As I approached the culmination of six years in the British Army, I knew that I wanted to use my resettlement time to increase my commercial awareness and support my personal development. Initially the number of prospective courses, industries and roles felt daunting. What did I want to do? What qualifications would I need? What should I be applying for? Where would I fit in best? It’s safe to say I had overthought the whole resettlement process before it even begun!
Fortunately, I came across an advertisement for an Internship with Matero Consulting on the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) early into my resettlement. As a start-up Management Consultancy, Matero offered the dynamism and responsibility I sought from a future employer. Founded by Stuart Tootal and Dan McDonough in 2019, Matero’s approach to consultancy fuses military expertise and planning, with commercial acumen. Both partners have extensive experience in the commercial world and they understand the value of veterans and a military approach, having both set up military transition schemes at Barclays and Deloitte. This reassured me that I would be able to utilise my military experience in the consulting world and be an asset to Matero.
My seven weeks with Matero Consulting have been invaluable. I have been fully embedded into the Matero Team; I have supported a change management project for one of their clients; researched ideas for Matero’s Business Development and helped organise the first virtual Matero Military Transition Network event. Furthermore, the Matero Team and Matero Associate Community (MAC) have been eager to support my development, whether that is by providing networking opportunities, interview preparation or career coaching. During this experience I have been most surprised by how quickly I could add value. It is clear the military has prepared us well for a multitude of roles and you should not be fazed by transition. Internship opportunities can be hugely beneficial in supporting your post military decision-making process and I would highly recommend Matero’s to anyone going through resettlement/transition.
The internship has also provided me the opportunity to reflect on some of the wider lessons I have learnt through my own resettlement and transition.