Career Tips From a Charity Champion: Kate Brown

3 minute read

Charity Champion: Kate BrownKate Brown is Director of Learn English at Home. She leads a team of five to deliver language support to isolated ethnic minority adults in south-west London and works with the trustees to set the strategy of this ambitious local charity.

Kate was previously Head of Programmes at the national education charity Think Global. She first trained as a secondary teacher, working in schools in the UK and abroad, has published guides for teachers and has a PhD in learning theory.

Kate is currently on maternity leave with her second child, and is proud to have mastered the school run with a newborn!

About Learn English at Home

Learn English At Home (LEAH) supports ethnic minority adults in Kingston and Richmond who are currently isolated due to their low levels of English. When we start working with clients they typically struggle to communicate with their GP or their child’s teacher and are unable to attend college because of their childcare responsibilities, ill health or illiteracy in their first language. LEAH trains volunteers to provide bespoke, practical language support one-to-one in clients’ homes as well as small group classes in community settings. Information about local services is integrated into everything we do. Through language, we empower people to become active in their community.

“Career progression paths are less clear in the charity sector than in some careers, but that’s an opportunity not a shame!”

How did you get into the charity sector?

“As a secondary school teacher, I wrote classroom resources for publishers and charities such as UNICEF. A job came up as an education officer at Think Global, a national education charity supporting teachers to bring global issues into their lessons, and I applied.”

What made you want to progress within the sector?

“I wanted to be part of decisions about the direction of my work. And, once I was part of a Senior Management Team I got the bug for strategic planning and management firefighting!”

What’s the one thing that the charity sector provides that you can’t get anywhere else?

“I made my first step into third sector leadership as a working mum. I job-shared Head of Programmes with another working mum, and in fact went to the interview during my maternity leave with my baby! My current role is part time, and I am able to combine two challenging and rewarding jobs, parenting and leadership. This may be possible in other sectors, but I rarely hear of real examples.”

Have you seen any major shifts in the way that charities and not for profits recruit?

“The move towards drawing on LinkedIn and other internet platforms is an obvious shift. I’ve not been in the voluntary sector long enough to know if it’s a change, but in the charities I’ve worked for I’ve been impressed by their commitment to growing internal talent, and I’m now in a position to ensure my staff have opportunities to progress.”

Why should people be excited by the career possibilities within the sector?

“Being proactive in shaping the right roles for me has been really important in my career path. My job-share partner and I proposed the split when the Head of Programmes role came up at Think Global, and I’ve created a similar HoP role at LEAH which has strengthened the structure of the organisation and enabled me to reduce my hours to suit my family. It’s really empowering that it’s possible to shape roles by seeing approaches that work for both you and the charity, and exciting that small charities are flexible enough to respond.”

What would you say to encourage someone who feels uncertain about their career path?

“Talk to people! Identify roles you’re interested in and ask people how they got there. It’s useful to hear about the routes others take, but also reassuring to see that there’s no one set path.”

How can people use an unclear career path to their advantage?

“Look for creative responses to your needs and those of the charity, be open to unexpected opportunities and directions, and be confident in yourself and the type of role you can fulfil.”

Does your current role resonate with your own values? And how did your values guide you in your career?

“Since being a Citizenship teacher I’ve been drawn to organisations and roles that value learning and empower people to bring about change, in their own lives and their communities. Through supporting clients to learn English, LEAH enables people to make big changes in their lives and how they feel about themselves. I’m personally learning through my work all the time!”

What’s the next step for you? Where would you like your career to go?

“I’ve still much to learn at LEAH, but know now that I really enjoy charity leadership and look forward to the challenge of a different organisation at some point in the future.”

Want to start shaping your career? Take the first step with CharityJob, today. 

Jade Phillips

Jade Phillips is a Marketing Specialist. A true bookworm and social media geek, you'll find her living in pockets of online communities. Unattended snacks might go missing if left around her...

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