Invercargill resident Terri Gibson (50) made her career working as a tourism operator at Stewart Island.
But when she became pregnant with her daughter almost 10 years ago, she had to move back to the mainland to take care of her baby and have the support of her family.
"I used to work till 2am some days when I had my business — I couldn’t do that with a baby so I had to make this difficult choice," she said.
Since then she had completed a degree at the Southern Institute of Technology and been on benefit, but now Ms Gibson felt it was time to find permanent part-time employment.
She believed her 9-year-old daughter, who she declined to name, had reached an age where Ms Gibson could manage both the care of her only child and the job.
"I’m excited. It has been a long time but I love to work and I’m looking forward to returning to the workforce and being part of a team."
She was among the attendees of the Great South’s Job Search event at Invercargill Public Library yesterday.
She was part of workshops to improve her resume and interview skills.
"I’ve been out for quite some time so I want to help to highlight my strengths.
"I’m not a bit rusty ... I’m very rusty."
Great South’s Southland event organiser Renata Gill said the event aimed to show all the opportunities in the region and help jobseekers in a "really welcome and non-threatening way".
More than 800 jobs were available — an increase of about 200 on last year.
"It is a privilege to help people who are looking for the next step of their lives and careers."
The job search will continue at the Invercargill Public Library today and tomorrow from 10am.
