Laxmi's success story
From battling depression due to a bad marriage to being a happy childcare worker. Laxmi says Peter was an angel who changed her life. He helped her bring back immense confidence to believe in herself and encouraged her to paid work.
Laxmi is 60 year's old and is struggling from depression and anxiety after being in a terrible marriage. She was a successful interior designer in Mumbai, India and was surrounded by family & friends. Her ex-husband portrayed a very glamorous image of his life in London, promised to keep her happy after marriage. However in reality, he was renting a place which he couldn’t afford.
In order to help him out, she started designing beautiful curtains which were a huge success amongst their clientele. He kept all the profits for himself and left her with no money for herself. He treated her like his slave who must only cook, clean and stay confined in the house. Laxmi went through this for 5 years and was even made to constantly babysit his grandchildren. He didn't let her have any friends or go out for dinner and instilled fear in her mind that she would get sexually abused or raped if she stepped out. She went to Dubai for a cousin's wedding which her ex-husband didn’t approve of. A few days later after her return, he destroyed all her clothes & shoes and gave her divorce papers.
After going through a painful divorce procedure, she was on benefits and was referred to Twining Enterprise for employment support where she started working with our employment advisor Peter in Barnet.
Laxmi's experience of working with us, in her own words:
"Peter was the angel who changed my life, gave me immense confidence to believe in myself and encouraged me every step of the way.
He motivated me, coached me, reminded me of my abilities and even helped me with the smallest of things that would daunt me. For example, taking the public transport (especially the tube since I'm claustrophobic) and finding out the itinerary was very daunting. Peter would send me detailed instructions with alternative bus routes so that I could go for interviews & freelance childcare jobs with Quint Education who also supported me massively. Peter was the one who encouraged me to take up all these jobs in order to continue working and gain more experience especially because most parents wanted me again & again however I wasn’t ready for them. He brought a sense of organization to my chaotic life, helped me take baby steps to become more expressive and be in-sync with my thoughts and feelings.
I have been working as a childcare worker for 6 years now and have level 2 certification. Most parents wanted me to come back as I had very good relationship with the children. Keeping all this in mind, Peter encouraged and helped me prepare a CV without having the pressure to work. He then accompanied me to different nurseries and encouraged me to go inside by myself to give my CV & introduce myself to the management. Elouise Bishop from Quint Education also played a pivotal role in getting me childcare jobs and referred me to the current nursery I work in. Peter helped me prepare for the interview and I was hired in February 2019. I love my job and especially being surrounded by children gives me immense joy. My management team and colleagues are very understanding, helpful and are team players who believe in supporting each other. I wouldn't have been able to achieve this without Peter. A huge thank you to him and Twining for their encouragement, guidance and ongoing in-work support"
