Being furloughed from your job I guess is a bit like being on a coffee break, you can’t exactly leave the office because you of course have to return but you’re clearly not doing your actual job role at that particular time. A lot of people who have been furloughed have used this time to the to re-evaluate their careers and ambitions and have taken steps to educate themselves further or to train in a totally new field/career.
I’ve personally trained a few lovely ladies since March who have used the time and money saved from travelling, paying for lunches and after work drinks to train to become a Personal Stylist. When I’ve asked why now? The common answers have been:
- I actually can’t face going back to my job when furlough’s over.
- I’m not sure my job will be secure when I do go back.
- I need to use my brain to learn a new skill.
- Life’s too short to not follow my passion.
- I’ve finally got free time to work on me!
Even though the training at our Academy only takes 3 to 5 days it’s the practice that is crucial in turning someone into a great Personal Stylist. The blessing with all this free furlough time is that there’s been plenty of time to practice the skills and knowledge they’ve learnt. I always give delegate’s ongoing tasks post training to really hone their skillset which of course builds their confidence.
So, by the time life resumes back to normal, they can return to the office with a spring in their step, knowing they have a plan B if they were ever to be made redundant or if they go back and really hate it, they have the option to make Personal Styling their new career. With me as their mentor, I’m with them every step of the way, whether personal styling become a full-time job or a part time hobby I’ll be there to help facilitate their vision.