Today I talk to George who spent 10 years teaching and has just secured his first HR role which he’ll be starting soon. Here he shares his journey of his change with all the ups and downs along the way.
What were you doing for work?
I was working as a primary school teacher in London which I’d done for 10 years. I’d transitioned into teaching from coaching Judo, which I loved and was able to use this experience in my teaching. I started teaching in a deprived area which had many challenges and obviously rewards too, but , I began to feel unfulfilled. I didn’t know at this stage, if it was teaching, or the school I was in that was the problem, so initially I moved to another school in a different area and after a time, the same feelings started to come up again.
What are you doing now?
I have just secured my first paid HR role, as an HR Co-ordinator in a global tech company. It’s an entry level role with scope for development and growth. I’m really looking forward to getting started.
What prompted you to make the change?
It stemmed from a few different factors really. The pressure on funding for schools led to cuts, often in sports which is what I loved combined with the very cyclical nature of teaching, following the same patterns year after year had begun to grind me down. I found myself fantasising about making a change during the summer breaks but went back, got very busy, focused on the children and put my feelings and aspirations to one side again. Slowly my health started to suffer and I realised I needed to get out of that busy cycle to give myself some breathing space, to think.
How did you decide what to do next?
I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do after teaching and that was the scariest thing. I knew I couldn’t have the space to really think while I was teaching, so my first task was to secure a “holding” job. One that would allow me to keep paying my bills, but give me the headspace to think and explore too.
I looked on jobs boards and started to get very demoralised by the salaries on offer and the required experience and qualifications for even what looked like basic roles.
I’d never thought about nannying, and almost maybe slightly stereotypically thought “a family would only want a female”, however, I started to see some some nanny roles being advertised and then I read an article about Manny and me – a nanny agency run by former teachers so I contacted them and secured a nanny role with a lovely family.
For the first year after leaving teaching, I felt I was going around in circles a bit, I really wanted the answer to what next and the plan immediately and it just didn’t happen like that.
To get myself unstuck, I started having conversations with lots of people and looked at the things I did know. I was interested in business, I knew I wanted to work in the private sector and I really enjoyed working with and helping people. Gradually, HR appeared as an idea and felt like it could possibly be a good fit for me, particularly with the learning and development angle. I still wasn’t certain, but I decided the best way to be sure was to do the CIPD Level 3 qualification. It felt like this was the right way to go, like HR could give me the opportunity to influence engagement within a business, something that, on reflecting back to why I felt unfulfilled in teaching, was often missing. I also began building a network in the HR space, getting involved in conversations and speaking to people in the areas I was interested in, to build my knowledge and build my contacts.
What didn’t go so well?
Initially, when I was on the CIPD course, the people around me were in entry level roles and at the time, they didn’t sound that interesting and I was a little worried. However, I decided to set up a work experience placement while doing the course and the company I worked with had a really inspiring HR leader which again reinforced my feelings that this was the right path for me.
I also initially thought I’d walk straight into an HR role after I’d successfully completed the qualification. But, then COVID hit and with 2 modules left to go on my course I had to do them online – losing the sense of being in the classroom and community which I really missed, however, as I was furloughed from my nanny job, I was able to finish the course more quickly and dedicate more time to job searching, albeit in a really difficult market.
I had two or three months of doing applications, hitting brick wall after brick wall and I remember feeling very flat looking on LinkedIn at how many people had applied for a role.
I put myself under a huge amount of pressure and felt the clock was ticking – I’d already spent 10 years in teaching and I was really keen to progress and get on with my new career.
I felt out of control. I began telling myself that I wasn’t going to get a job as the law of averages was against me. I had to go back to nannying to pay my bills which was a pretty low point.
To take back some control and shift my mindset, I started to think about things I could proactively and productively do to help myself and get some traction. I wrote an article on LinkedIn about the job market and my experience of trying to secure an entry level role. I did lots of networking, joined a CIPD committee and went on the Another Door group coaching programme aimed at people made redundant and looking for their next opportunity which really helped with practical job search strategies and helped me really pin down what I wanted in my work. I also did some more unpaid work experience.
What was most difficult in making the change?
Imposter syndrome. Whenever I do something new, I feel like I’m no good at it. It was the same when I moved from coaching Judo into teaching, suddenly I wasn’t the expert, I was learning on the job and it felt uncomfortable. I don’t like making mistakes, and I didn’t feel at all like an “HR person”! I didn’t feel authentic or good enough to do the job. I overcame this through networking; speaking to people and finding connections between where I was going and where I have been. Drawing on my previous experiences in life – all the other “firsts” and telling myself it would be ok as it was before. I’m ok now with being a bit vulnerable and open to ask questions and am confident in myself to ask, clarify and understand.
What would your advice be for someone feeling stuck and unfulfilled today?
The first thing is to take the time to understand what you want to do. Accept that it might not come to you right away. It’s taken me 10 years to have a clear plan on what I want to do. I fell into teaching, and there’s no harm in that, but don’t be afraid to tear it up and start again because the experiences you have had will support you, even if it might not feel like it at the time. Go with your gut, start to look around and see what other options you might like. I also think it’s important to know yourself and what you love but to combine that with a plan. In the early days of my career, I followed what I loved, but didn’t’ think about where it would go, so now I’m planning for where I want it to go too. Go for it!
If you’d like to explore making a change, and want some support and extra help, I have three ways I can help:
Take my Kick Start Your Career Change Course: 7 emails, over 7 days with a task or activity to complete specifically designed to get you unstuck, promote ideas and come up with a plan. https://amandaparadine.lpages.co/kick-start-your-career-change/
Book a free 30 minute call with me if you’re interested in some 1:1 coaching to help you get unstuck: https://calendly.com/amanda-paradine1/30min
Join our Group Coaching programme The Next Chapter in collaboration with Another Door, to join a small, friendly group exploring change in a supportive and encouraging way: https://www.anotherdoor.co.uk/the-next-chapter