I started my career in the building industry and became a Quantity Surveyor and Estimator. After a 7 year break when my children were young, I wanted to get back to work but to do something different and more flexible. I took a part-time job in a nursery and became very involved in voluntary work running the PTA at my daughter’s school. 3 years later I felt ready to get back to a ‘proper job’ but had no idea what that might be.
After a few coaching sessions, I became clearer about what I wanted out of my career and more confident that I could do something different – just because I hadn’t worked at a challenging job for a long time didn’t mean that I couldn’t do so.
The idea of running my own business appealed so when I was approached by the head of my daughter’s school and offered the role of Manager to set up and run an after-school club, it seemed to be a great fit with what I was looking for. Over the last 5 years I have established the club and developed it into a successful operation. Along the way, I have retrained as a Childcare Practitioner. This role has brought added stress and complication to my life but I have found it extremely satisfying and have far greater self-worth than when I was full-time at home. It has turned into a demanding and rewarding managerial role which still gives me enough time for my family.