Working Life
About Catherine McCormick
Catherine McCormick is a mother of twins and is living in Switzerland as an expat, originally from England. Her experience in the working world has been very diverse, from the music industry to a children’s therapist. Her work journey has been complicated by moving to different countries and having children. But, here is her perspective on her identity being shaped and changed from her work.
What did you do as a job after university?
“After university I worked at the opera house. I worked there as a rep so I would play along to the scores for the operas. It was wonderful. I met loads of people and I met lots of the chorus...As it expanded, my job was more behind the scenes which I was fine with. My job was slightly less playing than when I was first there. I worked there for 4 years.”
Do you have any experiences or stories about your music career?
“I met and played with Pavarotti, the famous opera singer! Incredible experience and he had such a huge personality. There was one time we had to fly in a scarf. He used to wear a big women’s scarf, [and] he would sing with like three of them. One time we had to fly over a scarf from Italy for him to do a show and he would refuse to go on stage until he had his scarf! It was yellow, white, [and] blue and it was flown in specially. I think when you’re Pavarotti at the height of your fame, you could do anything you want...I played the piano for him for an aria once and it was amazing. I've worked with other opera stars and yeah, I've probably met all the greats.
So, when was it that you had kids and how was it to stop working?
“Well, after my job at the opera house, I worked for a record company and was out on the road a lot. I worked with gigs and made a deliberate decision to change my lifestyle because there was no way it would be suitable for a family. And I wanted kids…[so] I worked for publishing. I got a really nice job working for Penguins Publishing and that [publishing company] published Peter Rabbit...There was a good maternity package for women...They made it really easy going back to work. [Whereas,] the music industry was more dog-eat-dog. There was someone waiting for your job the second you would leave for just a week! It was very competitive.”
And how did living in Amsterdam impact your working life?
“So, that was quite a different experience actually because I had worked all my life up till that point., I took a bit of a break. There was an incredible expat community so it was full of lots of women who for the first time in their lives weren't working. We were a little shocked and surprised and [we were thinking] how we were going to fill this void? We filled it with bicycling and museums and eating lots of cheese and trying on lots of clogs. I'm joking. There were a lot of people who were in the same position as me and it was quite like a university type of life but there was always a little bit of something that I could pick up if I wanted to. It was a fab experience and was always temporary so it always had an end to it if that makes sense.”
“I don't know if it was the twinkly lights or the church, but something about the story really moved me.”
-Catherine McCormick
When did you start thinking about being a children’s therapist?
“There were about three signs that I had in a couple of months. The final sign was at a Christmas Eve service and the woman who was speaking at the service said about how you could change a child's life by talking to them and actually hearing them. I don't know if it was the twinkly lights or the church but something about the story really moved me...Two weeks later I was enrolled in the course.”
How challenging was the therapy course to become a children’s therapist?
“It was really challenging. The first day you came in we were all in a circle (like circle time at school). The tutor said, ‘Ok put your seatbelts on and brace yourself, it's going to be a bumpy ride!’...It was challenging, rewarding, hard. All in the same breath.”
Overall, working has been a huge part of your identity, [is it] always there to give you purpose?
“Absolutely...There's something about working that is quite defining and is fulfilling and it's important to keep my brain active. To feel like having a sense of accomplishment at the end of every day. Like you made a difference.”
Overall, what do you find the impact of moving and having kids had on you?
“...I think it is a huge gain when you put the rug under you and try something new. It’s always an adventure and sometimes it’s not as easy and it has been tricky with the pandemic. But on the whole it’s a really good risk to take and there's always exciting things around the corner and you just don't know about it yet. That’s the excitement [of] living somewhere else.”
“We filled it with bicycling and museums, eating lots of cheese and trying on lots of clogs. I’m joking.”
-Catherine McCormick
