Meet Jenna and find out about her life as a development officer at Leeds United. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Jenna Wraith - Development officer
I played football from about six years old. Played all the way through primary school and then I wasn't too academic in school, so I sort of was thinking, "I love football. How can I turn this into a job?" I wanted to make sure I could do something where I could still play, but get the qualifications that I needed, which is where I found the Leeds United Foundation. And it's perfect.
A typical day for me would be liaising with schools, getting some dates in of when we can come and deliver the sessions. In the afternoon, going into the primary schools and delivering the sessions with the young girls and then later on in the evening would be the academy training. So, train them and hopefully get them into the elite pathway, so England or super league clubs later on in the future.
My advice would be to anybody who wants to get in this line of work is just work super hard. I spent a lot of time volunteering, so a lot of time unpaid. We're always looking for volunteers. I am as well, and the way we look at volunteers is not just doing a bit of picking up rubbish, or picking up the cones or football, it's really trying to develop their skills that I'm aware you need to come into this line of work.
Special skills you would need for this job, I would say, is people skills, that's a massive one; interacting with the young females of today; how do we make the transition from no sport to sport, how do we make that as easy as possible? PE definitely helped me to get where I am now. I think definitely opened my eyes of the different pathways that they offer in sport. I remember thinking, of football especially, it's quite a small industry. Working in it now, it's certainly not, and there's still lots of different pathways I could take now.
For me, one of the most exciting things about the job is, I'm a massive Leeds fan, so working for Leeds is sort of different to me, it's working for the badge. I love the club, grew up a massive supporter of Leeds, so that's definitely one of the most exciting things about it. When I was younger, wasn't many opportunities for females, I'm going be honest. I now have the platform to offer opportunities to girls all across Leeds. I'm just really enthusiastic about getting children involved in sports, and make sure that we continue growing the women's game.
I’m just really enthusiastic about getting children involved in sports, and making sure that we continue growing the women’s game.
- Jenna played football from the age of six. She’s passionate about the game, and wanted to find a job where she could play football whilst getting the qualifications she needed
- She says PE at school helped her get where she is now, but her advice is also to work hard and spend time volunteering where possible
- Day-to-day, Jenna liaises with primary schools about coming in to deliver football sessions – as well as carrying out the training with young girls. In the evenings, Jenna does Academy training – with the aim of getting the footballers into the England team or super league clubs
- Jenna says the key attributes for the job are: people skills, interacting with young women and understanding how to encourage them to get into sport
- Jenna is also a massive Leeds fan, which makes her job extra exciting!
What to expect if you want to be a development officer
- Development officer average salary: £18,000 to £30,000 per year
- Development officer typical working hours: 36 to 38 hours per week. You may work on evenings and weekends.
What qualifications do you need to be a development officer?
You could get into this role via a university course, a college course, an apprenticeship, volunteering or applying directly.
*Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
Work experience in your area
Find work experience placements with Workfinder.
Tips and advice
Help with interviews, writing a CV and all things work experience related.
Callum: youth worker and outreach officer
Starting out as volunteer for a youth club, Callum is now a youth worker and outreach officer.
Careers A to Z: Find your perfect job
From actor to zoologist, find the right fit for you.
Bryan: football coach. video
Bryan is the head of a football academy.
