Can you please tell us a little bit about your background.

For 28 years I worked for a “big four” accounting firms as a manager in a specialist tax department. I was made redundant at the age of 55. I decided that I would try and get a part-time admin job and thought it would be easy given my C.V.

How was that experience?

Not good. Despite targeted applications to the CAA, Gatwick Airport Limited, FSA, Pension Protection Fund (to name a few) I wasn’t getting any interest.

How did you make your way to Strive Training?

I was feeling quite down when I met Ananta at a Croydon job fair. I thought my working life was over and not through choice. My husband is a few years younger so it felt important to me to continue working for a few more years yet. I wasn’t ready to retire. Ananta instantly understood me and suggested that I think about a different tack. To consider retail and to this end Ananta invited me to participate in a Strive City & Guilds Retail course.

And how did you find the course? 

Excellent! Strive even arranged interviews for me at Dunelm & Waitrose and I was successful at both. I am currently working at Waitrose DFC part-time which I am really enjoying. It is a great place to work with really friendly and helpful people and some great benefits too.

Congratulations!

I’m so pleased. Thank you Ananta, Amanda and everyone at Strive Training for getting me out of a rut by getting me in front of some great prospective employers.