Sarah Mackintosh Success Story

Sarah Story

 

Sarah self-referred through Work Hounslow and met with LB initially in July 2019 at Hounslow House.  Sarah had worked for a local authority for 22 years in the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support department as an assessment & systems manager.  However, following a restructure in June 2018 her role changed from November 2018.  Her new post was subsequently unexpectedly deleted from May 2019 and she became redundant.  The circumstances surrounding her redundancy were quite acrimonious and left Sarah with feelings of anxiety.

 

Sarah contacted LB for another meeting in September 2019.  She was in a much better frame of mind and ready to start looking for work.  LB suggested volunteering and Sarah had already registered an interest in the Talk English programme being run by Hounslow Adult Education whereby volunteers were recruited to run English classes for people with low levels of English.  

 

Subsequently Sarah joined the Talk English programme as a tutor which she enjoyed very much and took the opportunity to do her Level 3 Training & Education qualification.

 

Sarah started applying for jobs and in October 2019 she obtained the post of Complaints Officer at Richmond and Wandsworth Councils.

 

 

 

I am so pleased for Sarah.  Being made redundant after 22 years is dreadful and particularly when the circumstances were acrimonious.  Sarah knew she had a long journey ahead of her but did not hesitate to act.  I am delighted to have played a small part in her journey.

 

 

 

Sarah’s comments:

It really helped talking to LB in July 2019 and I thank her for her time that day. 

 

I took LB’s advice and undertook the National Career’s Service skills and health check as soon as possible and looked at the resulting job profiles. In addition, I registered with LinkdIn and for the Open University free online courses that LB had suggested. 

 

In addition, I invested some of my redundancy in one day private courses with training providers for:  Assertiveness, Interview Skills and Time Management. Talking to the tutors and people on the course, I realized that how I had been feeling was not how I came across to others at all. 

 

Making the effort and using LB’s advice really helped me. LB’s time with me that day really helped me  see the redundancy as an opportunity rather than a failure or a wrongdoer as I had been doing (despite former colleagues telling me otherwise). 

 

Seeing the Talk English advert at the end of that July reignited my natural enthusiasm and I loved the experience as a volunteer.  I’m sure this helped secure my current role too.. 

 

Leaving an organisation unexpectedly after so long, and a role that I had seen as vocational was extremely hard on me, but Work Hounslow and LB pivoted me forward to a much better place and, work-life balance.

 

 

 

  • London Borough of Hounslow
  • Department for Work & Pensions
  • Learn Hounslow
  • NHS
  • Shawtrust
  • West London Alliance