Summer of 2011 Hannah did the thing I feared most she resigned as a leader! Suddenly we had a new leader at Turnhams farm. After a long talk with her and my Hubby I decided that actually what I wanted to do was take over from her. So there started the whirl wind experience of becoming a leader.
After going through the interview procedure where I had to do a presentation on my weight loss story, I was offered the job! I was so eager to become a leader that I pushed to go to the training weekend in Leeds . Couple of weeks later on the 2nd September 2011 I was off to leader on the training weekend.
Due to my long journey I had travelled up the night before, was quiet strange being in a hotel by my self and then spending the weekend with complete strangers. Overall the weekend was interesting and differently a roller coaster of emotions!
Back from the weekend I had my 1st proper meeting visit with in Woodley with the lovely Sue, who happened to be my old leader’s Leader! At that meeting I had to help weigh then give the 30 minute talk! Next was Pangbourne with the lovely Nicki and then to Early with Jackie. I had a Saturday admin training session and then 4th and final meeting visit was back to Pangbourne. We then had our final workshop before my final assessment on 12th October, which I passed!
I think my time helping Hannah at Turnhams really helped. There are 3 or 4 jobs being a helper at a weight watchers meeting.
1) Greater, giving out members cards and signing up new members
2) Weigher where you help the leader weigh members, normally this happens at very busy meetings
3/4) Shop & Clark some meeting do this together. So the shop person sells all the products and recommends things to people and the Clark takes the fees and sells months passes
Then I was a fully fledged weight watcher leader! Next stop was delivery of all my stock! And let me tell you, you get loads! I kept my meeting stock at mine and then any extra stock was kept in my mum’s garage due to the lack of space at my old house! I wasn’t given a meeting to take over instead I had to look for places to open new ones, until then I just did cover meetings.
So on the 7th January I opened a meeting at Whitley Wood Community Centre and on the 11th January I opened at Goring Village Hall. What WW don’t tell you is they don’t really give you any help finding venues, organising helpers etc so I had to rely on friends and family to help until I managed to find some helpers.
I have to say that neither meeting ever really took off but Whitley was worse than Goring. On the 21st July my self and the area manager decided to close Whitley. So I then went to running 1 meeting a week to for me to be honest that was fine as I was just about to start another exciting journey.
Around the middle of September 2012 being a leader and going through IVF finally got to much as I was struggling to run my meetings so I decided to take some time off. The finally after finding out I was pregnant I decided that I didn’t want to carry on being a leader due to the lifting etc so I resigned.
I have to say that although I loved my time as a leader it’s not all that simple.
Things you should know about being a WW leader:
- You need a decent size car for all the equipment you have to carry including
- Scales
- New member packs I had 1 small lock and store box
- Shop stock – I had 2 large lock and store boxes and 3 small ones
- Clark bits including Cash tin with at least £20 float in it in small change - I had 1 small lock and store box
- Member materials – I had 1 small lock and store box
- Table clothes
- Back board
- Various other bits
- Before every meeting you need to prep for that meeting making sure u have stock ready
- After every meeting u have to
- Complete and return your tally
- Do your banking
- Add new members to your txt anywhere system
- Send out care note, txts emails
- You then also have to:
- Complete a timesheet
- Attend area meetings normally for 2 hours every month
- Attend training events as and when
- Money is ok much better if you have a highly busy meeting
- You have to find your own helpers, train them etc
- If you need cover for your meeting you have to find it
Would I do it again? Um unsure but I do suggest that you don’t have a full time job as well.
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