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Having worked for Bank of Ireland for 23 years, Niamh Kestell decided to take a break from her career in 2013 when her two daughters were coming into the secondary school phase of their lives and her employer was seeking to reduce numbers in its IT department.

Niamh, from Shankill in Dublin, had started working with Bank of Ireland in administration and support services before training as a Front End Developer. When she left the bank, she was a Technical Business Analyst.

“It was just absolutely amazing,” she says. “The support we got was fabulous.”

“While I was off, I did a few courses to keep my hand in because I ultimately wanted to go back to work. I did an introduction to web design and computer-based accounts and accounting,” she says. “Then I got the opportunity to start looking at getting back into the workplace but realised seven years had passed and thought, ‘Oh God, I know nothing, and I’m probably worth nothing’.”

Through her local Intreo office, Niamh did some personal development and return to work courses. “They gave me the confidence to start thinking that maybe I could go back to my old type work and not start back at the bottom rung again, so I researched and found Women ReBOOT, and I applied and luckily got accepted,” she says. “I am very grateful to Kathryn and Lorraine for accepting me on to the programme. I was thrilled with the opportunity.”

Niamh started the programme in May 2020, during the first phase of the pandemic, so everything, including her placement, was done online.  “I applied for a placement with CitiBank Europe Plc and was accepted for a Business Analyst role. I’m still contracting with Citi a year later, and all from home. I’ve never actually met anybody physically,” she says.

Being held online for the first year did not prevent Women ReBOOT from having a big impact on Niamh. “It was just absolutely amazing,” she says. “The support we got was fabulous.”
 

“I applied for a placement with CitiBank Europe Plc and was accepted for a Business Analyst role. I’m still contracting with Citi a year later"

Niamh found that all of the Women ReBOOT modules were of benefit to her. “I would find it very hard to single one out. I think holistically it all brought me to where I am, which is somewhere I never thought I would be,” she says. “I know I would not have gone out on my own to do this.”

Prior to doing the programme, Niamh had not looked for work in the industry. “I had been toying with the idea, but I suppose I was a bit alone on the journey and my CV was outdated. I think that is where ReBOOT helped. It said I didn’t lose everything,” she says.

Her advice for anyone considering doing the programme is not to be too hard on themselves. “Starting back after so long, you know how high you left things and you put a lot of pressure on yourself to expect to know everything immediately,” she says. “So, be kind to yourself.”

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