Eunice Loh - Teaching Preschoolers as a Second Career

From Left: Kenny, Esther, Eunice, Selvi, Sooria & Rachel during R.E.A.L Long Service Award 2015, 15th Jan 2015 in HQ.

10 years with R.E.A.L Kids Wangsa Melawati. Teacher Eunice is a lovely teacher who joined us back in 2004 as an Assistant Teacher in R.E.A.L Kids Wangsa Melawati, better known as CEC back then. She was formerly a professional working in the field of Quantity Surveying, a lucrative and competitive career with hectic deadlines. She never knew teaching preschoolers was her calling. It was a fine day she walked in to our center and everything changed from then on. By chance she would say, she was there to enroll her son in the kindergarten and she realized how much she would love to work with children than with buildings.

In her own words, Eunice said, "Children had given me a lot. Every year, I see new faces. They are cute and I don't feel we're old. A lot of opportunities were given to me to advance my career with R.E.A.L Kids. From Assistant Teacher to Class Teacher to HoD for 5-year-old classes. I later took up a Diploma in Early Childhood from Institute CECE  to better equip myself with the industry's standard. Good times and bad, during my term with R.E.A.L Kids, the Center Manager Esther guided and taught me some important lessons before too." But it's all good today, resigning as an Assistant Supervisor, Eunice has decided to migrate to another country with her family and we wish her all the best.

Some additional Q&A with Eunice post award:
1. It is definitely not easy to decide to resign from a lucrative QS (Quantity Survey) career to join R.E.A.L Kids as an Assistant Teacher. Can you share with us, how did you battle that huge change?

"Career, family, money. It came a time I had to decide what I really wanted in life as a mother. Quantity Surveyor was a really competitive career. I had to do tender, do the quantity surveying jobs and rush for deadlines every time there's a project to deliver. I made a lot of money but I had no time to spend the money. We are all answerable to ourselves. What we believe in. You can't please everyone but you yourself must be aware what's worth your time. What makes you happy and what satisfies you. My son was 5 years old that time and I was in my thirties."

2. Any regrets for the drastic career change?
 "If there was any regret, I regretted I did not take up Education that time." 

3. Were your family members supportive of that decision?
"Not really. But I was answerable to myself. I was lucky my husband made sufficient to support our family."

4. What's your plan moving forward? Will you pursue Early Childhood when you're in Australia?
"Maybe. Perhaps in Special Needs, but nothing is firm as of now."