Month: November 2024
#ScottishCareersWeek - Sophie's tigers Journey
Sophie has recently rejoined tigers Group as a Digital Marketing Apprentice after previously working in childcare, including working in our own Lullaby Lane Nursery! Hear about Sophie's journey through the workplace and changing careers for #ScottishCareersWeek!
I started out my journey with tigers Group in August 2021 when I completed an Foundation Apprenticeship in Childhood Practice whilst also at school, this really benefited me as it gave me a chance to learn more about childcare before deciding if it was what I wanted to do when I left school.
I completed this course with Lisa who supported me throughout the full course, she was always very understanding and was happy to help with any issues or questions I had. This course was 2 afternoons a week, where they came out to the school to deliver it, this meant I was also able to focus on other subjects as well as completing this. Although this was only two days a week, Lisa was always available throughout the week if I had to email her for any help or questions. Halfway through this course, I was given the opportunity to go out to tigers' own nursery Lullaby Lane for placement, this is when I realised childcare was really what I wanted to do. August 2022 was when I completed and passed my childcare course, which gave me the courage to leave school and apply full time in a nursery.
Starting my apprenticeship journey
I was fortunate enough that tigers also offered Modern Apprenticeship positions in childcare. Lisa got in touch with Lullaby Lane to see if they had any MA positions available, and they then got in touch with me offering an interview. I passed the interview stage and was ready to start my new journey, I was very nervous to do this, but I had no doubts of how supportive tigers are, and that made me feel more at ease. I then started full time in the nursey, where I had an assessor called Lynsey who was also amazing and supported me through my MA, Lynsey was always so approachable and was always happy to help and support me where and when needed.
My position at Lullaby Lane was 4 days a week, 7:15am-6:15pm which was great because it then allowed me a day a week to focus on completing my coursework. This took me around 12 months to complete but was absolutely worth it. I was able to gain so much knowledge on this course through the course work but also being able to get the experience as well.
I was then a qualified practitioner and Lullaby kept me on, where I was able to do have more responsibility with planning and key children which was an amazing opportunity which allowed me to gain more confidence within childcare.
Lullaby and tigers have taught me so much, not only on childcare but also a lot about myself, my emotions and how to deal and look at things with an different approach and I am very grateful for that as it has helped me as a person. I loved the attachment-led approach that Lullaby offered I feel it is amazing for families, children and also staff. I made so many relationships and memories through Lullaby as I was there for a year and a half, but I wanted to experience what a nursery that wasn’t attachment-led was like so I decided to try out a new nursery and take everything I had learned and knew to a new environment which was a different experience.
The American adventure
I was in a new nursery for only 6 months when I started to reconsider if childcare was for me, the unknown of what I wanted to do gave me the courage to go on a new adventure, this was then when I took the leap to applying for Camp America. I applied online, got through to the interview stage and then was very lucky to be given the opportunity to go to Boston in the USA for 3 months. I left for the USA in May 2024, and was very nervous about this as I was going myself and not knowing anyone over there but it turned out to be the best thing for me. This pushed me out of my comfort zone and showed me that there is so much to life and you really can do anything if you put your mind to it.
My journey into marketing began with an eye-opening experience while at Camp America this year, where I discovered how powerful and engaging communication can be in connecting with people and driving positive change. These experiences taught me how to connect with diverse individuals, manage responsibilities efficiently, and create engaging, supportive environments. However, my perspective shifted dramatically during my time at Camp America, where I was involved in helping organize events, promoting activities, and engaging with a wide audience.
At Camp America, I enjoyed contributing ideas that had interests with both staff and campers. I enjoyed the challenge of using creative strategies to increase participation and enhance the camp experience. I realised that my true passion lay in exploring how marketing can be used to influence and engage people on a larger scale.
Beginning the marketing journey
My transition from childcare to marketing is not as unconventional as it might seem. The skills I developed in my previous career—such as communication, problem-solving, and understanding diverse perspectives—are directly transferable to marketing. My experience in child care has given me a strong foundation in understanding audience needs, tailoring messages effectively, and building meaningful connections, all of which are crucial in marketing communications.
When arriving back from the USA in August, I reached out to Pauline and explained how I'm feeling towards completely changing my career path, Pauline is very approachable so I knew I was able to reach out to her about any potential opportunities. Pauline then put me in contact with Oliver, who is the marketing manager.
We met in person and spoke about what my thoughts were, what I wanted to do and why I wanted to change. Not long after our conversation Oliver was in touch to say he was able to offer me a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship full time.
So now here I am, returning back to tigers in a completely different job and feel just as supported as I did back when I began with tigers. I can only thank tigers for all the support and confidence they have given me over the years.
