The sky’s the limit for Nicky

Former cabin crew member and mum-of-four, Nicky was ready to start the next chapter of her life when she joined our popular Back to Work course. Three months on, Nicky explains how Successful Mums helped her set new goals – and get her job search ‘ready for take off’.

“I’m a people person, so I love meeting fresh faces and I get real satisfaction from helping people. I loved all my previous roles – as cabin crew (my dream job!) for BA and Easyjet and as a customer service manager. After almost nine years at home with my children, the things I missed most about working were the social interaction and the sense of feeling important and needed by others.

When my youngest child started school, I was ready for the next chapter – one that was more about me. But my confidence in my abilities had changed dramatically. I was worried my IT skills were outdated and, after being away for so long, I felt different in the professional world.

The Back to Work course brought me out of my shell and it felt great to meet other mums in the same situation. As we brainstormed all the different skills you need as a parent, I realised that being a mum has been probably my most challenging role to date!

You share experiences and support each other throughout the course. You take away some life skills and knowledge. You learn how to join LinkedIn (something I never even knew existed!) and how to write a good CV and you get some great interview techniques under your belt. It’s like the start of a new you.

The tutors have a way of helping you unlock your own potential and I learnt a lot about myself. The support I received afterwards from Georgina, my tutor, was also amazing – you feel like someone actually cares about you out there. The course gave me a much more positive approach to returning to work and a goal to work towards.

I started an IT course a month later and am now halfway through and really enjoying it. It’s a free, online programme from Gloucestershire College that’s equivalent to a GCSE and I normally commit between two and three hours a day to it. As well as building up and refreshing my knowledge, I’m gaining a qualification and it has given me so much confidence.

I’ve also just had my first interview in 11 years and I got the job! I’m going to be working at a school as a midday supervisor for disabled children, so it’s a real step in the right direction. I’ll be working 10 hours a week, term-time only, so I’ll still be around for my family. It feels great!

Successful Mums Career Academy has made me realise there’s nothing I can’t achieve. I just need to want it badly enough to go out and get it!

If, like Nicky, you’re taking your first steps back to work, Successful Mums Career Academy can help you build up your confidence and offer practical advice on getting yourself ‘work ready’. Book a place on one of our fully funded Back to Work courses today.