'Man do I love a networking event!'

Name: Teela Clayton
Job title and company: Lecturer and PhD student at Leeds Beckett University
Location: Leeds
Time in PR: Four and a half years after a major career change!

What does your current role involve?
Deep research into public relations, and teaching at our business school at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

What do you love most about working in public relations? 
The possibility to enact change at societal level and the people. Man do I love a networking event!

What's been the highlight of your career so far? 
There have been so many unexpected peaks that the troughs sometimes feel a bit bigger. I still get starstruck at conferences when I get to meet the people behind the books but probably still the biggest highlight is when I got to hang out with [writer] Anne Gregory in Prague!

How long have you been a member and what made you join? 
I joined as a master’s student after chatting to [PRs] Sara Thornhurst and Josephine Graham at one of the CIPR Yorkshire and Lincolnshire group events. I was hooked and joined that same day!

How does the CIPR support your career? 
I love all of the resources that support my CPD and I tailor these to both my job and my research. Then there’s the community aspect which has allowed me to expose our students to so many practitioners. CIPR Yorkshire and Lincolnshire group has also run networking events for our students which have prepared them for the world of PR.

Best piece of career advice you’ve been given? 
Don’t get in your own way. There’s the statistic about women ruling themselves out of a job because they don’t fit 100% of the spec. Some of that is about confidence. I tell all of my students to take up all their space. They deserve to be where they are.

Find out more about joining the CIPR 

Take the next step in your PR career and become a member. The CIPR is a supportive and inclusive community where everyone has the opportunity to connect, thrive and grow. Join the CIPR today.