How can mothers who want to return to work part-time find an employer who wants them?

Two Sussex mothers believe there are thousands of women out there whose talents and skills are wasted while businesses who need affordable, talented and committed employees can't find them even when they could be living just around the corner.

Emma Cleary and Laurie Smith, who both live in Ditchling, are on the verge of launching the first Sussex franchise of Ten2Two, a company that will connect local people with professional skills and experience who want to work part-time with local companies who need to employ experienced people part-time.

“We believe there is a huge waste of talent and skills out there: thousands of mums returning to work, as well as dads and carers,” says Emma, 45, a qualified teacher who worked in sales and marketing for Dow Jones International, publishers of The Wall Street Journal.

“They want to work but because a traditional nine-to-five job doesn't fit in with their family or other priorities, they can't find anything.

“Many people have told us they've tried to get a job that uses their professional skills and experience through traditional recruitment agencies, career centres or online but haven't succeeded because there is no room for flexibility. It's nine-to-five or nothing.

“I have three children and I searched for two years for a job that would fit around their school hours. That's why we're setting up the company.”

Emma and Laurie, a mother of two with a background in luxury hotel management in Paris, London and the French West Indies, and who now runs her own hotel management consultancy company, have been friends for 10 years.

Emma's energy and pizazz complements the organisational skills and calmness of Laurie, who is 49 and has a background in luxury hotel management in Paris, London and the French West Indies. A mother of two, she still runs her own hotel management consultancy company.

Mother-of-three Emma said: “Most of the people out there who want to work part-time are women and I think employers need to know they're out there and they're highly skilled and highly qualified.

"Businesses can be worried about having part-time workers in case they upset the office dynamics but I think part-timers can bring in a new energy and can shake-up a stale business.”

Ten2Two, which will be launched on May 14, works by inviting interested candidates to register and upload a CV to become part of an exclusive group of like-minded professionals.

While candidates are offered a helping hand back into the workplace, local employers receive CVs from professionally experienced candidates who want to work flexibly.

Laurie said: “There is a wealth of talent out there, particularly women who have had children and don't have the confidence to get back into the world of work.

"And it's about convincing employers that people can work flexibly and can over-achieve in a role because they want it to work.”

Contact Ten2Two at ten2two.org or email emma@ten2two.org or laurie@ten2two.org

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