For Financial Capability week, we want to showcase how Bank of Ireland support Young Enterprise through our Learn to Earn programme. We have lots of volunteers from Bank of Ireland branches throughout Northern Ireland who deliver the programme in schools alongside our trainers. Read on to get an insight into a typical day for one of our Bank of Ireland volunteers!

Tommy Doherty joined Bank of Ireland UK 14 years ago.  Tommy is Branch Manager at Ormeau Road Branch in Belfast.   Read on to find out what a typical day is like for Tommy…

Morning

Most mornings I am up by 6.30am, have a quick breakfast and leave the house by 7.00am to avoid the motorway traffic.  I get switched on for the day by listening to the breakfast news and enjoy this time to myself which anyone with children will understand!

I am normally at my desk by 8.00am.  I spend the first hour of the morning catching up on emails and at 9.00am we hold a team meeting to prioritise tasks for myself and the team for the day.  One of the things that I love about my job as a Branch Manager is that my role is so varied – I am a business advisor, relationship manager and customer service specialist all rolled into one!

I volunteer with Young Enterprise Northern Ireland delivering their ‘Learn to Earn’ programme in local schools.  The programme is designed to get students to think about their future, what job they might want to do and what success means to them.   We complete a cost of living exercise where students calculate the budget needed for their chosen lifestyle and compare it to the income they could expect to receive from their chosen career. The students then set their own individual long-term and short-term goals for the future based on what they have learned.

I really enjoy being involved with the programme and seeing how students become financially capable to make realistic life goals for themselves.

Lunch-time

I like to take my lunch-break early and get away from my desk.   I often take a walk on Ormeau Road to run errands or grab some lunch in one of the numerous places to eat.

Afternoon

Taking an early lunch also means that I am back at my desk in time for meeting customers.  So the rest of my afternoon is generally spent interacting with our customers either face to face or over the phone or e-mail.

We have great working relationships with our customers which are enhanced even further by initiatives such as Enterprise Week on 11^th November when we will invite businesses including ‘Graffiti’ in our local branch. The week is open to any business that wants to gather free advice and support, network with other local businesses or find new opportunities for business growth.

The focus on work-life balance at Bank of Ireland UK works really well for me and my family life as most days I finish up my working day by 4.15pm – 4.30pm and head home to spend some “Daddy-time” with the children.

Evening

Once we’ve put the children to bed, my wife and I have dinner and discuss our days.  After dinner, depending on my mood, I go to the gym, read books, listen to music, or play games consoles.  However, bedtime isn’t long in coming and before I know it, the 6.30am alarm goes off again!