After leaving school I did not have any ideas about what I wanted to do so I worked in ‘dead-end’ jobs for a while. Eventually I decided to train as a State Registered Nurse and intended to make that my career. Having a baby in 1990 changed my plans as I wanted to stay at home with her for the first years. In 1995, when my daughter started school full-time, I decided to change my career because being out of nursing for a while meant that I would have a lot to catch up with and the hours were not reliable for a single mother. To do something else meant that I needed to go to college to get more qualifications. I studied for A levels that included sociology and psychology which were all new to me. I found the subjects fascinating as they helped me understand the world and my relationships with others. I then went on to university to study Sociology and Social Psychology at degree level as a mature student.

As a single parent it was very difficult to study, work and care for my daughter on my own but I was determined to succeed. I achieved a first class (Hons) degree and on graduation I was invited to teach at the same university and my educational career began. Initially this was very difficult as I was managing some seminar sessions for undergraduates at the university, I had another part-time post at a local Further Education college, and another part-time job working for a medical research company. Eventually I was offered a full-time lectureship at the University of Bradford and during this time my academic expertise became Crime and Criminology. One of my responsibilities was to establish and support work placements for the Criminology students. This was very interesting as their placements were in exciting and sometimes unique settings and I was able to appreciate the skills that employers expect of their graduates. I also saw how hard it was for students to do a lengthy work placement, academic study and have their own lives, often involving part-time work. However, I could support them and appreciate their concerns as this had been my experience too. I made some very good friends amongst the staff, including Fiona and Jane who have joined me in setting up this company. During my career I have also been invited to teach as a guest lecturer in colleges and universities in the UK, Europe and America so can also appreciate the difficulties some students have studying in a foreign language and the importance of understanding the local cultures.

I subsequently completed my Masters degree in Research Methods, and finally a PhD. My PhD research focussed on human behaviour and decision making in the criminal justice sector, using sociological, psychological and criminological explanations. This gave me an insight into the motivations people use to explain their behaviours.

Overall, my personal and career experiences have given me an understanding of how difficult it can be for students and as most of us will only go to university once, it is really important to do as well as possible but also to have a social life and some fun. Like Fiona and Jane, I believe I can help you to enjoy your studies and achieve your full potential. Please get in touch if I can help.