Kirsty Anderson
Dispersed Accommodation Officer, Dundee City Council
Kirsty swapped a job in the beauty industry for a more rewarding role with Dundee City Council. Find out why joining the Housing Options team was the best decision she’s ever made.
After leaving school at 16, I worked in the beauty industry until my early 30s. During the Covid pandemic I was on maternity leave. That’s when I decided a career change was needed and looked for a more rewarding role, where I could help make a difference and a positive impact on people’s lives.
I applied for and was successful in getting a post with Dundee City Council as a Housing Options Assistant, before being promoted to my current role, helping find accommodation for people who are homeless or under threat of becoming homeless.
It’s been a massive adjustment and a lot to learn coming into the service from a totally different background, but I’ve enjoyed the challenge. Every day is different. Being given the opportunity to get a qualification in Housing Law really boosted my confidence and helped me learn more about the service, so I could ensure I was giving the best advice to people in difficult situations.
Joining the Housing Options team was a big jump for me, but the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s a great team to work with and getting to see the real impact you can help make in people’s lives when they really need it is very rewarding.
What transferable skills do you have?
Kirsty made the leap from beauty therapy into housing, securing her first job straight away. It’s maybe not the most obvious career transition, but Kirsty discovered that a lot of the skills she had learned in beauty therapy also came in very useful in a housing career, including:
Customer focus
Building rapport and trust
Empathy
Good listening skills
Time management
Being well organised
Adaptability
Setting boundaries
Resilience
Wanting to help people.
Take 5… what skills do you already have that could help you start your career in housing?
Ryan Barclay
Housing Options Broker, Housing Options Scotland
Housing is about more than bricks and mortar. It's about people and communities; something Ryan discovered when he took a housing module while studying for his undergraduate degree in Sociology and Social Policy. Find out how that led to his career in housing.
After completing my undergraduate degree at the University of Stirling, I decided to stay on and apply for the Masters in Housing Studies. There were lots of really good career options and I liked the fact that the course was accredited by CIH, giving me Chartered Membership once I'd finished. My academic studies were complemented by an internship at Horizon Housing, where I learned more about the day-to-day work of housing staff.
Once I left university, I secured a placement with Clyde Valley Housing Association, with the assistance of Inclusion Scotland. I have lived experience of disability and the association is one of the many Disability Confident Employers across Scotland. My role focused on equality and diversity and was another great professional development opportunity.
Housing Options Scotland offers tailored housing options advice and information to people with disabilities, older people, Armed Forces members and military veterans. I’d volunteered with the organisation during my studies and was really pleased when the job of Housing Options Broker came up. My role involves working closely with our clients to make sure that they are informed about the housing options available to them. Every day is a new opportunity to make a positive impact and it’s very rewarding to assist our clients in finding a place they can call their home.
What qualities do you have?
Ryan highlighted the following qualities as being important for his role:
Empathy
Compassion
Confidence
Resilience
Genuine interest in people
Passion/enthusiasm for your work
Take 5… do you have some of these attributes? Find out more about how they could help start your career in housing
Gavin Farquhar
Housing Officer,
Osprey Housing
After a successful career in the police service, Gavin resigned and has started a new career in housing. Find out how he's using the skills he built up over the years.
I was brought up in the north-east of Scotland and graduated with a degree in Business Computing from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. Initially, I worked in database design and IT roles in the oil and gas sector. It was well-paid, but I liked the idea of doing something that was more about helping people, so I joined the police service. After around 20 years of an exciting and interesting career, I was ready for a change and now work as a Housing Officer for one of the areas of housing owned by Osprey Housing.
Several of the skills needed for police work also fit well with my housing role. Communication is important; you need to know how to de-escalate situations calmly and confidently. This means listening to what the other person is saying and responding appropriately. Written communications and accurate notes/record keeping are other key parts of the police job, which are useful in housing. A fair bit of resilience is needed in police work, which helps in my current job. I also had to be aware of the relevant legislation and worked quite a bit with other agencies, for example, when dealing with more vulnerable people.
These skills have all been helpful in my job as a Housing Officer. One aspect that was initially newer to me was the autonomy I have in managing my time and prioritising my workload to get through what needs to be done. I enjoy the responsibility and accountability I'm entrusted with, as well as the variety of the role. Day-to-day, I'm dealing with a mixture of void property management, housing allocations, rent arrears, anti-social behaviour issues and general estate management. I'm interested in property maintenance and am studying for CIH Level 4 in Managing Housing Maintenance. I had a great career in the police service, but I’m really glad I made the move into housing. More people should know about the option of housing as a career.
Take 5… .what skills have you learnt in your current career? Could these open the door to a career in housing?
Regan Nixon
Wellbeing Worker, Queens Cross Housing Association
Regan chose to go straight into work instead of further education. Read about how she was able to achieve her ambition of working in social care, within a housing association.
After leaving school, I wasn’t interested in going straight to university and worked in retail for a while. I wanted to get into social care but didn’t have any qualifications in social care or experience. Then I got a job doing shift work at Queens Cross Housing Association, working with young homeless people. This led to my current post as Wellbeing Worker in the Housing First for Young People team.
I’m one of a team of people providing housing support to young people aged 16 to 25 in a residential setting and in their own tenancies. I joined the team during the Covid pandemic, which was challenging as we were supporting young people whose mental health was declining. Coping with the more difficult parts of my job has been a good learning experience.
Trust, empathy and maintaining healthy boundaries are very important for what I’m doing. I think that being younger has helped me build up trusting relationships with the young people engaging with the service.
I’m now studying for social care qualifications and getting a lot from being in a job where I can help young people at a point in their lives when they really need it.
Jacqueline Omoniyi
Education and Training Officer, Under One Roof Scotland
After graduating with a Retail Business degree, Jacqueline considered working in retail but a friend suggested a job in housing. Find out why Jacqueline finds working in housing so rewarding.
I started my career in housing working with an Edinburgh-based HMO Licensing specialist. It wasn’t my original plan after graduating, but I learned on the job and gained invaluable experience on the legislative framework, compliance and property configurations.
Given my experience developing strong client relationships, it was a natural progresson to move into residential letting. I moved on to join a residential letting agency in Glasgow, where I quickly became head of department. Two years later I was promoted to Director, becoming one of the youngest company directors in the firm’s history.
Next, I branched out on my own, launching my own boutique letting agency where I built up a solid client base with a focus on the importance of the relationship not only with landlords but also tenants. I sold the business after five years to allow me to focus on my family.
After an extended maternity leave, thanks to Covid, a great opportunity came up as Education and Training Officer for tenement-focused charity Under One Roof Scotland. This role lets me draw on all my skills, experience and knowledge to help tenement owners, landlords and housing professionals manage and maintain tenement buildings. As well as managing our enquiry service and running training courses, I organise and host public events for owner-occupiers and landlords.
I would encourage anyone who’s looking for a first or new career path to consider housing. It’s a great feeling to help people find a home that’s safe and warm and to offer others a sense of community. There are so many fantastic opportunities, even at entry level, which enable you to build up knowledge and experience.
Take 5… how could your further education experience lead to a career in housing?
Jenna Lamb
Housing Officer, Wheatley Group
Jenna had an early introduction to housing when she attended Wheatley Group’s summer work programme while still at school. Find out where her housing journey took her next.
After leaving school at 16, I worked in the beauty industry until my early 30s. During the Covid pandemic I was on maternity leave. That’s when I decided a career change was needed and looked for a more rewarding role, where I could help make a difference and a positive impact on people’s lives.
I’d already decided to go straight into work rather than college or university, but in housing there’s lots of opportunities for learning and study if you want to progress. I got a place on Wheatley Group’s Ignite graduate programme, which has helped me with the know-how and skills I need to become an experienced Housing Officer. I’m also enrolled on the UK-wide graduate GEM programme, which connects me with young housing professionals from all over the country. It’s great to be able to share learning and ideas with others.
There’s nothing more challenging than people, but I love working in housing! It’s great being part of a team and there’s lots of job satisfaction being able to achieve positive outcomes for customers. There are so many career opportunities too. My careers advice to my younger self would be: Don’t worry about it! You don’t need straight ‘A’s to get a good career.
Take 5… what are you planning to do when you leave school? Could a career in housing be for you?
Lauren Herd
Lauren Herd, Maintenance Administrator, Elderpark Housing Association
Lauren joined Elderpark Housing Association straight from school as a Modern Apprentice, working in maintenance administration. Find out how she's been able to progress since then.
I didn’t know anything about working in housing when I was at school. My careers services advisor recommended I consider applying for the Modern Apprentice opportunity with Elderpark Housing Association. I was taken on to work in maintenance administration, dealing with tenant enquiries, taking details of repairs and passing them on to the appropriate team members. This then led me to being kept on as a permanent member of staff when I took on the role of Customer Services Advisor in May 2020.
A while after I took on the Customer Services role, an opportunity came up to take on a Maintenance Administrator job, which I was happy to do. I’m still involved in the repairs side of the association’s work, but I have more responsibility now, for example, helping make sure gas safety checks are done on tenants’ properties. I’ve had training to do my job, as well as the chance to train others because I’d built up expertise in the expertise in the repairs and maintenance side of the work. It’s been a really good experience.
There are challenges, such as ensuring compliance with safety standards. Still, the work is interesting, with the chance to progress and take a different route if other jobs come up that interest me. Knowing what I know now, I think a job in housing can be a great start for a young person.
What qualities do you have?
Lauren highlighted the following qualities as being important for her role:
‘Can do’ approach
Adaptable
Willing to change and grow
Focused on the customer
Ready to put the work in