Barbara Davis – Barbara’s School Of Motoring – Brilliance Business

Barbara Davis

I grew up in Leeds always knowing I wanted to work with, and help those younger than myself. So after leaving school teacher training was the only possible career choice. However 3 years later there were no teaching jobs to be had so I joined NatWest Bank as a junior clerk. Over the next 7/8 years I worked up to a grade 3 clerical level covering all duties including the foreign desk, standing orders, records, senior cashier. Some of my duties also included training other colleagues in those areas. After leaving the bank to start a family I did various ‘party plan’ work selling Tupperware, Children’s books and toys and ended up teaching Fabric painting and selling Trichem fabric paints. When the children were at junior school I started working part time at Asda as a checkout operator and quickly working to become a supervisor which at the time involved training other new operators, a part of the job I loved.

Then within a year the Company decided to completely restructure and remove the supervisor level, reincorporating the role into the responsibilities of the checkout and shop floor duties. I was trying to come to terms with the anger I was feeling at having my hardwon role suddenly taken away, not to mention the pay being taken too. Fortunately I was ultimately given the role of Trainer and able to resume doing the things I loved doing- teaching and helping others. In 1997 I took the opportunity to take the job of Customer Service Manager at another Asda Store for what I hoped would be a more rewarding role and a little more money.

Sadly the job did not live up to what I had hoped. No training for the job was given and no real support from the senior management meant that as time moved forward over the following 2 years the long shifts and the 40minute commute contributed to the stress that I now know I was suffering from. I was not seeing my family or able to support them as I wanted to do.

After a 2 week stint of nigh