What job/study are you doing right now and tell us a little about it?
Currently I am working in Recruitment and I am a specialised consultant for the Hospitality/Restaurant sector. I work on permanent management roles and guide candidates through the interview process giving them every chance possible in being successful. Previous to this I worked in Education recruitment for 2 years and employed both teachers and teaching assistants to work in schools across the North West and Wales.
Did you do any further/higher education?
From St Cuthbert's I went on to complete my A Levels at Carmel College in Fine Art, Textiles and Performance Studies. I then went on to Leeds University to study Performance Design for 1 year.
How did you decide on your career path and what is/was most interesting about your work?
I knew I was always good at speaking to people, in front of people, presenting etc, so I knew I wanted to go in to a role where I worked with people! I find recruitment extremely rewarding. When you find someone their perfect job and they are successful, there is no better feeling. Previous to recruitment I worked in the Fitness industry for 6 years, working my way up to a Sales Manager position. Again, this was a customer facing role and one which I would be interacting with people constantly.
Can you share a couple of fond memories of your time at St Cuthbert's?
Wow, there are so many! I was Head Girl so the things I got to do with this were memorable; a trip to France to represent St Helens, creating the first school yearbook for our year. Other great moments were around my Drama days and performing with 'Tongues of Fire' and being cast as the lead role in 'Beryl'. I remember in Year 7 I won 'Student of the Year', what a proud moment, a great start to my journey with St Cuthbert's. The Year 7 school trip to France was amazing also!
Did you have a favourite/influential teacher? What made them so important to you?
Mrs Reed. She was my Drama teacher and I also worked alongside her on many a school performance! She always supported me and told me to go for my dreams and aspirations, whatever they may have been. Also Mr Heesom my Art teacher, again always extremely supportive and gave me a wealth of knowledge and confidence in the subject.
What advice would you give our current students?
I would say to enjoy and embrace your time at St Cuthbert's as much as possible. When you come out of education and go in to the real world, your working days can be twice as long and twice as hard! You actually don't realise how easy school was until you go out to full time work. Also you only get out what you put in. Put in the effort and the time needed to be successful. Working in recruitment I have seen how a low grade in a certain subject can dismiss your application immediately; you can't go back and change things, so make the most of every day.
Name: Sarah Dickinson