Jessica Bun, an expat partner living in Herzogenaurach, Germany, shares how she identified a new career path after working with a career coach.
A brief repatriation
“We moved to Germany from our home in Alsace, France, where we were for about six months after living in Boston for a number of years. When we moved to the US, I didn’t speak English. As following my career as an HR development manager wasn’t possible, I focused on learning English and on family life,” says Jessica. “It was sometimes challenging back in France as we weren’t sure what would happen next. So we were delighted to have this opportunity in Herzo.”
Left in limbo
“When we moved, I was eager to restart my career. I was pregnant with our second child and also taking care of our first, as we couldn’t find a place for her in daycare. I hadn’t pictured myself being at home with two small kids. At one stage I even thought about returning to Alsace to stay with my parents,” says Jessica. “But out of the blue, my eldest child got a place at daycare. That’s when I reached out to Ines Ahrens at Global Connection.”
What about Plan B?
“I had some vague ideas about what I wanted to do, for example, working for a multinational as an HR manager or assistant, but preferably part-time. Ines told me this would be difficult to achieve and urged me to consider a Plan B. She introduced me to a career coach, who was everything I expected. The coach introduced me to the Gallup assessment. With an academic background in psychology, and from my time in HR, I am familiar with such assessments but I was impressed with this one. But what was really important was that my coach is a master at helping you to figure out how to use the results.”
A passion to support
“She helped me to see what has always been in me: a passion to support people, who just as I experienced, are searching for answers. I’m now in the process of setting up my own coaching business. It’s just the beginning for me. But I feel so much better already knowing where I want to go. I feel calmer and more self-confident. That’s a big thing for me and I really appreciate the support I have received to get here.”
Photo: Pixabay
