I decided to interview Walthamstow Academy’s Councillor Ms Larelle about why she chose counselling as a profession, how she became WA’s most trusted advisor and what career path she advises individual students to take.

It’s very clear after speaking to her, that this isn’t just a job to her it’s her calling. She’s naturally open minded, easily approachable and overall a great listener. To receive more of an insight of why she chose this profession and how she landed her job at WA we asked how she found out about the vacancy, where she replied “I used to work for Connections, dealing with teenage pregnancy and teenage problems so when I saw this vacancy I thought it was perfect. Plus I always knew I wanted to work in a school, it just made sense.”

After being asked “Why do you think students open up to you confidentially?” Ms answered “I believe they open up to me without any hesitation because I won’t judge them, and because I’m quite down to earth when we have a conversation they feel like they are just having a chat with a friend” she states with a smile. It’s pretty clear to understand why students trust her.

Before Ms left for her lunch break, I asked “What educational advice would you give yourself if you could back in time?” after thinking for nearly 10 minutes with a smerk on her face she replied. “I’d probably tell mini me to try and get work experience as experience is essential now. It seems like everyone has a University degree now. University’s lost its credibility so having experience in the field you want to work in kind of gives you an advantage. I’d also advise students to try and get experience as it actually helps.”

As I leave, an enthusiastic, friendly voice tells me “My door is always open”.  I can’t speak for everyone but I would bet on the fact that many students will be very thankful that the door is always open.