When I Grow Up; Hunters® meets Channel 4.

As a company with its roots firmly in ‘family business’ territory, we were really enthusiastic when Channel 4 approached us to be involved with their, ‘When I Grow Up’ series. For those of you that may not be familiar with the programme, ‘When I Grow up’ follows a group of six 8-year-old children from a range of socio-economic backgrounds and immerses them in real time work environments.  

The junior team that came to York consisted of Alfie from Doncaster- a kind and sensitive soul with a massive heart and inner strength, Adam from Bristol- financially aware with a sensible head on young shoulders, Niya from Croydon- a smart go-getter, Susanna from Chelsea- fun, kind, creative, and incredibly insightful, Logan from Middlesbrough- a bright and amiable character with a flair for instinctively reading a situation, and Molly - organised, delightful, with a strong understanding of right and wrong.

Apart from giving Channel 4 viewers a superb insight into how Hunters® as a brand operates, the series provides inspiration to young children to consider a range of different career roles available to them and to set their goals high.

The team of new recruits came to our York Head Office to meet our CEO, Glynis Frew, Martin Robinson, our National Sales Director, and Vanessa Wilson, our York Sales Manager. Under their careful and encouraging supervision, the team wasted no time in learning the ropes of running the Hunters® branch in Harrogate, producing the marketing materials for two new properties, running an open house sales event, and successfully closing a property sale.

Of course, this was a snapshot into real life situations, working (or not) as a team, developing interpersonal skills such as patience, compromise and negotiation, and acknowledging and respecting the strengths and weaknesses of self and others. Not everything ran smoothly, after all, selling property is not for the feint hearted!

The programme was a lovely insight into being humbled when it is beneficial, and the power of jumping out of your comfort zone to see just how far you can go and what you can achieve; I’m sure there is a lesson in there for all of us that work in team environments.

The highlight of the programme for me is most definitely when timid Alfie receives support and encouragement from Martin to successfully negotiate a real house sale- even getting to ring the ‘sale’ bell.

Whatever these amazing young people choose to do in the future, at least they have had some of the best work place training available, and will always be part of the Hunters® extended family.