Social Mobility and Me

A blog by one of our newest Board Members, Fallon Wilkinson 

I grew up working class. We didn’t quite tick the boxes of the common definition of disadvantage (based on receipt of free school meals), but our family would run out of money towards the end of the month. There was too much alcohol consumed in the house, a lot of shouting and sometimes violence. There was also a lot of love. Not the easiest start, but not the hardest either. 

I remember from the age of 16, going to school, working part time, getting my homework done, and looking after my siblings. If I wasn’t doing that, I was out with friends – I never stopped! I saw education as my way to a better life, and I was always encouraged by my parents to believe I could achieve great things. I think this aspiration (and a certain amount of resilience and self- determination) is what enabled me to get where I am today. 

Now, I’m a Board member and a Head of Regulation, and I’ve worked as a Political Advisor in Parliament and as a Management Consultant. I didn’t know what these jobs were when I was at school, never mind that I’d do them! 

I joined the Board of I Have a Voice, because I know there’s a lot of people out there, like the young me who would really have benefitted from an organisation like I Have a Voice, and because we need diverse perspectives from across all backgrounds to be represented in policy and political debate. 

Reflecting on my experience, here are a few things I’ve learned over the years: 

1. Employers do value work experience. I worked part time at a supermarket from 16, in the Student Union shop at University, and then at the University Careers Service when I did my masters – I couldn’t afford to do an unpaid internship. This work taught me customer service and communication skills – valuable transferrable skills for any employer. 

   
   

2. Put yourself out there. In my second year at University, I wrote to 6 local Councils and the County Council to ask for paid work experience. Most didn’t reply, but one did and I ended up doing 6 weeks of research, paid. The worst that can happen is people say no, so go for it! 

   
   

3. Learn from experience, even the bad ones.  It took me a lot of applications and interviews to get my first graduate job and, when I did, I really didn’t like it. I kept at it, and moved on to a Management Consulting graduate scheme just under a year later. 

   
   

4. Don’t mistake confidence of others for them being right. Trust yourself, and speak up if you have an opinion - it took me longer than I wish it had to realise this! 

   
   

5. If, like me, you had some challenges in your childhood, check your resilience. I’ve always been able to ‘handle anything’ but that’s because I’ve had to, not because I’d built up a healthy resilience. It’s only in the last few years I’ve recognised and addressed this one. 

   
   

6. Don’t make assumptions, including assuming people will make assumptions about you. Some may, many won’t. In my first two roles after graduating, I felt like I needed to hide some things about my life but, when I shared, I was only ever met with understanding  and support. I can’t promise this will be the case with all people, but there are a lot of good ones! 

   
   

I’m always going to be ‘posh’ when I go home, and definitely not feel posh in some of the rooms I’m in – that’s ok, I’m proud of where I am and where I’ve been, and I hope I can help other people to make the same journey.