Ann-Marie’s story

I grew up and attended school in Bramley, a suburb of Leeds. School was a bit of a blur. My GCSE results were not great.

I grew up in a single-parent family. Money was tight and this was a barrier even to discussing the possibility of further education. Most of my family worked in low-paid or manual jobs. There wasn’t much support at school or home to explore my further education options. After GCSEs, a ‘go out and get a job’ mentality prevailed. So, I got my first job at 16 and moved out of home.

My first full-time job was working in an office for a small company, and I had no potential to develop or progress, so I quickly started looking for another role. I was interviewed by Nelson & Co (a firm Gordons later merged with) and, at the age of 17, was offered the position of Office Junior. Here, I was offered opportunities to continue my education through evening college courses and NVQ training.

A law firm felt like an ambitious environment that would enable me to get on and make a career for myself. I wanted to progress, create opportunities for myself and forge the prospects of a life different from what I had been used to.

That’s exactly what I’ve done. Since then, I have continued to develop and further my career here. 28 years on, I’m proud to still be at Gordons. After starting as an office junior with no experience in a law firm, I have worked hard to increase my knowledge and skills to support the business, achieve the position of office services manager, and become a business support head.

The culture and values at Gordons encourages everyone to push themselves to be high-achieving with support from colleagues, training opportunities and mentors. I have been very lucky to have worked with many strong, ambitious and encouraging people who have supported me in my career.

It would be great if more businesses took action, like Gordons have, to engage with young people and schools and give opportunities to people who may not have the best qualifications but have the drive, ambition and attitude to succeed.