Tell us a bit about your current job:

I run Communities Driving Change, a community project at the Bromley By Bow Centre in East London. We support people to make their neighbourhoods healthier and happier places to live. We help people build the confidence and skills needed to start up their own community-based health and wellbeing projects. The work is about empowering people to take action on their passions and ideas. 

What and where did you study after school:

I studied Hispanic Studies and Psychology at Birmingham University, where I had the opportunity to study in Santiago, Chile for a year. After my undergrad, I did a one-month intensive CELTA course to gain the qualifications needed to teach English to adults. Following that I did a Postgraduate Certificate (1/3 of a Masters) in Communities, Engagement and Enterprise at the University of Brighton as part of a traineeship in Community Organising.

How did you get from answer 2 to answer 1?

At university I got involved in some brilliant and inspiring voluntary projects. I knew that eventually I wanted to be involved in some kind of charity work. When I graduated in 2009, a year after the financial crisis, it wasn't looking like I was going to land my dream graduate job, so I decided to teach English abroad. I had a brilliant experience working as a language teacher in Portugal, Spain and Brazil; how lucky many of us are to be born in a country where our language is in global demand!

After three years, I came back to the UK. I moved to London and got involved in all sorts of community projects, including starting up my own project with a group of like-minded people. This strengthened my application to get a place on a traineeship programme to become a Community Organiser - a type of community work that is about bringing people together to take action on the things they care about.

After that, I worked at English for Action, where I taught English to, and supported adult migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum. I taught English at the same time as supporting people to learn about things like the education and healthcare system in the UK. I also used my community organising skills to support the students to challenge injustices they experienced, for example, around housing, employment and education. 

After four years at English for Action, I was ready for a new challenge, so I applied for my current position. I'm now on the board of trustees at English for Action because I still want to be involved in their amazing work. 

How does your formal education feed into your present career (if at all)?

In my current role I have to write regular reports for the funders, so the essays at school and university definitely helped me to develop writing skills. I learned about social issues from a psychological perspective as part of my Psychology minor. Understanding how societal factors might lead us to behave in certain ways has definitely influenced my present career. 

What things have you learnt outside of formal education that have been helpful to your career?

Somebody once told me to ‘follow your nose and nurture your curiosity’. It's good to remember that your unique mix of skills, passions and experiences mean that no two people will be able to do a job in exactly the same way. Focus on yourself and don't waste time comparing your career moves with others!

What are the really useful skills for someone in your job to possess?

An essential is to be curious about people and to believe that everyone has something to offer. Skills that I've picked up along the way that are useful are group facilitation, listening (I mean really listening), coaching, event management, negotiating and managing conflict. The most important thing is to remember that the people who are best placed to make local plans and to find solutions to challenges, are the people who will be personally impacted.

What does an average day at work look like for you?

My average working day has changed so much during Covid 19 where the whole team has adapted to working from home, but my ’normal’ day goes a little something like this: 

I start work at 9am at my desk with a cuppa, I'll plan my day ahead, write some emails and arrange a meeting or two. 

At 10am, we have a team check-in to chat with the coordinators and we share what we are working on. I might chat with the team about the monitoring and evaluation of the project - how we are recording the impact that the project is having, or we could reflect on an event or a meeting together. Later, one of the coordinators and I might have a meeting with a resident who has an idea for a project, and we support them to make plans and next steps. 

After lunch I might speak to a colleague at the Bromley By Bow Centre about their project and how we could collaborate. Then I'll have a video call with somebody from a local organisation to hear about their plans and to update them on what activities we are supporting at the time. Later in the afternoon I'll do some administrative tasks like processing invoices, updating the project budget or planning some social media and communications for the project.

Then at the end of the day hopefully I've ticked off most of my to-do list and sign off for the evening and relax.

What's the best thing about your job?

It's a real privilege to work with inspiring and passionate individuals who have a vision that becomes reality. 

What's your least favourite aspect of your job?

In the charity sector, most people work on a project-by-project basis. This means that brilliant projects like Communities Driving Change don't last forever; we have to hope that the projects, networks and relationships that have been built along the way continue. It also means less job security for staff, who often are on fixed term contracts.

What advice would you give someone seeking a job like yours?

If you want to get involved in the voluntary sector, find an inspiring local project and find a way that you can support it: watch and learn!