From Early Years Teacher to Virtual Assistant.

How I use my skillset to support Early Years professionals, coaches and academics.

The decision to leave the classroom was not an easy one. The emotional, intellectual, and physical investment in nurturing our youngest children had taken its toll. I wasn’t sleeping, I suffered from low mood, panic attacks, a constant feeling I was letting the children down, just not being good enough anymore; frustration, so much frustration.

• Frustration around the lack of resources available to meet the needs of the sheer flood of children entering the school system, unready, unprepared, and in so many cases with huge gaps in their development. 

• Frustration at the lack of government investment in provision and resources for children with SEND. 

• Frustration at the lack of importance given to the vital prime areas of learning. 

• Frustration at the lack of support for families living in poverty, insecurity and with poor mental health; a cycle it seems that we cannot break. 

• Frustration at our utterly destitute social services system that is buckling under the weight of its caseload.

Even with a supportive SLT, the impact of daily firefighting came to a head and I left at Christmas 2023. Sixteen years of a career in early years, a career that had defined me had ended.

Transitioning from a school environment to a business has been a huge learning experience for me. I am no longer bound by bells, break duties and timetables and working from home has many advantages, but it can also be a lonely experience. I find silence uncomfortable, so I usually rely on the quiet hum of the television or radio to keep me company, especially after years of constant chatter, clatter, and endless questions.

It has been an incredibly intense few months. However, I love this small business that I am building and I love the feeling of freedom in choosing my direction and learning new skills. I realise that my experience and knowledge can be utilised to support other early years professionals and I am so excited to be building a network with experts in the field so that I can support them in their consultancy, coaching and academic work. 

So what is it that I offer?

Well, here are just a few of the ways that I can support:

• Copy and content for newsletters, blogs, training materials and social media

• Curriculum assistance 

• Provision audit assistance

• Research on topics for articles and publications

• Inbox and diary management

• Travel planning and coordination

• Social media posts and scheduling

• Event planning and coordination

• Typing and document preparation

• Executive summaries of content

• Ad-hoc administrative tasks

If you are an early years professional, consultant, coach or academic who requires support in any of these areas, please do get in touch.

lisa@lisaozmelekva.co.uk