I'd Rather be at the Beach: Recent Episodes
Simon Jones
Welcome to I'd Rather be at the Beach, the podcast for school marketing managers that's not about school marketing management. Instead we talk about everything else that school marketing managers spend their time doing. Their families, their hobbies, the previous jobs they've had, the music they're into, the books they're reading and the holidays they've been on. This is the podcast for you if you're a school marketing manager who likes your job, you might even love your job. But you'd rather be at the beach.
55 - These events are just so much fun, I love attending them and speaking to everyone who comes to hear some incredible speakers.
Shout-out to Siobhan Ridley for all the planning she puts into these events.
Episode links below:
The Bonjour Agency (us!): www.thebonjouragency.com
isbi Events: www.isbievents.com/
All the Right Movies (Geoff's recommendation): https://open.spotify.com/show/2zcBRzs54jqEX2d7YrS1dd?si=25f60ee4b4ec4037
054 - Russell discusses his work and changing landscape of independent schools, including the consolidation of schools, the professionalisation of roles within schools, and the increased unpredictability of the sector. He highlights the differences between schools in the UK and schools in the Middle East, emphasising the diversity and energy found in international schools. Russell also discusses the joys and challenges of running his own business and the reasons behind starting it. He also talks about his passion for learning Arabic and the importance of language in understanding different cultures.
Keywords
RS Academics, schools, appointments, marketing, governance, diversity and inclusion, fundraising, independent schools, Middle East, international schools, running a business, starting a business, learning Arabic, language and culture, personal expression, clothing and power dynamics
Links:
www.rsacademics.com
www.linkedin.com/in/russell-speirs-27904916/
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
053 - Nicola Lutz, founder of No Fluff, talks about sales & marketing in the education sector. They discuss the challenges faced by Admissions teams in converting leads, the importance of professional sales skills in schools, and the need for follow-up and engagement with prospective families. Nicola also shares insights from the No Fluff Fest event, which focuses on lead generation and sales techniques for schools. Overall, the conversation highlights the need for a more strategic and proactive approach to admissions and marketing in the education sector.
Keywords
sales, marketing, education sector, admissions, lead generation, follow-up, engagement, No Fluff Fest
Takeaways
- Admissions teams in schools often face challenges in converting leads due to a lack of professional sales skills and support.
- There is a need for a more strategic and proactive approach to admissions and marketing in the education sector.
- Follow-up and engagement with prospective families are crucial in the admissions process, from the initial inquiry to the offer acceptance stage.
- No Fluff Fest is an event that focuses on lead generation and sales techniques for schools, providing valuable insights and ideas for increasing admissions.
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-lutz/
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
051 - Sophy Walker discusses her recent life changes including leaving her job at Royal Hospital School, moving houses and starting her own business called Marketing 4 Success. She shares her experiences with challenges in the workplace, the importance of mental health support and the process of making big decisions. Sophy also talks about her retirement plans and her desire to have a property abroad.
Keywords
life changes, job transition, moving houses, starting a business, challenges in the workplace, mental health support, making big decisions, retirement plans, property abroad, birthday celebration
Takeaways
- Life changes, such as leaving a job and moving houses, can be challenging but also provide opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Mental health support is crucial in the workplace, and seeking help can make a significant difference in navigating difficult situations.
- Making big decisions requires careful consideration of various factors, including risks, expenses, and the impact on family members.
- Retirement planning is important, and it's essential to consider factors such as financial stability, desired lifestyle, and personal goals.
- Having a property abroad can provide opportunities for travel, cultural experiences, and a sense of adventure.
- Celebrating milestones, such as birthdays, can be done in various ways, from low-key gatherings to larger celebrations.
Links:
www.m4success.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophyzwalker/
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
051 - Simon Heard, Senior Deputy Head at Haileybury in Hertfordshire, shares his journey from being a Marine to a professional skier and then transitioning into education. He also discusses the challenges and joys of raising six children and balancing family life with work.
Keywords
Simon Heard, senior deputy head, Haileybury, Hertfordshire, Marine, professional skier, education, family, parenting, nature, sustainability, running, biodiversity
Takeaways
- Simon's diverse career journey from the Marines to professional skiing and then into education highlights the value of varied experiences in shaping one's professional path.
- The challenges and rewards of raising six children and balancing family life with work demonstrate the importance of adaptability and love in parenting.
- Simon's passion for nature and sustainability is evident in his love for running and his commitment to biodiversity, reflecting the importance of personal values in professional and personal pursuits.
Links:
www.haileybury.com
www.linkedin.com/in/simon-heard-40b53639/
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
50 - Come with me as we step into the Independent Schools Show Summer Fair at The Hurlingham Club in London!
49 - Coming to you 'live' from the AMCIS annual conference in Cirencester, Simon takes you inside to hear from some of the members, the exhibitors, the speakers and he checks out the food and coffee (well, it can't ALL be work now, can it??)
Links:
https://amcis.co.uk/
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
48 - Felice Ayling, a confidence and content guide for fearless female founders, discusses the challenges faced by women in the workplace and offers advice on boosting confidence. She emphasises the importance of understanding the systems and structures that hold women back and building a supportive community. Felice encourages women to embrace their true selves and not rely on external validation. She also highlights the benefits of being a founder, such as setting your own rules and working on your own terms.
Takeaways
- Understand the systems and structures that hold women back in the workplace.
- Build a supportive community of like-minded women.
- Embrace your true self and don't rely on external validation.
- Take control of your own business and set your own rules.
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/feliceayling/
https://loudwomen.club/
Invisible women
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
47 - Mel Pye works in the field of recruitment into independent schools. She was recommended to me as a guest by Kirsty Hassan so it was great to connect with her. If you're looking to change your job, maybe to work in a different school, take a listen to this episode.
Mel Pye online:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniepye/
melanie.pye@schoolsleadership.com
www.schoolsleadership.com
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
46 - Clare Smith is Head of Senior School at Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen and she talks about an initiative she introduced just over a year ago and how it's changed the school in that time. She talks to us today on 'I'd Rather be at the Beach', the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Clare Smith online:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-smith-9bb8b9147/
https://www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk/newsarticlespage/~board/all-news/post/newmobilephonepolicy
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
45 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Matthew Wemyss online:
https://ro.linkedin.com/in/matthew-wemyss-68781b23
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
44 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Dominic Lowry online:
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dominic-lowry-61051272
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
43 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Today I'm on the streets of New York. Come with me and I'll tell you all about it š
Links:
Samson Q2U microphone
ATR-2100 microphone
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
42 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
George Bullard online:
https://www.georgebullard.co.uk/
speaking@georgebullard.co.uk
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
41 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Scott Delleville LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-delleville-1257584/
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
40 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Samuel Pitt Contact:
WhatsApp: +569 9947 5046
Email: sam@pittenglish.cl
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
38 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Today I'm at the BBSW with Suzanne Rowse and a large number of schools and agents. I'd never been here before so I was keen to know how it works and what it's actually like inside.
Come with me as we step inside and find out what it's like at BBSW 2023.
Links in this podcast episode:
Millfield School's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-millfield-way-podcast/id1466245509
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
39 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Today I'm at the Independent Schools Show in Battersea, David Wellesley Wesley's event where parents come to meet school Heads, Marketing and Admissions people.
It's my favourite time of the year and I love seeing what's happening in the school marketing sector.
So come with me as we step inside and find out what it's like at the Independent Schools Show 2023.
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
37 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Today we have Irfan Latif, Principal of DLD College London. You probably know who he is, I donāt want to embarrass the guy, but whenever anything is happening in the world of independent schools Irfan is probably involved in it at least to some level.
Heās a nomination for the Tatler Best Head of a Public School award along with, I must say, some fairly stiff competition, but more importantly, Irfan, I think youāll agree, is just one of the nicest people who works in the independent schools sector.
So I was delighted when we got a date in the diary to record this. Itās fun, itās informal, itās Irfan Latif.
Links in this podcast episode:
Irfan Latif LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irfan-h-latif-frsa-57b8331b/?originalSubdomain=uk
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
36 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Today we have a Director of Marketing with us, itās Fane Henderson and heās at The Leys School in Cambridgeshire.
Fane and I know each other from when he was at Bedford Modern School before he joined The Leys but we also catch up at the AMCIS conference each year which is a great opportunity to catch up with various people.
That said, there was still so much I didnāt know about Fane so talking to him in this podcast is a great way to talk about non-work things.
So letās not waste anymore time but instead come with me as we speak to Director of Marketing, Fane Henderson.
Links in this podcast episode:
Fane Henderson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fane-henderson-946b043b/?originalSubdomain=uk
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
36 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Now today Iām with a Headteacher. Alison Melrose is the Head at Cameron Vale in London, itās a Prep School, itās in the centre of London and we talk about city life vs country life.
But we also talk about what Alison does when sheās not in school, we talk about Strictly Heads, an event that was happening a few months ago that sounds like it was oodles of fun, we talk about being a busy parent and many other things in between.
Alison is lovely and if you know her youāll know sheās very well connected in the independent schools sector.
So letās not fluff about. Come with me as we speak to the delightful, the respectable, the admirable, Alison Melrose.
Links in this podcast episode:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-melrose-2a194719/
Fearless Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/20s8DgJirs54FGx82UwIgP
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
34 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Now today Iām talking to Miles Latham, co-founder of Affixxius and someone you probably know if you work in the independent schools sector.
I get to ask Miles about what he would do if he wasnāt working in film or working with schools. I wasnāt expecting the answer he gave, I can tell you that! But we also talked about LinkedIn, other social media, what he enjoys doing when heās not in a school and three of his favourite places in the world.
We also find out how many films Miles has watched in his life so take a guess now to see if youāre anywhere close to what the actual number is.
Thatās all coming up in the next 30 ish minutes so come with me as we step into a conversation with the co-founder of Affixxius, Miles Latham.
Links in this podcast episode:
Miles Latham LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/miles-latham-7531a427
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
33 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me. Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency.
Today's episode is a little different, I'm talking on my own (well, it's still summer holidays) and I bring to you some stories, some thoughts, some things I'm into right now too.
But I'd love to know more about you and what you've been up to. My email address is below so do please let me know what you've been doing over the summer break.
And maybe also let me know the latest film, music and book you're into. I'd love to know :)
Links in this podcast episode:
Craig Wardle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-wardle-52bb009a/
Angela Dudley-Warde: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angeladudleywarde-b9659646/
Beachborough School: https://www.beachborough.com/
Mercedes not Williams: https://www.mercedesamgf1.com/
The Prestige: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482571/
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
32 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me. Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Now today Iām talking to Nicholas McKie, he runs Persyou Ltd, a business that offers coaching programmes to individuals and teams and he does a lot of work in the independent schools sector so you may have seen him on LinkedIn.
Iād never met Nick before this recording but I was keen to talk to him because he runs his own business and I know that some of the people listening to this wouldnāt mind leaving the school they work in and running their own business too. But what I didnāt expect was to find out all the different things Nickās done in his life, what else he does today when heās not working and that might give an insight into the kind of person he is.
But donāt just take this from me, instead you can listen to the man himself so letās jump into this episode of Iād Rather be at the Beach as we talk to Nicholas McKie.
Links in this podcast episode:
https://www.persyou.com/
https://www.persyou.com/podcast
https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Ways-Coaching-Nicholas-McKie/dp/1838007334/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1630751452&sr=8-1
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasmckie/
https://www.youtube.com/@nicholasmckie4647
Contact me:
www.thebonjouragency.com
simon@thebonjouragency.com
31 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Today we have a great guest, Iāve really been looking forward to this. David Harkin is the CEO of 8billionideas, a business thatās on a mission to give students the skills and belief to change the world. Youāve probably seen him on social media, usually delivering a keynote speech somewhere in the world on maybe on TV, heās been on various news programmes.
Anyway, we break the rules slightly here by spending a few minutes talking about work, not so that David can sell 8billionideas to you but because I wanted to ask him about starting a business because some of you listening to this right now would also like to leave where you work and do your own thing, follow your own mission. So to understand a smidge about Davidās business, what they do, is a helpful thing when applying that to your own life.
So we talk about David leaving IBM to start this, running a business while having young children, we talk about running, we talk about dogs, itās a great recording and I think youāre going to love it.
So come with me now as we dive into this recording and speak to the CEO of 8billionideas, itās David Harkin.
Main websites:
www.thebonjouragency.com
https://www.8billionideas.com/
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
30 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk about to people in the independent school sector.
Now today Iām at the Independent Schools Show Summer Fair at the Hurlingham Club in London. Itās a beautiful sunny day, Iāve hopped off the train and Iām about to walk in to find out whatās going on here. So come with me as we find out how everyoneās getting on at this yearās Summer Fair.
Main websites:
www.thebonjouragency.com
https://schoolsshow.co.uk/event/summer-fair
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
30 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk about to people in the independent school sector.
Now today Iām at the Independent Schools Show Summer Fair at the Hurlingham Club in London. Itās a beautiful sunny day, Iāve hopped off the train and Iām about to walk in to find out whatās going on here. So come with me as we find out how everyoneās getting on at this yearās Summer Fair.
Main websites:
www.thebonjouragency.com
https://schoolsshow.co.uk/event/summer-fair
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
29 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk about to people in the independent school sector.
Today I'm at the AMCIS annual conference. I recorded this episode while walking around and talking to people there. It's not entirely serious but really, I don't think everything in life needs to be.
There's also a separate recording I made from the conference for AMCIS themselves. None of the content overlaps so feel free to listen to this for a slightly different take on the events.
Anyway, let's get into it!
Main website:
www.thebonjouragency.com
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
28 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk about to people in the independent school sector.
Now, back in episode 12 we spoke to the great Zoe Harrison from Scarborough College, many of you will know her and youāll remember that episode. But today we have another person from Scarbados (as itās locally known) and itās Remco Weeda.
Remco runs the marketing department which means Zoeās in his team. But as ever we donāt talk about work, we skirt round the edges but thereās no talking of the 42 acres any school might have, instead I ask Remco where his peculiar name comes from (well, itās peculiar to me as an Englishman) we talk about what itās like living in one of the boarding houses even though he works in Marketing, what he does when heās not at work and what heād do if he changed career completely.
So letās scoot up to Yorkshire to meet with Scarborough Collegeās very own, itās Remco Weeda.
Remco on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/remco-weeda-790a5a2a/
Main website:
www.thebonjouragency.com
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
27 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk about to people in the independent school sector.
Now, today weāre zipping over to the Middle East to speak to David Ardley, heās the founding Principal of a new school in Saudi Arabia. The school is Beech Hall School Riyadh and it opened last August.
So Iām about to ask him what itās like being a British person working in a school overseas, what his own background is like, how that helped him to have an open mindset for living in a different country, I ask him about The Line, a mega construction thatās just started in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and we talk about much much more.
This is a great episode, I think youāre going to love it so come with me as we jump on a flight to Riyadh for todayās podcast, itās David Ardley.
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Ardles_
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ardles/
Main website:
www.thebonjouragency.com
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
26 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Now, today I'm recording this episode on my own literally from a park on a beautiful sunny day. Find out why by playing this super-short episode.
Main website:
www.thebonjouragency.com
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
25 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector.
Now, today weāre speaking to a mover and a shaker in the world of school admissions. Tara Reeve is the Director of Admissions at Downe House School in Berkshire, she talks to us about living in the country vs living in London, what it was like working at the BBC, her Russian connections, how she feels about the country today and the Russian people. We also talk about her wanting to be an actress and we chuck about various other things in conversation too. And, towards the end of this episode I invite you, the listener to send in your thoughts on something by email. I donāt actually say my email address in the recording but itās in the shownotes for this episode or if your memory is sweet then itās simon@thebonjouragency.com.
Enough of the intro, letās get this show on the road. Come with me as we speak to the Director of Admissions at Downe House School, itās Tara Reeve.
Main website:
www.thebonjouragency.com
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
24 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by me, Iām Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we donāt talk about work but we do talk about to people in the independent school sector.
Now, Iāve been looking forward to this episode coming out because many of you listening to this right now will remember when Geoff Ramm came to speak at the AMCIS annual conference (thank you Tory) back in 2016 (I think!) Geoff is a keynote speaker who flies all around the world talking to people about, amongst other things, some of the really effective marketing nuggets heās collected on his journey.
Now if you didnāt come to that conference then youāre still going to love this episode because Geoff is a loveable northern guy, heās a Geordie too which makes him even more loveable, and the stories he tells on this recording are excellent.
So letās get this intro out of the way. Instead, come with me now as we hear from the man himself, itās Geoff Ramm.
Geoff Ramm Website:
https://www.geofframm.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/geofframm?lang=en
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/geofframm/?hl=en
LinkedIn:
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/marketingspeakermarketing
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@geofframm
Main website:
www.thebonjouragency.com
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
23 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you BUT we donāt talk about work here. Why not? Well, because youāre probably too busy to listen to a podcast when youāre at work and when youāre not at work (youāre walking the dog, youāre in the gym, youāre driving back from dropping your kid at university) then letās face it, you donāt want to listen to something thatās too worky worky.
Now, this is a really interesting episode because my guest this time is Hugh Viney, heās the founder of Minerva Tutors and Minerva Virtual Academy so heās flying the flag for the online school option.
Now even though we donāt talk about work I do challenge Hugh on the elephant in the room, that surely children shouldnāt be online for school but they should be running around with other children in the playground and learning in a physical classroom. Check out what he has to say about that.
But I also ask him what he did before starting an online school (he was in a band) and how he feels running the school. But is it a school or is it a business? Or are all schools businesses?
So much to talk about, so little time so letās not waste any of it but instead letās jump into a world of online education as we speak to Hugh Viney.
Minerva Virtual Academy Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/minerva_virtual/?hl=en-gb
Minerva Virtual Academy:
https://www.minervavirtual.com/
Minerva Tutors:
https://minervatutors.co.uk/
Main website:
www.thebonjouragency.com
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
22 - A super-short episode for the end of half-term, I talk about a marketing activity I undertook that almost resulted in a major faux pas. Take a listen for 8 minutes of light relief, Iād love to know if youāve ever made a mistake at work that caused you a problemā¦
21 - Itās 2023 and welcome to the opening episode for this year of āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing and admissions people thatās nothing to do with work.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for Admissions and Marketing in school. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person.
Now in this episode weāre speaking to someone who used to work in Marketing and Admissions, then left that role to start her own business helping people who work in Marketing and Admissions.
Gemma Price is CEO and Founder of HubGem, weāre going to find out more about that in a moment, but weāre also going to find out what it was like for her leaving her job to start her own business, managing the growth of the business, how she manages her LinkedIn posts, why culture is so important, and being a nerd (thatās Gemmaās word, not mine).
Gemmaās great fun. Sheās energetic, sheās relatable, she talks about things we can all understand but all them time skirting the edge of work without actually talking about work.
Thatās what you can expect in this episode so come with me now as we speak to the CEO and Founder of HubGem, itās Gemma Price.
HubGem:
https://www.hubgem.co.uk/
Main website:
www.thebonjouragency.com
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
20 -Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with work or school marketing.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for Admissions and Marketing in school. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person.
Now in this episode weāre speaking to two people, in fact two Heads. Kathryn Gorman is the Head of Abbotās Hill School in Hemel Hempstead and we have Katherine Bluck, Head of Prep and also at Abbotās Hill.
Now we donāt talk about work, thereās no sales pitch involved about the 76 acres of grounds at the school but we do find out briefly how each of them views marketing in the independent schools sector in 2022 and 2023, where they think itās going and what they look for when recruiting someone into the team. Thatās as close as we get to work and we only discuss that because I thought it might help you personally if youāre thinking of looking for another position in the near future.
But we also talk about their backgrounds, I challenge them on SLT members in schools often being Oxbridge educated, we find out what they do at weekends and also what theyāve enjoyed recently for pure leisure time.
Thatās all coming up in this episode of Iād Rather be at the Beach, so come with me now as we scoot along the M25 to Hemel Hempstead and speak to the Heads at Abbotās Hill School, itās Kathryn and Katherine!
Kathryn Gorman:
linkedin.com/in/kathryn-gorman-85145a93
Katherine Bluck:
linkedin.com/in/katherine-b-543796139
Main website:
www.thebonjouragency.com
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
19 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for school marketing managers. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person.
Now in this episode we speak to a Brit living and working at a school in the sunny Middle East! Patrick OāShaughnessy works at St Christopherās School in Bahrain, heās Head of History and heās very good at marketing himself and his own podcast. Youāll often see him on LinkedIn, heās very passionate about his subject and thatās why heās got his own history podcast, not for school marketing but instead a fantastic subject that he loves.
If youāve ever thought about living and working for a school in sunnier climes then this is the episode for you. Come with me on a Gulf Air flight to Bahrain as we speak to Patrick OāShaughnessy!
Patrick O'Shaughnessy LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-o-shaughnessyfrsa/?originalSubdomain=uk
Versus History Podcast:
http://www.versushistory.com/
Main website:
www.thebonjouragency.com
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
18 -Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for school marketing managers. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person.
Now this episodeās a little different because even though Iām recording this intro in my home-office Iām about to zip to the Independent Schools Show in Battersea to speak to whatever the collective term is for marketing and admissions staff, maybe itās āprospectusā. So Iām going to speak to a prospectus of marketing and admissions staff, but importantly theyāre not allowed to talk work which means they canāt talk about the independent schools show. Instead Iām going to ask them one of five questions and weāre going to see how many answers we can get from lots of different people.
London Independant School Show:
https://schoolsshow.co.uk/
Main website:
www.thebonjouragency.com
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
17 -Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for school marketing managers. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. Now this is a little different and Iām breaking the rule a little about no work because youāll probably know about the Independent Schools Show in London and you might know David Wellesley Wesley whoās the Founder of this, so I thought this would be a GREAT opportunity to find out from him, directly, how schools can make the most of coming along to exhibit at an event like this. Which also means if you listen to this short episode youāll learn something about exhibitions not just with the Independent Schools Show but anywhere you might be trying to boost your admissions. Anyway, enough of the chit-chat here, letās zip over to Battersea and speak to the Founder of the Independent Schools Show, David Wellesley Wesley! London Independant School Show: https://schoolsshow.co.uk/ (https://schoolsshow.co.uk/) Main website: https://www.thebonjouragency.com/ (www.thebonjouragency.com) Contact me: simon@thebonjouragency.com
17 -Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for school marketing managers. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. Now this is a little different and Iām breaking the rule a little about no work because youāll probably know about the Independent Schools Show in London and you might know David Wellesley Wesley whoās the Founder of this, so I thought this would be a GREAT opportunity to find out from him, directly, how schools can make the most of coming along to exhibit at an event like this. Which also means if you listen to this short episode youāll learn something about exhibitions not just with the Independent Schools Show but anywhere you might be trying to boost your admissions. Anyway, enough of the chit-chat here, letās zip over to Battersea and speak to the Founder of the Independent Schools Show, David Wellesley Wesley! London Independant School Show: https://schoolsshow.co.uk/ (https://schoolsshow.co.uk/) Main website: https://www.thebonjouragency.com/ (www.thebonjouragency.com) Contact me: simon@thebonjouragency.com
16 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for school marketing managers. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. In this episode weāre tucking ourselves into the south-east of the UK for a conversation in Kent with Sarah Kershaw. Sarah used to be in charge of Marketing at Ashford School but sheās now working independently in a freelance capacity, working with schools. Sheās going to talk about what her day looks like working from home, what a typical week looks like, how she keeps herself busy and an interesting leisure activity sheās discovered as a way to stay fit and healthy, I was intrigued to hear about that and I think you might be too! Thatās all coming up now as we thunder around the M25 and down the M20 to speak to the person herself, Sarah Kershaw. Sarah Kershaw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-kershaw-b0579560/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-kershaw-b0579560/) Main website: https://www.thebonjouragency.com/ (www.thebonjouragency.com) Contact me: simon@thebonjouragency.com
16 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for school marketing managers. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. In this episode weāre tucking ourselves into the south-east of the UK for a conversation in Kent with Sarah Kershaw. Sarah used to be in charge of Marketing at Ashford School but sheās now working independently in a freelance capacity, working with schools. Sheās going to talk about what her day looks like working from home, what a typical week looks like, how she keeps herself busy and an interesting leisure activity sheās discovered as a way to stay fit and healthy, I was intrigued to hear about that and I think you might be too! Thatās all coming up now as we thunder around the M25 and down the M20 to speak to the person herself, Sarah Kershaw. Sarah Kershaw LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-kershaw-b0579560/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-kershaw-b0579560/) Main website: https://www.thebonjouragency.com/ (www.thebonjouragency.com) Contact me: simon@thebonjouragency.com
015 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for school marketing managers.ā In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. And in this episode weāre speaking to two people, both from 360 Marketing Lab. Youāll know them as Taralyn Cox & Craig Chambers and theyāll be talking about their lives. This is not a sales pitch for them (because thatās too much like work) but instead we find out about what they both did before working in school marketing and how they both fell into this world. Theyāre both dialling in from their home offices so letās connect with them now as we hear from 360 Marketing Labās very own Craig Chambers and Taralyn Cox! Main website https://www.thebonjouragency.com/ (www.thebonjouragency.com) 360 Marketing Lab https://360marketinglab.co.uk/ (www.360marketinglab.co.uk) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/360marketing.lab/?hl=en-gb (@360matketing.lab) Contact me: simon@thebonjouragency.com
015 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for school marketing managers.ā In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. And in this episode weāre speaking to two people, both from 360 Marketing Lab. Youāll know them as Taralyn Cox & Craig Chambers and theyāll be talking about their lives. This is not a sales pitch for them (because thatās too much like work) but instead we find out about what they both did before working in school marketing and how they both fell into this world. Theyāre both dialling in from their home offices so letās connect with them now as we hear from 360 Marketing Labās very own Craig Chambers and Taralyn Cox! Main website https://www.thebonjouragency.com/ (www.thebonjouragency.com) 360 Marketing Lab https://360marketinglab.co.uk/ (www.360marketinglab.co.uk) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/360marketing.lab/?hl=en-gb (@360matketing.lab) Contact me: simon@thebonjouragency.com
014 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for school marketing managers. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. Now youāre going to love this episode. Iām with Simon Blake, Head of Marketing at Kingās Ely School in Ely. I love this episode because Simon talks about how he ended up working here. But I also ask him what the most dangerous thing is heās ever done and it turned out to be a near-death experience! We also talk about family life, we talk about schools but we donāt talk about work, no no, no. Thatās all coming up now so come with me as we head to Kingās Ely and speak to Simon Blake. Main website: https://www.thebonjouragency.com/ (www.thebonjouragency.com) King's Ely: https://www.kingsely.org/ (www.kingsely.org) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-blake-a7010a149 (www.linkedin.com/in/simon-blake-a7010a149) Contact me: simon@thebonjouragency.com
014 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for school marketing managers. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. Now youāre going to love this episode. Iām with Simon Blake, Head of Marketing at Kingās Ely School in Ely. I love this episode because Simon talks about how he ended up working here. But I also ask him what the most dangerous thing is heās ever done and it turned out to be a near-death experience! We also talk about family life, we talk about schools but we donāt talk about work, no no, no. Thatās all coming up now so come with me as we head to Kingās Ely and speak to Simon Blake. Main website: https://www.thebonjouragency.com/ (www.thebonjouragency.com) King's Ely: https://www.kingsely.org/ (www.kingsely.org) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-blake-a7010a149 (www.linkedin.com/in/simon-blake-a7010a149) Contact me: simon@thebonjouragency.com
013 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for school marketing managers.ā In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. Now usually I carry out these recordings online but this episodeās a little different because Iām actually sat in the schoolās marketing department for this, and today youāll find me at Shiplake College. Kat Green is Director of External Relations there and in this episode sheās talking to us about what sheās like outside of work. Because letās face it, we all have lives outside of work (at least I think we do!) We talk families, we talk holidays, we talk sport and we basically just have a nose into Katās life. Thatās all coming up in this episode so come with me now as we dive into a conversation with Kat Green from Shiplake College. Main website https://www.thebonjouragency.com/ (www.thebonjouragency.com) Shiplake College https://www.shiplake.org.uk (www.shiplake.org.uk) Contact me: simon@thebonjouragency.com
012 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
Iām Simon, former marketing manager turned owner of The Bonjour Agency, the place for school marketing managers. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. Now in this episode weāre going up north as we speak to the Marketing Manager at Scarborough College, Zoe Harrison. Zoeās got an interesting life outside of school. She comes from a family of farmers (and theyāre northern farmers so theyāre hard as nails too). This means weāre going to hear about outdoor life, being a Yorkshire girl, how Zoe stays fit and the career she had before stepping into school marketing. Thatās all coming up now so come with me as we head to Scarbados (as itās locally known) to speak to Zoe Harrison. Main website https://www.thebonjouragency.com/ (www.thebonjouragency.com) Scarborough College https://scarboroughcollege.co.uk (https://scarboroughcollege.co.uk)
Contact me: simon@thebonjouragency.com
011 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already.
In this episode Iām bringing you three different things I think you might be interested in. One is something you can do outside of work to bring in some more money for yourself through passive income. The other is an amazing book that you need to read, you need this in your life, and thirdly I touch on a social media channel to shout out some people who are all using it super-effectively.
Thatās all coming up in this episode so come with me as we dive into a new summer time episode of the podcast.
Main website
www.thebonjouragency.com
Pat Flynn, Smart Passive Income
www.smartpassiveincome.com/shows/spi/
The episode with David Siteman-Garland
www.smartpassiveincome.com/podcasts/how-to-build-an-online-course-that-sells/
James Clear, Atomic Habits
https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
LinkedIn - those who are smashing it
Tom Rogerson
Emily Richards
David Harkin
Contact me:
simon@thebonjouragency.com
010 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already. Now usually, in each episode, I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person.
But this episode is a little different because itās just me! And today Iāll be looking at the AMCIS conference that happened just a few days ago.
So letās not waste anymore time but instead letās get into this episode right now as we look at seven things I discovered at AMCIS this year.
Main website
www.thebonjouragency.com
AMCIS:
www.amcis.co.uk
009 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person.
And in this episode we're talking to Dragana Hartley who'll tell us all about her career from organising wine tasting to brochure-writing while travelling the world, she'll also explore how her responsibilities changed over the course of her life going from attending meetings to running them, and she'll even tell us about the first time she had to fire someone. Spoiler alert, it didn't go very well!
So letās not waste anymore time but instead letās get into this episode right now with Dragana Hartley
Main website
www.thebonjouragency.comĀ
008 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person.
And in this episode weāre talking to none other than Emily Richards. Emily is the Founder of The Stickman Consultancy but I donāt let her use this to talk work because, well, you know why. Instead we hear all about her life, her career before marketing, her family and her love seemingly of eating out, being wined and dined!
So letās not waste anymore time but instead letās get into this episode right now with Emily Richards.
Main website
www.thebonjouragency.comĀ
007 - This episode is a little different to normal. In fact, itās a special one-off episode which comes with a very important message. Itās shorter than normal, itās being recorded on 21st March 2022 and itās to do with whatās currently happening in the world.
Today weāre talking to Andrew Velhosh who, until recently, was a pupil recruitment agent in Ukraine. Heās put his job on hold, no need to explain why, and instead heās doing something very different.
Contact details below:
Andrew's mobile: +44 (0) 7811 88 55 55
Andrew's LinkedIn account: www.linkedin.com/in/šŗš¦-andrew-velhosh-7579172b/
Website: isacdirect.comĀ
006 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already so this is just for fun. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person.
Now this episode is a little different because Iām talking to two guests at the same time and we recorded this in person in Kenya at the UK Boarding Schools Show organised by Kathy Campbell.
Paula Bottomley, Head of International Admissions at Wrekin College and Melanie Burke, Director of Admissions & Marketing at St Edmundās College are a complete hoot in this. They talk about what itās like travelling for work, their previous careers, their families and some of their favourite places in the world.
Being in Kenya with them is great fun too. Everyoneās flying back tonight and some of the friendships that have been made here are the kind that will last a long time.
But enough of me, letās jump across to the Nairobi sun for an outdoor recording with Paula Bottomley and Melanie Burke.
Main website
www.thebonjouragency.comĀ
005 - Welcome back to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already so this is just for fun. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. And in this episode you find me talking to Rachel Hadley-Leonard.
Now, fun fact, back when I started my photography business working with schools I did that marketing exercise of working out who my avatar was and the person I created was based off Rachel Hadley-Leonard. Whatās funnier is that she wonāt know this fact until sheās listening to this introduction.
Rachel has spent many years working in the world of school marketing but unless youāre new to the sector you probably know that already.
Today though sheās talking to us about things not to do with work.
So if you want to know the real RHL then stick around for this episode, take my hand and come with me as we speak to the person who is Rachel Hadley-Leonard.
Main website
www.thebonjouragency.comĀ
004 - Welcome to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already so this is just for fun. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. And in this episode you find me talking to Simon Noakes.
You probably know Simon already. He runs Interactive Schools, a marcomms agency for independent and international schools. But he doesnāt talk about that, of course, instead he talks about his family, his children and their education journey, his entrepreneurial life and his passion for the future of education.
But we also discover his love of date night with Mrs Noakes, something to make you smile.
Anyway thatās all coming up in this episode so whether youāre driving to school, walking the dog or hitting the treadmill in your local gym buckle up for some fun as we find out about the person who is Simon Noakes.
Main website
www.thebonjouragency.com
003 - Welcome to āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already so this is just for fun. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. And in this episode you find me talking to Kathy Campbell.
Now Kathy is going to tell us all about her career before she stepped into school marketing, from her first ever job to the time Mick Jagger made her a cuppa. Sheāll reveal how much of a petrolhead she is, talk to us about her nomadic lifestyle and explore her love for dance.
Thatās all coming up in this episode so whether youāre driving to school, walking the dog or hitting the treadmill in your local gym buckle up for some fun as we find out about the person who is Kathy Campbell.
Main website
www.thebonjouragency.com
002 - Welcome to episode number two of āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already so this is just for fun. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. Now in this episode Iām speaking to someone who isnāt a school marketing manager but I think itās someone youāll know.
Dominic Moon is a Senior Education Consultant at Metropolis, a business that represents and promotes UK boarding schools around the world. But, of course, we donāt talk about that because thatās work. Instead, Dominic opens up about what he used to do before working in education, whether or not heās bothering with January new year resolutions and we talk about how he manages switching off from work - very fitting for this podcast channel!
But we also find out which decade of music is his favourite. What do you think? 70s? 80s? 90s? Or something completely unexpected. Fond out in this episode.
So whether youāre driving to school, walking the dog or hitting the treadmill in your local gym buckle up for some fun as we find out about the person who is Dominic Moon.
Main website
www.thebonjouragency.com
001 - Welcome to episode number one of āIād Rather be at the Beachā, brought to you by The Bonjour Agency. This is the podcast for school marketing people thatās nothing to do with school marketing, because letās face it, you work hard already so this is just for fun. In each episode I speak to someone in the sector who wonāt talk about work but we get to find out more about them as a person. And in this episode you find me talking to Sophy Walker.
Now many of you will know Sophy. Sheās currently the Director of Marketing and Communications at Royal Hospital School but, of course, we donāt talk about her marketing team because that would be classed as work.
Instead, we talk about what Sophy did in her early career, what some her high points were, one of her low points too (Iām not giving anything away!) and also what some of her guilty pleasures are.
Thatās all coming up in this episode so whether youāre driving to school, walking the dog or hitting the treadmill in your local gym buckle up for some fun as we find out about the person who is Sophy Walker.
Main website
www.thebonjouragency.com
Welcome to I'd Rather be at the Beach, the podcast for school marketing managers that's not about school marketing management.
Instead we talk about everything else that school marketing managers spend their time doing. Their families, their hobbies, the previous jobs they've had, the music they're into, the books they're reading and the holidays they've been on.
This is the podcast for you if you're a school marketing manager who likes your job, you might even love your job. But you'd rather be at the beach.
About:
Simon and his team work with school marketing managers to provide a podcasting service to schools who want to communicate with their audiences at a deeper level, to connect with their entire communities and, ultimately, to get more enquiries from prospective parents. Visit www.thebonjouragency.com for more information.