Women like you?

Esther

Since the birth of her first child, Esther had been on benefits although she hoped soon to have more money to provide for her family. In June 2004, her daughter was just old enough for Esther to seriously think about working again.

At first, Esther believed that she was not qualified but when she answered an advertisement for "security personnel", she discovered that she could move into a career which would earn her respect and give her a feeling of doing work that really mattered. After checking with the company, she discovered that she already had many of the skills that were required. After a short but intensive training schedule, she realised that her skills, which had previously only earned her a minimum wage, could now be used to increase her earning potential significantly. Of greatest importance, Esther foud that she was able to arrange her work schedule so that she could spend time with her daughter and still meet the obligation of working full-time.

Aiesha

Aiesha is the youngest of five children, the last to leave home. Although she is bright and intelligent, her experience and skills had so far not qualified her for a job that was either interesting or paid enough. She had thought often of her aunt who was an officer in the Territorial Army and how people looked up to her and commented on how professional she looked in her uniform. No one ever seemed to notice Aiesha. One day while looking through the job pages, Aiesha noticed that there were several opportunities for security guards in her neighbourhood.

An application, interview, job offer and uniform fitting later, she noticed that everyone seemed to treat her differently and she liked the difference. At work she made friends with some of the other women and she was soon posted to her first assignment. The pay was definitely better than in her two previous jobs and her work took her all over the City of London. The flexible hours allowed her to socialise with her new friends and provided the extra to buy and run a car. Aiesha now drives to work and play, has her own flat and is taking some additional training at work to apply for a promotion to an even better position with the company.