Laying the Groundwork: Why Starting Early Matters in Career Transition

“I do not feel that sheer tiredness that I did when I was finishing a school day.”

Former Early Years Teacher Tina Harrison spent 13 years in the classroom, working as both an Early Years Lead and Forest School Lead, before making the decision to leave teaching. Now a Team Support Administrator at a large national energy company, she's enjoying hybrid working, better sleep, and a workplace culture that genuinely celebrates wellbeing.

Tina's journey wasn't without its challenges - from the emotional ups and downs of supply teaching to standing out among 400 applicants - but she successfully leveraged her transferable skills in organisation and relationship-building to secure her new role. Tina shares her honest insights about what she wishes she'd known earlier, the power of building rapport in interviews, and how she's learning to shed the teaching mindset around urgency and productivity. Despite some initial imposter syndrome, Tina is thriving in her new role and looking forward to what the future holds. 

In this episode, we also talk about:

• Starting your transition earlier to lay the foundations
• Supply teaching as a bridge - and its unexpected challenges
• Pivoting from initial career ideas when they don't align
• Standing out in competitive interview processes
• Teacher transferable skills for thriving in administration roles
• Reframing urgency and letting go of the "it will get done" mindset
• Working through imposter syndrome in a new role
• Company cultures that prioritise mental health and wellbeing
• The messy middle - and remembering it's temporary
• Life after teaching: happier for both Tina and her family

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