Our Finance Coordinator Tina recently received an AAT Level 2 accounting certificate, receiving support from People Know How to upskill in her role as part of our dedication to the continuous professional development of our staff team.
Tina joined People Know How as Finance Coordinator in September 2022 after taking a break from work for childcare. As part of our dedication to supporting our staff to pursue continuous professional development, People Know How has supported her to work towards accounting certifications while applying that knowledge to the role and growing alongside the organisation. We place people at the centre of our work, including investing in our staff and helping them achieve their career and life goals.
Childcare can often be a barrier to returning to work for many parents as it can outweigh the financial gain from working full time. The Child Poverty Action Group reports that in 2023, the cost of raising a child to age 18 was £166,000 for a couple and £220,000 for a lone parent. Due to these costs and wanting to focus on supporting her family, Tina opted to work part time. Thanks to the support of our Leadership Team, a flexible schedule was identified that allowed Tina to work from home and change her days or hours should something outside of work arise that she needed to prioritise.
A career in finance
Tina’s role is crucial in facilitating the support People Know How provides to communities across Edinburgh and the Lothians and nationally through the Connecting Scotland helpline and campaigning. She’s responsible for payroll, invoices, and allocating grants and funds. She feels her role is perfect for someone who is part-time and working from home as she gets to keep up to date with all our exciting projects and the support we provide despite her limited time in the office.
Tina is incredibly resourceful and picked up her knowledge in finance during her different roles. Before working in finance, she studied ecological science and midwifery; she tackles whatever is put ahead of her head-on. This attitude was recognised by Chief Executive Glenn and Office Manager Alex as they offered Tina the option to study accounting while working at People Know How. With the costs of the courses, exams, and registration for the governing body paid for, Tina can focus on studying and improving her knowledge in the field of accountancy.
Throughout her studies Tina has grown with People Know How. She has helped us to write and bolster our finance policies and procedures as we expand our team and work on a national scale. The flexible nature of the Finance Coordinator role allows Tina to apply her growing accountancy knowledge directly to our developing finance systems, matching our growth and ensuring good accounting practices with the support of the Board, Finance Committee and chartered accountants Grant Considine.
Now, after receiving her AAT level 2 certificate, Tina is focusing on a new challenge: diploma in accountancy. She attributes this continued thirst for knowledge partly to the support provided by People Know How and our investment in people, passions and skills.
A career at People Know How provides the opportunity to improve wellbeing across communities by supporting people to overcome barriers and thrive. The supportive environment created by our staff and volunteers has led to many incredible success stories like Tina’s, showing that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.