A journey for family, flexibility and freedom

Created by VERCIDA for Sage

After a tough time in her home country and in the workforce when she came to the UK, Teclaire has found the right balance for her and her son with Sage.

I came to the UK from Cameroon as a refugee, without my son. It was hard – I was living by myself and working full-time as a Sales Assistant for a fashion retailer. But in December 2020, my son was able to join me in the UK under the family reunion programme.

It was wonderful to have him back, but, ultimately, things became difficult with work. Two months before my son came to the UK, I told my employer that I wanted to work 30 hours a week, so I could be there for him. But my hours remained long. There were days when I would pick him up after work from my sister’s house late at night. It might be 10 or 11pm and he was still in his school uniform, when he should have been in bed as he was only five – it broke my heart.

Every day before I went to work, I had to spend an hour explaining to my son that I would be coming back – he was still dealing with the trauma of being left behind in Cameroon when he was only two years old – so I ended up quitting my job. There was not enough flexibility for me to be able to put my son first.

I wanted to study accounting, but before I left my retail job, a friend of mine told me that because I am very good at mathematics and logic, I might be more interested in a career in IT. For a while, I was working in retail and I was studying programming languages in my spare time, starting with Java. During the pandemic, I had more time to study programming, but this became more difficult when my son moved to the UK.

After I quit retail, I spent two years learning as much as I could about programming and did some projects, so I could show employers that I had experience. I spent three months self-studying manual and automatic testing, but I didn't feel challenged in that field. Then I had the opportunity to attend a three-week course where I could explore web development. That was in September 2021. Most of the course was focused on front-end development and Python. It was a very stimulating experience and it confirmed my career switch to software development.

At the time, the government was funding bootcamps for tech jobs and I had a scholarship for a three month coding programme where I could learn more and meet prospective employers. At one point, I was offered a six-month job in London, but that was not right for me, as I would have to disrupt my son’s life again.

I was struggling with my confidence to find the right position and company for me. This is why it was great to attend Sage Pathways Sessions. Fatima, my recruiter, was lovely – she would always follow up with me and keep me updated on how my application was progressing. So often, you apply for a job and then you don’t hear anything, so this was such a change. My group interview went really well and I was offered a graduate developer position.

From the time I started with Sage in October 2022, I knew I had found a company that would let me grow and learn and develop. I have the flexibility to work from home and in the office. Now, I am working three days a week in the office and two days at home across a 35-hour week, which is the right balance for me at the moment. I can take my son to school in the morning and I can always pick him up before 6pm. It makes such a difference for both of us.

When I started working in IT, I suffered from impostor syndrome, but I have found that working for a bigger company meant that I always had the support I needed. If I feel as if my mental health is suffering, there is always someone to turn to. I have a great coach and you even get support from people you might not work with on a daily basis. It feels like a family, which I really like.

Sage really cares about my future and I can see myself having a long career here. There are always opportunities to move around. Currently, I am working as a graduate developer in back-end development, but one day, I might move to front-end development – it is great to know that I will be able to do different things. I think I could stay with Sage for at least 20 years.