Live it {60 SECONDS}
60 seconds with SAM FINCH, school business manager, tells us all about why she loves being an SBM and how using the wrong key led to her meeting her now-husband! What led to your current role? Sam Finch, school business manager
Natural progression, having worked in independent, special and an AP – I wanted to move into a large maintained high school for variance of experience.
Tell me something unusual or interesting about yourself. My friends call me Judith Chalmers as I am apparently always on holiday!
What has been your favourite aspect of working as a school business professional so far? The fact that no two days are ever the same and that what you do can shape the lives of young people.
What’s been your greatest professional achievement to date? Completing my AAT and then completing my DSBM whilst being a single mum with three children.
Where do you take inspiration from, both work and life-wise? I like to read blogs – for example Laura Williams writes lots of blogs and releases podcasts and she is really inspirational within the SBL world. Personally, I like to take part in hot pod yoga – quiet me time!
What three words would you use to describe your role? Rewarding, challenging, motivating.
If there was one thing about your job you could change, what would it be? That it was recognised more widely as a professional role equal to those within senior leadership at school.
Funniest SBM moment you’d care to share? On my first day in my first SBM role, I couldn’t open my drawer and had been trying for over an hour. The site manager came down to help me, and it turned out I was using the wrong key! That site manager who helped me that day is now my husband and our children still joke that, had I not been able to open that drawer, our lives might be very different!
How do you ensure that you continue to grow personally and professionally? I stay connected with colleagues in similar roles and continually try and make new connections. I love to read and learn. I value my own time – I think that is really important.
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November 2021
That site manager who helped me that day is now my husband
