My ethical career: Youth justice worker
32 Education Degree in classics from Cambridge University, and a professional certificate in management from the Open University Business School. So, what do you actually do? I’m a self-employed consultant who helps charities and other organisations working with vulnerable or disadvantaged people involved in the criminal justice system. What makes your job so ethical? All the work I do, whether paid or voluntary, is focussed on social inclusion and addressing society’s inequalities. How did you get into the job? Months of voluntary work. Since then I’ve worked both on a paid and voluntary basis for more than 15 local, regional and national charities. What does your typical day involve? I work from home, but could equally start the day running a workshop with volunteers in a Young Offenders Institution, or running a session developing an action plan in a town hall. What kind of personality is best suited to working in a job like yours? Self confidence enables you to take on tasks you’ve never done before. Self discipline is obviously critical if you’re going to be your own boss. What skills and experience do you need to work in this sector? The ability to persuade extremely busy people to give you what you need is essential, as are skills in both project development and management. What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had in this job? I visited someone in prison but was refused entry because a sniffer dog indicated that I was contaminated with drugs. How rock and roll! But it was actually a real shock, particularly as there was absolutely no reason for the dog to detect any drug residue on me. What are the best things about your job? The freedom to take on whatever challenge you choose and then seeing things change. Not having a boss has to rank pretty high on the scale too. As you set your own fees and work as many hours as you want, you can also make a pretty good living this way. And the the worst things? The fact that you’re working to change society brings you face to face with what is wrong with it. Sometimes that can be overwhelming. Any top tips for someone wanting to get into this work? If you want to get into a particular field start now. I didn’t plan any of this, but I was continually absorbing information. Clare McGregor email: clare@claremcgregor.co.uk
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