It was the “one of the best decisions” Brenda Tay had ever made.
After 28 years in the same industry, “I decided to get out of my comfort zone and try something new before I get too old”, quipped Brenda Tay. She left her previous company (and industry) to join Skool4Kidz Preschool’s Human Resource team. Though she sometimes felt roiled by constantly changing Covid-19 rules during the pandemic, she was glad to make the career switch.
Brenda Tay, our recruitment and staff engagement leader at Skool4Kidz Preschool.
To share her newfound joy working in Early Childhood industry, the 58-year-old was interviewed by TodayOnline for an article to encourage others that it is never-too-late.
Calling her mid-career switch a “major decision”, Brenda says that joining the Early Childhood sector has given her “great opportunities to pick up skills and see things from different perspectives”.
Brenda and her fellow colleagues at Singapore WSQ Career Fair back in 2019. (Photo was taken Pre-Covid19)
Why Career Switch?
She has over 25 years of experience in people management in her previous job in a multinational corporation. The career switch gave her the opportunity to diversify and sharpen her skills to assume the initial role of Assistant HR Manager. Today, she is the Recruitment and Staff Engagement Leader for Skool4Kidz Preschool.
A Bachelor of Business Administration graduate from more than 30 years ago, Brenda says that stepping into a different industry at a senior age was not easy at the beginning. She had to pick up Early Childhood Industry knowledge and learn the basics of preschool recruitment requirements, familiarise and embrace a new culture.
The mother of two grown-up boys says, “The values from my previous jobs include respect for individual, ownership and integrity. Other skills that include good interpersonal relationship and people management experience have equipped me well for my current job.”
Greater Things Ahead
Brenda has been working closely with the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and the Workforce Singapore and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i). This has helped her to introduce a plethora of online recruitment initiatives.
She had the invaluable experience to streamline the recruitment processes and implemented a suite of online engagement activities to support Skool4Kidz employees since the beginning of the pandemic.
Her most memorable experience so far has been chairing and co-hosting the annual Skool4Kidz Day for around 700 staff. The event had to be done virtually due to the precautionary COVID-19 measures. It was the first time she hosted an event and she had to rehearse late into the evenings to be doubly-prepared.
E-emcees for our Annual Skool4Kidz event, S4K Day 2021 via Zoom showcasing Brenda Tay, our Recruitment and Engagement Leader.
Asked what advice she would give to those planning to switch careers, Brenda advises, “Age is just a number. As long as you adopt the right attitude, it’s never too late or too old to make a career switch!”
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