From deeply feeling the loss of a job... to a brighter future!

When Lorraine lost her job, she not only felt the financial impact but also the loss of important workplace relationships and her sense of self.  Working with her Employment Specialist, Ahmed, she was able to build her confidence up whilst studying to help her look for, and sustain, new work in the future.  This filled Lorraine with hope!  We asked Lorraine to tell us about her experience of working with Twining Enterprise…

In my case, I lost my job.  In addition to causing financial stress, quitting a job has a profound emotional impact on our identity and feeling of self.  This has particularly hurt me because I was working in a job I liked and where I had established a career over many years.  Losing a job shocks you to your core.  It is a loss of means of subsistence; the capacity to care for myself and frequently my families.  Financial stress has an emotional impact in addition to that.  I have cherished relationships and meanings with the people I work with, and when the work ends, these frequently end with me.  As a result, when I leave those people, projects, and places that I have contributed greatly to, I experience sadness, anger, and depression.

The effect that losing a job has on my identity or sense of self, though, is possibly the most important.  For me, work not only occupies a significant portion of my waking hours but also defines who I am.

My psychological team recommended Twining Enterprise to me in order to aid in my job search.  I could also enhance my wellbeing by doing this. Twining helped me with job searching, CV writing, and mock interviews.

The outcome was that even though I wasn't successful in finding employment, I feel a lot better about myself and how the future will pan out.  If I hadn't spoken with Twining Enterprise, I wouldn't have been able to continue to advance my education.  While I don't currently have a job, I do volunteer work and I'm intending to open my own business as soon as I finish my studies.

Please note - This charitable project is funded by the European Social Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund.