CAREER DEVELOPMENT INSIGHT
Diary of a student…
Did the fact that the CIPP is Chartered or recognised within the industry influence your decision to enrol with the CIPP? And were there any particular modules which were of interest prior to enrolling? Yes, having a degree that is recognised within the payroll industry was very important to me and knowing that the skills I have learnt are key to my job. All the modules are very useful in developing your knowledge and skills, but the one I most looked forward to and enjoyed was personal effectiveness and professional development in year three. I found this gave me the time to really sit down and assess my strengths and weaknesses. I could then focus on these and give myself goals to work towards. My manager at the time was really supportive and used these goals as part of my appraisal. I felt I was actually able to develop my skills. For someone who is thinking about studying for a CIPP qualification, what would your advice be to them? Do it! It does take up a lot of time and there is a large amount of work that you need to put into it, but it is definitely worth it. You soon learn to balance your commitments and social life around going to the module review days, tutorials and the reading required. The support you receive from CIPP and the friends you make from it are worth it. On top of that, you come out with a recognised qualification that you can proudly put on your CV. Once you’ve finished, you’ll wonder what to do with all your spare time! n
Helen Moody MCIPPdip Payroll Manager, Cedar + Co. Accountants + Business Growth Specialists
Can you give us a brief background into your life? I have always lived in Derby and bought my house there two years ago where I live with my boyfriend and rabbit, Daisy. I spend the majority of my time outside of work with my horse, Cricket, who I’ve owned for just over six years now. I enjoy taking him out to local competitions at the weekend and hacking out after work. Can you give us an insight into your career and qualifications background? I left college in 2008 not really knowing what I wanted to do. I fell into a payroll job working at the council where I mainly manually calculated payroll. The payroll was calculated once a month so to ensure employees were paid correctly manual calculations were the only option! I started year one of the CIPP Diploma in 2009. Wanting to progress further I moved to a private organisation. Within eighteen months I was promoted to senior payroll administrator when I took on extra responsibility for the payroll process and line manager responsibility. I began year two of my CIPP studies in 2014. After having a break from studying for five years I found it daunting initially but quickly picked it up again. Six months ago, I decided to do something slightly different and moved to my current standalone role where I process bureau payrolls.
Why did you choose to study the Foundation Degree? In my first role, my manager encouraged a few of us who were new to the company to sign up to the first year of the CIPP course. At the time I didn’t realise how important this would be to my career. I really enjoyed the first year but the company I worked for were unable to pay for any further studying and it wasn’t something I could fund myself. Wanting to progress I began to look for a new job. How important is this degree in relation to your career? I feel that this degree is very important for my future career and I wouldn’t be in my current role without it. I have the confidence to process payroll without being surrounded by a payroll team as I always have the support from the CIPP – and the friends I made while doing the course are always there to ask. How did you cope with the work-life balance and study? Having a horse to look after made this difficult. Luckily, my parents and friends helped me with him a few evenings, so I could study a couple of nights a week. I could study better while being in a work environment, as I had everything there that I needed. I would either go in a quiet room somewhere or sit at my desk and stick my headphones in.
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | February 2019 | Issue 47 12
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