Sarah gets her buzz back

Sarah explains how Successful Mums helped her find the perfect flexible role.

As a busy executive assistant, Sarah relished her 24/7 lifestyle and loved being in the thick of things. After a career break, the mum-of-three wanted to recapture that buzz but didn’t want to work around the clock.

“Being an exec assistant was my ideal job but it was full-on and, once I became a mum, I couldn’t make it work without compromising how I wanted to parent. So when it came to returning, I didn’t know what I was going to do.

The Back to Work course gave me time to think intentionally about my choices. When I sat down and thought about it, I realised I was looking at the main stretch of my career, so it was really important to pin down what I wanted to do and how it would work for my family, and to find a role that would let me flourish in all those areas. Successful Mums gave me the confidence to make a plan that worked for me.

I had kept busy while I was at home with my children, as a volunteer, doing youth work and organising community events. I was keeping up a lot of the skills I used at work but I don’t think I fully appreciated that until Georgina, my tutor, pointed it out. She helped me see what I’d been doing in a different way.

It was also great to talk with other women and realise that the way I was feeling was the way everyone was feeling! Sometimes, they couldn’t see what they had to offer but I could… and they could do the same for me, so that was really affirming. I also found the job I’m doing now through a website I might never have discovered without the knowledge of the other mums in my group.

I was asked about my USP at the interview, which was something we covered on the course. Having really focused on what I bring to the table, I felt able to answer that fully, honestly and confidently. It’s never easy selling yourself like that but I think the preparation we did on the course was key, especially since as mums we always sell ourselves short.

I’m now working flexibly as an events and executive assistant for an organisation that supports and promotes higher education in London. It took a while to find a role that ticked all the boxes but I knew it was out there. It incorporates all the things I love doing, including the events side of my voluntary work.

They have an amazing attitude to flexible working, not just for mums but for everybody. The CEO is a mum-of-three herself and very much a champion of finding a way to make it work. It’s a bit of a juggle but I love being back in the middle of things at work and, with the hours I’m doing, I can still be at school pick-up four days a week, which is brilliant. It really feels like the start of a new season for me and my family.”

If you’d love to get back into work, Successful Mums can help you, too. Find out more and book your free* place on our next Back to Work courses today.

*subject to eligibility