Welcome to part 18 of the blog series 'Children Changing Careers' - A series for parents who have pulled off a career change after having children.
This week's post features Anisa from Parenting Success - Yorkshire, who left her role as Teacher and Head of Operations to set up her own business specialising in interactive workshops for parents, full of brilliant parenting ideas!
Here is her career changing story...
Tell me about your life, background and career before children?
I have been a teacher for 17 years this year. I graduated in Australia with a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Studies (0 - 8year olds). I then moved around the world teaching, this took me to England, Spain and Colombia before I returned to the UK, and married an English Policeman 12 years ago.
My daughter was born in 2008 and due to financial reasons I returned to work when she was 3 months old; she was brought up in and around the School that I worked at.
My average week consisted of being at school by 7 with my daughter in tow. She would eat her breakfast in my office once she reached school age! Busy and fulfilling days were had and then I would leave work by 5, go home run through my daughter’s routines and spend time with the family before I started work again about 7.30pm and worked until 9/9.30 most evenings.
In the Summer of 2016, I left my secure job as a teacher and Head of Operations for an Independent Preparatory School(s) in Surrey to move to Yorkshire with my family. My husband had secured a job with the West Yorkshire Police, however, finding my own employment was not as easy. It was at this moment that I had an epiphany, what about a career change?
Did you return to your job/position after your maternity?
Due to financial reasons I had 6 weeks maternity and returned to work officially on the first day of the Summer Holidays, however, in reality I went back in the September and had 3 months off.
At the time I was a classroom teacher and on the Senior Leadership Team for my School, my job was rewarding but it came with high expectations and long hours.
8 years after my daughter was born and 12 years of working for the same school, we decided as a family to try something new, a career change for me and a relocation for our family from Surrey to West Yorkshire.
What were your reasons for leaving your previous career? Why did you decide not to stay?
Having been in my previous career for 17 years and at the time in my then current employment for 12 years, I decided that a career change was in order. I wanted to draw on the skills I had built up over my time in education but was also very passionate about parenting and getting it ‘right’ (well as much as we can!) for my own daughter.
I really wanted to be able to do the school drop off and pick up as this was something I had not managed once in my daughter’s school career to date.
Giving my daughter more time was very important to my husband and I, as this is something that she had not had much of over my teaching career. We tried to cram a weeks worth of time into a weekend and this time was also competing for my energy levels, chores, errands, cleaning, doing absolutely nothing etc! There had to be another way to live…
Being my own boss and putting time energy, enthusiasm into something I believe strongly in that would build something special for my family was also at the forefront of my mind.
Tell me about your new career now:
A chance meeting at a discussion for mums run by my cousin while I was on a sabbatical, put me in contact with a business called ParentingSuccess and the rest as they say is history.
My new role is as small business owner. I own ParentingSuccess - Yorkshire which is a franchise of a company run in the south of England. As the Area Facilitator for Yorkshire, I am bringing ParentingSuccess to the North!
The support ParentingSuccess offers is through dynamic, non-judgmental and interactive workshops, seminars and 1 to 1 work with individuals and families. A recent participant expressed that she felt the workshop she attended on Positive Discipline was a ‘parenting party’ as she came away feeling excited, inspired and full of parenting ideas to implement in her family home.
I have been trained by the founder of ParentingSuccess, Mette Theilmann as well as bringing my extensive knowledge of child development and education. In addition I am a closet (or perhaps not now I am telling you!) Parenting Book collector, my shelves are full and wanted to be able to use this knowledge gained to help others.
Financially, it has been a huge burden to my family as I have taken a very hefty pay cut and have gone from earning a very comfortable income to nothing in the last few months as I put in the ground work to set up ParentingSuccess – Yorkshire. There are many costs to setting up a business and I am working a number of other jobs at present to help us pay our bills.
Talk me through an average day for you now? How much has your life changed?
My day now starts in a much more relaxed way, where I get my daughter up, deal with our new puppy and then do the School run which more often than not we walk. It is all very civilized!
The rest of the day before School pick up is then spent, positing social media posts, blogging, networking, preparing and running workshops or talks, as well as seeking out new opportunities and ways to spread the message about what we do here at ParentingSuccess.
I will work in the evenings and at the weekend but not all the time and it is on my terms.
What is the best and worst thing about your new career?
Best thing by far is the independence you get from running your own small business, which I am hoping will grow into an empire before too long!
The worst thing about my change in career is the lack of financial security in the early days.
Is there anything you miss about your previous career/life before children?
I miss the children I used to work with. I ended my teaching career working with Reception age children, which I absolutely loved, their passion for life as well as their unwavering curiosity was inspiring. This is something I am really trying to be mindful of in my new daily routines.
I miss the great friends I had in my last job but in the world of social media and technology, they are never far away.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to do what you have done?
Do it! Take the leap do something you believe in passionately, however, do ensure you have some financial backing or savings to see you through the first few lean months.
Tell me about your life, background and career before children?
I have been a teacher for 17 years this year. I graduated in Australia with a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Studies (0 - 8year olds). I then moved around the world teaching, this took me to England, Spain and Colombia before I returned to the UK, and married an English Policeman 12 years ago.
My daughter was born in 2008 and due to financial reasons I returned to work when she was 3 months old; she was brought up in and around the School that I worked at.
My average week consisted of being at school by 7 with my daughter in tow. She would eat her breakfast in my office once she reached school age! Busy and fulfilling days were had and then I would leave work by 5, go home run through my daughter’s routines and spend time with the family before I started work again about 7.30pm and worked until 9/9.30 most evenings.
In the Summer of 2016, I left my secure job as a teacher and Head of Operations for an Independent Preparatory School(s) in Surrey to move to Yorkshire with my family. My husband had secured a job with the West Yorkshire Police, however, finding my own employment was not as easy. It was at this moment that I had an epiphany, what about a career change?
Did you return to your job/position after your maternity?
Due to financial reasons I had 6 weeks maternity and returned to work officially on the first day of the Summer Holidays, however, in reality I went back in the September and had 3 months off.
At the time I was a classroom teacher and on the Senior Leadership Team for my School, my job was rewarding but it came with high expectations and long hours.
8 years after my daughter was born and 12 years of working for the same school, we decided as a family to try something new, a career change for me and a relocation for our family from Surrey to West Yorkshire.
What were your reasons for leaving your previous career? Why did you decide not to stay?
Having been in my previous career for 17 years and at the time in my then current employment for 12 years, I decided that a career change was in order. I wanted to draw on the skills I had built up over my time in education but was also very passionate about parenting and getting it ‘right’ (well as much as we can!) for my own daughter.
I really wanted to be able to do the school drop off and pick up as this was something I had not managed once in my daughter’s school career to date.
Giving my daughter more time was very important to my husband and I, as this is something that she had not had much of over my teaching career. We tried to cram a weeks worth of time into a weekend and this time was also competing for my energy levels, chores, errands, cleaning, doing absolutely nothing etc! There had to be another way to live…
Being my own boss and putting time energy, enthusiasm into something I believe strongly in that would build something special for my family was also at the forefront of my mind.
Tell me about your new career now:
A chance meeting at a discussion for mums run by my cousin while I was on a sabbatical, put me in contact with a business called ParentingSuccess and the rest as they say is history.
My new role is as small business owner. I own ParentingSuccess - Yorkshire which is a franchise of a company run in the south of England. As the Area Facilitator for Yorkshire, I am bringing ParentingSuccess to the North!
The support ParentingSuccess offers is through dynamic, non-judgmental and interactive workshops, seminars and 1 to 1 work with individuals and families. A recent participant expressed that she felt the workshop she attended on Positive Discipline was a ‘parenting party’ as she came away feeling excited, inspired and full of parenting ideas to implement in her family home.
I have been trained by the founder of ParentingSuccess, Mette Theilmann as well as bringing my extensive knowledge of child development and education. In addition I am a closet (or perhaps not now I am telling you!) Parenting Book collector, my shelves are full and wanted to be able to use this knowledge gained to help others.
Financially, it has been a huge burden to my family as I have taken a very hefty pay cut and have gone from earning a very comfortable income to nothing in the last few months as I put in the ground work to set up ParentingSuccess – Yorkshire. There are many costs to setting up a business and I am working a number of other jobs at present to help us pay our bills.
My day now starts in a much more relaxed way, where I get my daughter up, deal with our new puppy and then do the School run which more often than not we walk. It is all very civilized!
The rest of the day before School pick up is then spent, positing social media posts, blogging, networking, preparing and running workshops or talks, as well as seeking out new opportunities and ways to spread the message about what we do here at ParentingSuccess.
I will work in the evenings and at the weekend but not all the time and it is on my terms.
What is the best and worst thing about your new career?
Best thing by far is the independence you get from running your own small business, which I am hoping will grow into an empire before too long!
The worst thing about my change in career is the lack of financial security in the early days.
Is there anything you miss about your previous career/life before children?
I miss the children I used to work with. I ended my teaching career working with Reception age children, which I absolutely loved, their passion for life as well as their unwavering curiosity was inspiring. This is something I am really trying to be mindful of in my new daily routines.
I miss the great friends I had in my last job but in the world of social media and technology, they are never far away.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to do what you have done?
Do it! Take the leap do something you believe in passionately, however, do ensure you have some financial backing or savings to see you through the first few lean months.
