Mums take back their careers at International Women’s Day event.
You can earn more money, but you can’t earn more time” speaks Julia Packwood about her decision to return to work after having children. Julia was a fully qualified teacher when she took a career break to raise her family. Struggling to find a way to return, she came across Successful Mums, an award-winning training company for mums.
Offering a range of funded back to work and start up business courses, Successful Mums is tailored to help women overcome common barriers to the workplace, regain confidence and qualifications.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Successful Mums invited a panel of recent graduates to share their experiences with others, providing an inspirational session for mums who want to find a way back to work. Attended by GLA Deputy Mayor, Howard Dawber, the event was supported by local female-founded businesses too.
Led by Successful Mums Founder, Jane Knight, and their Head of Delivery, Rachel Gasson, the graduates on the panel talked about their different experiences, goals and achievements.
Now running a successful forest school business, Julia said “I came from an education background, with over 20 years experience. I’m all about championing getting children outdoors to improve key skills like speech and language, but I couldn’t turn it into a business idea until I had been to Successful Mums”.
Lucia shared a similar experience with low confidence: “The only role I saw myself fit and knew about was for was a lunchtime supervisor, but I wanted to work in a school because I thought it would be better for my family.”
After completing a Working in Education skills bootcamp, Lucia was made aware of the many hidden jobs in education outside of lunchtime supervisor and currently works as an exam invigilator around her children, “I don’t see myself as a lunchtime supervisor anymore as there are so many other opportunities.”
Anita echoed Lucia’s sentiments: “I came from a corporate background and I loved it. Till I didn’t. It took my spirit. The moment came to me when I was sat on the toilet, with my young daughter in the bath, desperately trying to send an urgent email”.
She continued to describe her experience gaining qualifications with Successful Mums: “I was at a bit of a crossroads. Everyone [at Successful Mums] has got your back. Even the people behind the scenes. We can speak about where we’re at, what we’re facing”.
Toni-Ann also completed a Working in Education qualification with Successful Mums, before finding a role with the Harris Federation, and said “I’m not that good with digital skills, and we got the chance to improve those. In the school environment we use that a lot, so it was really handy”.
Whilst the recent graduates shared their progress with other mums at the event, attendees were asked to think about what their goals for the next year would be.
Astounding Mayor Dawber with their transferrable skills, resilience and ambitions, he said “You shouldn’t only be wearing your invisible crowns, but capes as well. You’re superheroes”.
Leaving the day with positive connections and a plan for the way forward, the event celebrated how valuable women returners are for the workplace and how Successful Mums Career Academy is making that connection a reality for thousands of these women.
To take your first step toward a job you love, visit our courses page.