From Leading Wren Writer to Involvement Pathway & Resident Engagement Team Leader

Tell us briefly about your career so far

I left school, went to college and then joined the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) in 1990 when I was 18. I served 6 years as a writer and then left to work for an insurance company in a secretarial role. I got offered training to be able to be an insurance clerk and subsequently went into this role. In 2005 I left to work for Penwith Community Development Trust where I supported volunteers with matching them up to placements.

2007 saw me get into a community development role and I have been involved in this and resident engagement since then (firstly with PHA, then DCH and now with LiveWest).

In your civilian role, what training, experience and/or qualification gained while serving have you found most useful?

Communication skills, working as part of a team, leadership skills

When you left the service life, how did you choose your civilian career?

I had to move back home as my mum passed away and I needed to support my family so was limited as there are not as many choices of careers in Penzance as other areas but I was always interested in helping others and took the role in the insurance company whilst I looked at what else was available. I did some volunteering to learn about what community development involved and found I enjoyed this work so undertook a role which came up.

What obstacles did you have to overcome and how did you overcome them?

Getting used to working a 9-5 job – in the Navy, it was very much like shift work and you had duties you undertook outside normal hours – you do get used to it though.

Less money – the salary was good in the Navy and then to go to a lot lower income was difficult and I had to adjust.

What is your job at LiveWest and what skills that you gained in the military do you use?

I am the resident engagement team leader. Lots of skills have been really useful including:

• Communication skills
• Time management
• Leadership skills
• Organisational skills
• Problem solving
• Team work

What advice would you give other service leavers?

Take as much help as you can get. Think carefully about what you would like to do and get as many qualifications as you can towards this. It is not as scary as you think it may be!