Robini had not worked for 6 years after leaving her job as a client relationship manager in India when she was expecting her first child. After moving to the UK she became a mum to two young children and came to GRoW looking for help on her journey back to work. Robini has now been offered a job as a Teaching Assistant and is looking forward to starting a new career working with children with special educational needs.
Robini said; “I first heard about GRoW through a friend who explained that they had a special programme that helps mums get back to work. At the time my youngest son was only two years old and I was a very busy mum trying to juggle everything. It was difficult to find the time to really focus on getting a job but I knew I needed to start thinking about it. I got in touch with Kaneez at GRoW and she invited me to a Coffee Morning which was a great introduction.
What I really liked about GRoW was that it never felt like they were pressurising me. I was invited to events and if I was able to go then I would. If I wasn’t able to join one day then I could join another day. It felt really relaxed and as it fitted in with my life it was easy to engage with.
I already knew that I wanted to work in a school and had undertaken a range of training courses including: working with Syrian refugees; Early Years Foundation for Childhood; Safeguarding 2; Safeguarding 3 and a Level 3 ESOL. I had also been volunteering at a local church helping to teach children at Sunday School. I had the courses and the volunteering behind me but no relevant work experience and had no idea what I needed to do next to reach my goal.
It was during one of the GRoW Coffee Mornings that things really clicked for me. They had invited a guest speaker from a local school along to talk about how they began their teaching career. The speaker explained that they had no previous experience when they started working in their profession but had managed to work their way up from a School Meals Supervisor position. It was so insightful and encouraging to see that it was possible and it gave me the motivation I needed to get started.
I went on to Sonia’s CV and Interview Workshop and with Tosin’s (my Adviser) help I started applying for jobs, she was very supportive. Sonia also gave me a huge amount of help and even worked with me once on a Sunday to do a mock interview, explaining how to present myself and giving me points to practice. I really can’t overstate the difference it made as when I was offered the opportunity to attend an interview I put all of the training I’d learned into practice and I cracked it first time!
Even though GRoW gave me new tools to put into practice the biggest thing they did for me was give me belief in myself. They are fantastic at guiding women as they understand what support we need. They never pressurise, they give you space to work things out for yourself and guide you on your chosen path. I feel very proud now to have been offered the job as a Teaching Assistant and I can’t wait to start my new career.”