The team at Smile is made up of consultants and compliance admins. While our consultants work hard to find you work, it’s our compliance admins who make sure that you are able to work. Get to know Conor, our Senior Compliance Administrator, a little better and find out what his day is like.

How long have worked for Smile?

I have worked for quite a long time! I started at Smile almost five years ago as an apprentice and have since worked my way up to Senior Compliance Administrator.

Why did you choose Smile?

I didn’t ever plan on doing admin but I thought it would be interesting. I could have started my career in admin anywhere, but Smile stood out to me and after meeting the team I knew this was the place I wanted to work, as everyone was so friendly and welcoming.

What has your Smile journey been like?

I joined Smile as a business administrator apprentice in 2014. My apprenticeship covered many different areas including learning how an office functioned, the role of an administrator and how that role fits into the recruitment sector.

The apprenticeship lasted a year and when it was over, Katy, Smile’s Managing Director, offered me a permanent role. While this was definitely a very special moment, what made it even more special was that the team had decorated my desk with ‘congratulations’ banners and donned party hats. It was a really lovely gesture which made me feel appreciated and valued. I can’t imagine many other agencies going to so much trouble for me.

Two years later, I become Smile’s Senior Administrator which meant that my role developed and that I had more responsibility.  In addition to meeting candidates, taking documents and applying for and chasing references, I was now responsible for mentoring new starters and payroll.

Smile not only gave me the opportunity to complete my business admin level 2 and level 3 apprenticeship and safer recruitment training but it also enabled me to grow as a person. Looking back now I am a completely different person from the 17-year-old who first walked through Smile’s doors. I now feel much more confident both personally and professionally and I have to credit Smile for that.

What is your favourite thing about Smile?

There are so many great things about Smile that I couldn’t narrow it down to just one! So I have picked two things. The first is that we actually care about our candidates. They aren’t just a number to us. We work hard to get to know each of them and to find them the perfect role for them, or in my case to get them cleared quickly so they are able to work.

Secondly, the team at Smile is fantastic. We all work together and genuinely care for one and another. While we all do work really hard, we also play hard and we have a lot of fun both inside and outside of the office.

What do you like most about your job?

As those who work in recruitment will tell you, it’s not for the faint-hearted. Recruitment is a very fast-paced industry and things are constantly changing but that’s one of the things which is so great about it! Working in a environment like this means you are never bored.

But more than that I like knowing that I am making a difference and that those we send into schools are fully safeguarded.

Why have you stayed at Smile?

People often ask me why I have stayed at Smile as long as I have, as many of my friends have had multiple jobs already or are at university and are still only thinking about starting their career. However, the answer is easy: I enjoy working here.

I can honestly say that I can’t imagine working anywhere else. Not only is the team great but as a company, they really take their time to make their admin staff feel rewarded and valued by running lots of different incentives and taking us abroad each year.

If you are interested in becoming part of the Smile team, then please get in touch with us. You can contact Louise confidentially via email at louise@smile-education.co.uk or call on 0121 210 5022.