When did you decide to
follow the career path you are currently on?
Throughout my
time at university, I volunteered at Citizens Advice Plymouth – providing
people with advice to help solve their problems – and Witness Support –
supporting witnesses and victims of crime during trials. Volunteering at these
charities helped to ignite my passion for this type of work.
These
opportunities not only gave me new skills and experiences but also showed me there
were alternative careers out there that could be just as impactful and rewarding
as a career as a solicitor or barrister.
I decided to
pursue a career in the charity sector shortly after graduating and was
fortunate to secure my first job as a caseworker at Citizens Advice Plymouth.
Fast-forward to
today and for the last few years, I’ve been working at the national head office
of Citizens Advice, where I’ve had roles leading national services helping hundreds
of thousands of people a year, as well as providing consultancy to local CEOs
and Chairs about mergers and restructures.
Alongside this, I’ve also
begun a political career.
Have any events in your
life strongly influenced your choices about the kind of education and work that
you have pursued?
After graduating
from university, I briefly tried to pursue a career as a solicitor but after
numerous applications, I never quite secured a training contract. On reflection,
this was an important catalyst that drove me to where I am today.
I’d say the greatest
influences were my passion for helping people through volunteering coupled with
my appetite to apply the knowledge I had acquired at law school. I’m incredibly
lucky that my career allows me to do both.
For my sins, I’ve
also become a politician. If I’m being honest, I’m not quite sure how that
happened as I’ve never had much interest in politics and I’m a terrible public
speaker but in 2019 I was elected as a councillor.
I had no political
experience, had never stood for election before and had a tiny campaign budget.
All I had was a drive to give a voice to the community I live in and the various
skills I had acquired throughout my education and career.
Why did you choose to study
at the University of Plymouth?
At A level, I
studied law and was given the opportunity to take part in a mooting competition
(I was terrible and came last), which triggered my appetite to study law at
university.
The decision to study
at the University of Plymouth was an easy one for me. I’m a Plymothian and I
wanted to attend a quality city university with a good law school while
remaining in the South West.
Has the University of
Plymouth helped you with your career in any way?
The
University of Plymouth gave me many of the foundations I’ve used to build my
career. I’d say the most influential was the encouragement, direction and support
that I was provided to undertake volunteering opportunities alongside my law degree,
particularly as I used this in my work-based learning. It helped me to turn theory
into practice.
These
opportunities directly led to my first job and the experiences I acquired have
remained integral to my current roles.
What did you enjoy about
your course?
I
thoroughly enjoyed studying law and I’d definitely recommend it to others. It’s
an incredibly broad and varied subject, which made it an exciting subject to
learn and it’s one of those topics that you can easily see how it applies in everyday
life.
I also
liked that the course included elements of practical learning and meeting many like-minded individuals throughout the course who have remained
friends 10 years later.
How have the changes brought about by COVID-19 affected your work? What approach have you taken to support young people looking to start their careers at this difficult time?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate that COVID-19
has had a limited impact on my ability to undertake my job, as I’ve been able
to work remotely. However, the services I lead have seen massive increases in the
need for advice and we’ve had to respond quickly to this.
As we progress through the
pandemic, it’s going to be a challenging time for young people looking for work
and a personal goal I’ve set myself is to use my position to advocate for
greater skills, education and support for young people to help secure employment.
On that point – and this is a genuine open offer to those studying law – if you
ever want a chat about developing a career in the charity sector then please do
get in touch.
What are
your plans for the future?
I intend to
continue working in the charity sector as I enjoy what I do and the difference
it makes to people. I know what my end goal is – just not the bits in between –
and I’d like to one day be the Chief Executive of a large charity.
With
regards to my political career, that’ll be down to the voters to decide how
long I last. At this point in my life, I’ve no intention of becoming a Member
of Parliament, but you never know what the future holds.