the subject. Well, that’s what Cath gets to do, and she still can’t believe it. It will always be a pinch me moment for her.

3 Schools, 1 Field Trip

“Taking students out of the classroom is so important to experience real life geography.” Cath was friends with teachers from two other schools, and three schools clubbed together to create a field trip to Iceland. “Some schools will get fewer students who are interested in the tour, so by working together it created an opportunity and experience for students to go on an international trip. Combining is a really good experience for students to mix from other schools, and by the end of the tour, they end up being best pals!” Cath believes a key benefit of taking students on international trips is that they get to know their teachers as well as other students, creating better relations.

The wow moments in Iceland

Cath has been to Iceland a number of times, too many times to count! But there are certain moments Cath has experienced that are out of this world.

A new Iceberg

A flash of fate, Cath was meant to be there in the moment when a new Iceberg formed. Waiting for her group by the snout of the glacier, a sudden roaring noise like a low flying jet surrounded the area. She turned around and a huge piece of ice was carving off the glacier. The ice had flipped for a few seconds to the most crystal blue colour she had ever seen, and then flipped back into the lagoon to form a new iceberg. It was the most majestic and terrifying thing she has ever experienced.

A flight over an erupting volcano

This is every geographer’s dream. In 2021 Cath and 3 friends took a flight to Fragradalsfjall volcano to experience the eruption as it happened. The passion and emotion for Cath in this moment shows how important geography is to her. With volcanos being her favourite subject, this was a real tick off the bucket list. To witness how powerful the eruption is, is her most memorable and emotional moment she has experienced. Emotional because it was what she was seeing and she had always wanted to see it, and because she was there with 3 friends who always went on field trips together. A tale that will always be special to tell.

Geography can flash before your eyes

The world is changing every minute of every day, and our Field Study Tutors will take you on an adventure that is beyond belief with our geography tours. It’s time to look at the world through a different lens.
So, if you’re wanting to discover the hidden gems of the earth, our Field Study Tutors will provide a tour full of exciting facts, beautiful landscapes, and a devotion for geography.

“Normal people look at these landscapes as a tourist, but we as geographers are going to really look at it and think about it.”- Cath Rule

Get in touch

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