Vishnupriya Finds a Route Back into Finance Through Volunteering

When Vishnupriya moved to the UK from India with her husband and two sons, she was eager to rebuild her career. With an MBA in Finance and a 13-year career break, she knew returning to work would not be easy. Thanks to support from Grow Adviser Iryna and an opportunity she discovered at the Kingston Volunteer Fair, Vishnupriya is now volunteering in a finance role that is helping her rebuild her confidence, improve her English and gain valuable UK experience.

“I met Iryna at a jobs fair in Kingston, where she told me all about Grow. I was interested because I wanted to improve my English, meet new people and build my confidence. When I joined Grow, I found out about the coffee mornings, workshops and the Grow community. It made me feel that there were opportunities for me and that I could start building my network.”

During one conversation, Vishnupriya explained to Iryna that although she had an MBA in Finance, she had been away from her career for 13 years while raising her family. Iryna encouraged her to consider volunteering as a way of gaining UK experience.

“In my country, volunteering isn’t something we really do, so I wasn’t aware of it before. Iryna explained how valuable it could be and encouraged me to look for opportunities.”

After hearing about the Kingston Volunteer Fair through Grow, Vishnupriya decided to attend. That decision proved to be a turning point.

“I had already applied for volunteering opportunities but hadn’t received any replies. At the Volunteer Fair I spoke to the charity directly and explained that I had applied twice without hearing back. They asked me to come in the very next day.

“I originally applied for a fundraising role, but when they saw my qualifications, they offered me a finance volunteering position instead.”

Vishnupriya is now volunteering twice a week with the Save the World Club charity in Kingston, where she is carrying out financial reconciliations and checking accounts.

My role is to reconcile the accounts, compare the sales records with the finance system and identify any discrepancies. Recently I spotted two missing transactions that hadn’t been recorded correctly. I reported the missing transactions to my manager, and the charity was able to recover the missing money. Everyone appreciated that I had spotted the issue, and it gave me so much confidence.”

Alongside gaining valuable finance experience, the volunteering role is also helping Vishnupriya improve her spoken English.

“The people I work with are very kind. They know I’m still improving my English, so they explain everything slowly until I understand. It’s helping me build my confidence every time I go.”

Although Vishnupriya hopes to return to paid employment in the future, she knows there are still steps to take first.

“I want to improve my English and continue building my skills. This is a new country for me, so I want to learn as much as I can before I move into work. Volunteering is giving me experience, confidence and helping me prepare for that next step.”

Vishnupriya continues to attend Grow workshops, coffee mornings and uses the Grow App to keep up to date with new opportunities.

“I use the Grow App every week. I check for the coffee mornings, workshops, new courses and job opportunities. I also enjoy reading about other women’s experiences because I’m learning from them too.”

With Grow’s support, Vishnupriya has already taken an important step back towards the career she loves. Through volunteering, she is gaining UK experience, developing her confidence and preparing herself for future employment in finance.