SINGAPORE - When her employer faced declining demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Veronica Sung became worried about her future.

As a business development manager at a sustainable packaging firm, her salary was based on sales commissions. The uncertainty caused by the pandemic and seeing her earnings drop by 30 per cent drove her to quit her job in June and search for a career that would offer better job security and prospects.

The 30-year-old who has held jobs in various fields, from real estate to product development, decided to pursue her interest in teaching young children. She eventually landed a job as an assistant teacher at pre-school Safari House in August.

"I had always wanted to work with young children. So I thought, why not give it a try?" said the banking and wealth management graduate from the University of Wales, who felt the communication and organisation skills honed in her previous jobs would be useful.

Ms Sung now helps manage a class of five-year-olds and assists in the teaching of English and mathematics.

"It has been a challenge as I haven't worked with young children before," she said. "I have to look after their needs. It is like being a part-time mother to them."

As she did not have any prior experience, Safari House placed her on a pre-school teacher professional conversion programme to provide her with formal training to be an educator and ease her transition into the job. Since then, she has learnt about the various theories and methods to manage children.

Ms Sung, who is engaged to a 33-year-old network engineer, said: "I hope to groom Singapore's next generation and set a good example for them."