PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
# Be Payroll Emma Barrie MCIPP, payroll executive at Grant Thornton UK LLP, discusses her experiences of studying the Foundation Degree in Payroll Management with the CIPP
How would you describe your experience of studying the Foundation Degree in Payroll Management with the CIPP? Quite different to the usual experience, I’m sure. I was a payroll administrator when I signed my study agreement in December 2019, a week before finding out I was pregnant. I must admit, I thought it would have to be cancelled or deferred, and my career put on hold. However, with the support of management and my team, I decided to plunge myself into my studies. Of course, Covid-19 hit in March 2020 and everything went remote. I was disappointed, thinking once again that would be it, and my studies would be put on hold. Thank goodness for Zoom! I also thought I would miss out on speaking to like-minded individuals in the field of payroll. However, with the help of digital technology, we formed a WhatsApp study group, where we spurred each other on through essay writing and deadlines in a very uncertain world. I gave birth to my son in August 2020 after handing in an essay early just in case, and in January 2021, I completed two exams on very little sleep. Thankfully, I passed and was able to enjoy a bit of a break. I continued to attend tutorials and workshops online while taking care of the little one and praying his naps coincided. Luckily, my tutor was amazing and really broke everything down into achievable chunks. I hope they keep the online option going forward, as I don’t think it would have been possible for me to attend in person. I returned to full time work in September 2021 and found juggling work, studies and motherhood even more exhausting. Going to the office once a week first filled me with anxiety, but after a while it was great to socialise and collaborate again. It was also great to finally put what I had learned during my studies into practice. While on leave, it was sometimes difficult to obtain work- based information needed for the essays, but my keep in touch days came in handy for this. I handed in my final work-based project in March, which was a huge relief. I found out I had passed in April 2022. I celebrated with my first gin and tonic in quite a while. I’m so pleased I stuck at it throughout and did not delay my studies. With the right support, anything is possible, and I even received my promotion to payroll
executive (of which the CIPP qualification was a requirement). Everything ended very differently to how I thought it would upon entering the meeting room two years prior, to tell my manager I was pregnant. I cannot wait to graduate in November 2022 with my little man there to see his Mummy collecting her degree, proving that you can do both. The CIPP experience has been a whirlwind. Why was it important to you that you gained this qualification? The qualification was a requirement to move forward in my payroll career at my current firm and, after completing it, I can see why. I have gained invaluable skills which have made such an impact on the approach I take to my job. It has built my confidence and so many of my colleagues say they have noticed a change in me too. It was also great to prove that being a Mum didn’t mean I had to sacrifice my studies or promotion. Can you describe your payroll career / journey to us so far? I got a 2:1 degree in marketing, decided it wasn’t for me and got a job in filing at my current firm, to keep me afloat while I decided what I wanted to do with my life. I applied for the payroll administrator job, which came up three times before they decided to take a chance on me. Although I had zero payroll experience, I interviewed well. From there, my love for the job flourished and the more I learned about payroll, the more I knew I wanted to stay in the profession. Do you have any plans for further study with us? If so, what are they and why? Currently, I’m focusing on settling into my new role and using my newly learned knowledge, but I’m sure I will be back for more. The more specific training courses have caught my eye, particularly the international ones, which could open all sorts of doors in my payroll career. After university I thought I had concluded my studies, but I have learned to never fully close the door … every day is a school day in payroll. n
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 84 | October 2022
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