Emma Reid, from the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation in Sydney
Video here
Why did you become a financial counsellor?
I used to be a chartered accountant in a previous life, working in litigation, and I took a career break when I had my two children. I was listening on the radio one day whilst driving them around, and I heard somebody from the Wesley Mission talk about financial counseling. I’ve never heard of it before, and thought, ‘oh, I could do that’ because I wanted to do something I thought might be more fulfilling.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
It’s really hard not to sound cliche here, but it’s really being able to make a difference. You put plans into action. You can do things, not just listen to clients – not that that isn’t incredibly rewarding in itself. It’s a privilege to join them on these journeys, because they are often so honest and open and vulnerable. But actually being able to make a difference in their lives is amazing.
Can you describe a client outcome that really reminded you why this work matters?
I had a client come to me, he couldn’t earn enough to pay back his debts, and that was compounded by the fact that had osteoarthritis, and he was just getting more unwell. So his hours were decreasing.
I talked to his credit card provider, who was not one of the top tier providers, and it was really hard to get them to waive the debt. It took about a year … but they waived it, and the guy cried. He just couldn’t see he was fed up with them contacting him all the time, and he was so relieved to just have a clean slate, because life was hard for him anyway. So this made a massive difference.
What are the main issues people are calling you about right now?
One of the main reasons people are approaching me now, is the death of a partner. A lot of my clients are in same sex relationships, and they don’t have children, and they feel very alone when they have had a long term partner that has died.
Often they haven’t dealt with finances. They’re too ashamed to seek help from other people, and they struggle.
Anything to add?
I love my job. I feel very, very lucky. I feel very honored to be able to do this on a daily basis.