Go with the flow - Tillie's story

Part of Careers

In The Nine to Five with Stacey Dooley on BBC iPlayer, Stacey takes five teenagers into four different industries for the ultimate work experience. Each school leaver spends two days trying out real jobs and if they impress, Stacey will pay them the national apprenticeship wage at the end of every shift. But she also deducts money for poor performance and so those who don't come up to scratch can find their wage packet empty.

Here Stacey reflects on Tillie,16, who has big ambitions to be an MP when she is older and joined the group to learn how to be open to new experiences and people.

I have always cared about what is happening in the world and strive to do my bit to bring extraordinary stories of people from across the globe to a wider audience. From the moment I did my very first documentary for the BBC, I wanted to meet people who had untold stories and lives that would surprise, educate and inform my audience. Recently, I met Tillie, a young woman who had joined us to do work experience so that she could also see different sides of life and meet different people because she has a burning ambition to become an MP. She realised that to achieve her dream to go into politics later in her life she needed to have an open mind and be open to new ideas.

Watch Tillie's Bitesize story here!

Be open to change

When Tillie first began her journey with us, she admitted that she had a bit of problem she wanted to overcome, which was that she always thought she was right. When she was stuck on an opinion, there was no changing her stance. However, she discovered that standing up for what you believe in is important, but in the workplace you won’t always be right and you need to be open to the views of others and to fresh perspectives.

At first though, she was so worried about being too opinionated, she went too far the other way. She ended up not saying what she really thought at the car dealership when Bakr and Sam were playing drums on the bonnet of a £40k car. She went on to regret that at payday when her wages were docked too. Professionalism in a customer-facing job is crucial and the manager reprimanded them all for their actions. Admitting you have messed up feels pretty rubbish. It isn’t always an easy pill to swallow but if you own up to your mistake, you can rise above it and move on. So as her work experience went on, she decided to be more herself and see where that got her.

Tillie working in a team at the oyster farm
Tillie working with Ellie and Sam at the oyster farm

Be a good team player

At the oyster farm, both Tillie and Ellie were first daunted by the physical nature of the job checking the oysters and so they stood back and let Sam do the heavy lifting. Later that day, Tillie had her wages cut and this time it was because she had let Sam do the heavy work. But she couldn’t understand the boss’ decision. It was only later when she and Ellie discussed it and they realised that their teammate Layla had got stuck in and was lifting the heavy bags, that they really admitted to themselves they had taken the easy option.

The following day, Tillie threw herself into the work and when Layla was announced supervisor during a task at the oyster farm, Tillie had to put her own opinions aside and allow Layla to lead. In doing so, she saw benefits in Layla’s approach of listening to all sides, thinking it through and then taking her own view. Working with the team instead of bossing people around, Layla earned the group’s respect and everyone reaped the benefits from the hard work that came from it. Tillie was impressed.

Tillie working in a team at the oyster farm
Tillie working with Ellie and Sam at the oyster farm
Tillie at the cheese farm
Till pushed herself out of her comfort zone at the cheese farm.

It was at the cheese farm and factory that Tillie really had to dig deep. She discovered that opening yourself up to things you don’t normally do brings its own rewards. At first, she was excited because she adores cheese but the more the team got into the cheese making and turning process, the more the physical nature of the job began to take its toll on her.

She could see one of the farm’s long standing owners, Jean, turning a heavy cheese like it was a pillow! But when it was Tillie’s turn, she found it an uphill battle. She was forced to push herself out of her comfort zone and when she faltered she got straight back up and gave it another go. She learnt that it’s okay to ask for help and realised that if you stick to fixed ideas about what you can and can’t do, you should give yourself a shake and take the opportunity with both hands.

So, do have a go at mastering jobs that might seem completely alien to you. Nothing is going to come crashing down on you if you don’t achieve – it’s always less stressful to go with the flow and experience an alternative view.

I am proud of how Tillie developed across her work experience. At first, she may have thought her way was the best way, but she kept an open mind to learning from other people and became wiser because of it. In my eyes, anyone who is committed to developing themselves for the better has the potential to develop the country for the better as well!

Tillie at the cheese farm
Till pushed herself out of her comfort zone at the cheese farm.
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Advice and stories from Stacey Dooley and 16-18-year-olds on the ultimate work experience on The Nine to Five.

The Nine to Five: Five teens, five industries. Will they thrive or struggle?

Stacey discusses the ups and downs of 17-year-old Bakr who put huge pressure on himself to be perfect in every job he was given.

Pitch perfect - Bakr's story

Stacey talks about Layla, a very capable 17-year-old who had an attack of nerves when she was asked to supervise her teammates. Could she find the confidence to be a natural leader?

Take me to your leader - Layla's story