Social mobility stories: Amy Wood
As part of Social Mobility Day, we’re sharing “social mobility stories” – a series of conversations with colleagues across the firm, exploring the different paths people have taken into the profession.
Each story offers a personal perspective on the challenges, opportunities and moments that have shaped their careers, and highlights that there is no single route into law.
Find out more about our approach to social mobility and inclusion on our culture page.
Amy Wood, Executive Assistant, reflects on her path from growing up facing financial pressures and challenges in education, to building her career with resilience, self-belief and an openness to opportunity.
Amy’s story is a powerful reminder that there is no single route into the profession, and that different experiences can bring real value.
What’s your story, how did you find your way to where you are now?
I spent the early part of my childhood in Peterborough, an area with high levels of social deprivation. My mum was a single parent and when I was around 8 she met my stepdad, and they decided to move to Cornwall to live a better life. They both worked various shift work jobs and my mum wasn’t able to maintain work due to health issues. Although it was a better environment in Cornwall, it did put more financial strain on us as rent was more expensive and everything was very far apart, so it took them over an hour to get to work and me to school. Ultimately, this meant that there were times when we had to turn to food banks and charities to help us.
During school, there were circumstances that meant that I missed periods of time at school during the GSCE stage. This particularly impacted my English Language and I really struggled with spelling and reading. As Cornwall is quite an affluent area, most of my friends had tutors for the areas that they were struggling with or parents who would be able to help them. I also didn’t have resources such as a laptop to assist with my studies and spent some periods without access to Wi-Fi which made it difficult to complete tasks I was set.
In the end, I failed my English Language GCSE. It was devastating because I knew that most well paid jobs would need me to have these skills and I wanted to go on to do A-levels. When it came to applying to Sixth Form, I explained that I had a lot of time off and that this didn’t reflect my abilities, however they told me no, that I would struggle to complete my A-levels and that it wasn’t the right path for me.
However, I still believed in myself and decided to apply to a college to do A-level Psychology, Sociology and Law. Again, when I sat down with the college, they were concerned about me failing my English GCSE. After some persuading, I managed to convince them to let me do the A-levels as long as I could pass my English Language GCSE. I studied, and I took my GCSE about 3 months later, and I passed. I then went on to complete my A-levels and applied to study law at university. I had internalised my fears of not being smart enough and thought that the safest option would be to accept a place with an unconditional offer so I didn’t even have to worry about getting great grades. I went on to complete my degree whilst working in the evenings to support myself.
What do you wish you’d known earlier in your career?
Not to focus too much on a fixed end goal or feel pressured to reach a particular milestone by a certain point. When I first started, I saw the end goal as becoming a lawyer, but along the way I realised that my skills as an Executive Assistant were being recognised and valued. That helped me appreciate the importance of staying open-minded and allowing your career to evolve based on your strengths and the opportunities that come your way.
Why do you believe sharing personal stories matters when we talk about social mobility?
In my own experience, there was a strong expectation in my family that you finish school and then start earning straight away. It was never really questioned, as that’s what everyone had done. When you haven’t grown up with much, there’s often a real pressure to begin making money as soon as possible and not ‘risk’ the uncertainty that can come with things like student debt or spending more time in education without an income. Even though the job that I have now doesn’t require a university degree, the knowledge I gained from university has helped me with key skills needed in my role, which I don’t think I would have gained otherwise.
I believe that sharing my story will hopefully increase awareness that there isn’t just one path to ‘success’ (even if it isn’t what you originally thought it would look like), and that with the right support and self-belief, circumstances don’t have to define your future.
