"Everybody at Ingeus was so helpful. I am on my own in this country with my children but with Ingeus I never felt alone."
When Grace, 35, met her advisor, Ola, at Tottenham Jobcentre Plus, to discuss her future employment options, she told him that she wanted to find work in Tonbridge so that she could raise her children outside London. Ola recommended that Grace talk to Ingeus, and he arranged for Grace to meet with Lindsey at Ingeus’ Employment Zone office in Haringey.
At their first meeting, Grace explained to Lindsey hat she had worked in administration and finance in Ecuador before she came to the UK, she had not been in paid employment since arriving in London in 1996.
Lindsey determined that Grace’s understanding of the UK employment market was quite limited, and that she was not confident about her ability to find work. Grace also had trouble taking a long term view of her prospects, which made it difficult for her to formulate a plan to find work and build a work history.
Grace and Lindsey decided to focus their efforts on finding administration and finance opportunities in Tonbridge, and they put together a CV that reflected Grace’s past experience and range of skills. With Lindsey’s help, Grace undertook a voluntary position with a local charity so that she could illustrate a recent work history.
Lindsey also spoke to the local authorities to find out whether any support would be available to assist Grace to move out of London, and she helped Grace research the rental housing market in Tonbridge. When Grace started attending interviews, Ingeus covered her travel expenses and arranged childcare for Grace’s two children, as well as ensuring the she had suitable interview clothes.
Grace soon found a position working 16 hours a week as a cash processor, and moved out of London just in time for her oldest son to start secondary school in Tonbridge.
Grace says, “Everybody at Ingeus was so helpful. I am on my own in this country with my children but with Ingeus I never felt alone. I had been feeling so depressed but Lindsey made me feel strong and believe I could do it.”