My Career: Hairdresser makes the cut in disability work
Leah Thompson made a career switch during lockdown after being forced to close her home salon. She rediscovered a childhood passion for supporting people with disabilities.
People sometimes liken hairdressers to counsellors as they often lend a sympathetic ear to clients.
And that ability to listen is just one of the transferable skills Leah Thompson has brought with her to disability support work.
“You’re just a people-person (as a hairdresser),” Leah said.
“I still like doing a bit of hairdressing but over lockdown I lost my business and like many people was forced to look in other directions.”
One of her hairdressing clients, InLife Coordinator Jo Kiliva suggested support work.
Leah took the plunge after 18 years of hairdressing and having only recently opened a home salon during the second Melbourne lockdown in 2019.
“I had hit a streak of working from home, and then, of course all this happened, it put a spanner in the works,” she said.
“It was one of those things where I had to make a choice and I decided to go ahead with it (support work).
“I’m so glad I did as it’s been such a great change and there is always work available.”
For Leah, entering the disability sector also felt a bit like a homecoming.
As a child Leah lived with her grandparents who worked alongside people with a range of different disabilities living together in a “sharehouse-type environment”.
The family would move into the house on a week-on, week-off basis to provide support.
“I had many experiences of a child being a part of that environment,” Leah said.
“It definitely taught me acceptance and inclusion. From a young age I always looked out for those people who needed a leg-up.
“It was another reason I thought this (support work) was a perfect fit for me because I already had an understanding and I was gravitating towards it.”
During the pandemic, while her husband was working from home, Leah jumped into a range of shifts with clients and is now able to juggle her work around her school-aged kids.
In future she wants to forge a career path in the sector as hairdressing can take a physical toll, especially as you get older.
“I’m looking forward to seeing where I can go with it (disability support work) and how I can make an impact,” Leah said.
“It’s given me more confidence that there is more I am capable of and there’s more out there for me.”
Have you made a career change to the disability sector? Email [email protected]
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