I'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/2zcBRzs...

#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...

#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...

#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 ab...

#051 - Simon Heard, Senior Deputy Head at Haileybury in Hertfordshire, shares his journey from being a professional skier before transitioning into education. He also discusses the challenges and joys of raising six children and balancing family life with work. Takeaways Simon's diverse career journey from professional skiing and then into education highlights the value of varied experiences in sh...

#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 validatio...

#47 - Mel Pye works in the field of recruitment in 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...

#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 don’t talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector. Clare Smith online: https://www.linke...

#45 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t 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@thebonjou...

#44 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t 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@thebonjoura...

#43 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t 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 😎 Links: Samson Q2U microphone ATR-2100 mic...

#42 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t 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 simo...

#41 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t 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@th...

#40 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t 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@thebonjoura...

#38 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t 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...

#39 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t 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...

#37 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t 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 don’t want to embarrass the guy, bu...

#36 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector. Today we have a Director of Marketing with us, it’s Fane Henderson and he’s at The Leys School in Cambridgeshire. Fane and I k...

#36 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector. Now today I’m with a Headteacher. Alison Melrose is the Head at Cameron Vale in London, it’s a Prep School, it’s in the centre...

#34 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector. Now today I’m talking to Miles Latham, co-founder of Affixxius and someone you probably know if you work in the independent sc...

#33 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me. I’m 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...

#32 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me. I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector. Now today I’m talking to Nicholas McKie, he runs Persyou Ltd, a business that offers coaching programmes to individuals a...

#31 - Welcome back to ‘I’d Rather be at the Beach’, brought to you by me, I’m Simon and I run The Bonjour Agency. If you work in an independent school then this is the podcast for you where we don’t talk about work but we do talk to people in the independent school sector. Today we have a great guest, I’ve really been looking forward to this. David Harkin is the CEO of 8billionideas, a business th...