Meet Our Staff – Charlotte K

Meet Charlotte, our Lead Trainer who has been teaching disability care courses at EmployEase for a few years. She has a wealth of experience in teaching, and she loves to inspire and empower her students. In this interview, she will share her amazing stories, some of the wonderful students she has encountered, and also some cool facts about her that you’ll find interesting!

How did you end up as Lead Trainer? What was your journey like?

In 2022 I became a mother and took some time off. After a few months, I got back into teaching Certificate IV in Disability but felt something was missing. I decided to reach out to management and share my thoughts and ideas. This was picked up very quickly and I was offered an Assistant Lead Trainer role.

I enjoyed supporting students who needed some extra support and guidance. I felt I was playing a valuable role in obtaining their certificates. More than a year later, a full Lead Trainer position became available. I was offered the role and here I am!

Were there any students who stood out during your time as a trainer?

Absolutely! Students develop incredible skills during this course. I have students who started with zero experience in the Disability/Aged Care sector. It makes me proud when I visit organisations where those students are now Supervisors and Team leaders. That makes my heart proud. ♥

What do you love about our students?

Students at EmployEase come from all walks of life which makes the classes very diverse. We learn about each other’s culture & industry experiences from all over the world. We get to apply all that knowledge into the Australian Aged Care and Disability industry which is magical!

What’s your most memorable experience with EmployEase?

That’s a really good question. I have so many and will share a few. In many of our courses we deliver the module ‘diversity’. On the last day of this module everyone is allowed to bring a dish or snack that represents their country, region or culture. The whole table was full of delicious food for us to try. Stories and experiences are shared around the table and we connected with each other.

How has the learning methods change compared to when you started teaching?

The majority of students now choose to study online as opposed to learning in a classroom. This means students study online and have scheduled online sessions each week where they can connect with each other and with their trainer. There are a few mandatory observations the students need to complete which will be done face-to-face, but the majority is learning remote.

We want the students to feel supported and have a point of contact if they overwhelmed or need help. Our Online (Supported) model is perfect for that.

What are some interesting facts about you that students would find interesting?

My career started as a young woman in the dance/theatre world where I performed in many different theatres but also taught dance to toddlers, teenagers and adults in the dance studio. I did this for almost 11 years. I moved to a bigger city in the Netherlands and completed Bachelor of Social Work.

I chose to use my background in dancing to help other people with the physical and psychological issues. We would call it ‘dance therapy’ back home. This career path opened many doors for me. One of them was travelling to India to teach dance and English to children and young adults with Disability living in an orphanage. I lived near Chennai for 5+ months where I worked, travelled and enjoyed the culture.

In 2018 I moved to Australia. Dancing is still a big part of my life. You can find me almost every Tuesday in the dance studio in Brunswick, Victoria. I dance commercial choreographies and it’s one of my favorite moments of the week. Besides dancing I love going to CrossFit and I still go 3-4 each week at a gym in Eltham, Victoria. I get up at 5.15 AM and join the 6 AM class. I then catch the train to work at our EmployEase office.

I live in the Northern Suburbs where we often take a short walk through Plenty Gorge Park where we find kangaroos and lots of other beautiful animals. My family and I love being active and be outside.