It was so useful to have someone to talk to from outside my department – and faculty – but who seemed to take me seriously. I had felt – and can still feel – that part-time female academics were not only a very rare breed but also quite side-lined in decision-making, departmental activities and staff promotion.
Having this coaching helped me to work through some of the difficulties I was having, and to know that my frustrations were not insignificant. It also helped me to work out both immediate and longer-term objectives, thinking about how to shift my priorities and to start negotiating for a better balance at work.
It was useful that Sandrine pointed out some of the areas I could improve in terms of how I communicate with people at work (again linked to assertiveness) and how to position myself as a useful member of the team.
Academia is such a male environment in many ways and is certainly not supportive of women who try to be mothers too, but via this kind of initiative we can start to see that even if we don’t want to be game-players, there are ways to play the game without compromising our integrity!