Meet a member of our team - Sarah O Connor

Q: How long have you worked for IOB? 

I have worked in IOB for almost 3 years, since August 2017. 

Q: What did you do before? 

I previously worked as a Medical Administrator for the HSE’s Medical Card section and before that I worked as Customer Service/Technical Support Agent for EE, a phone network within the UK.  

Q: What do you find most satisfying about your job? 

I get the most satisfaction from helping our members/students when I can reduce their worry or stress. I appreciate that studying whilst working and balancing other commitments can be such a challenge so anytime I can alleviate that pressure, even in a small way, makes me feel that I achieved what I set out to do.  I really enjoy being able to put a face to a name and had the pleasure of meeting lots of our students at the 2019 Graduation ceremony, it was such a lovely day and made me feel fortunate that I get to witness so many journeys from start to finish with us. 

Q: What do you find most challenging about your job? 

I often help different departments with various things and am often involved in multiple projects so I can find balancing my everyday work with other items challenging sometimes.  

Q: What’s your favourite thing to do outside of work? 

Outside of work you can find me spending time with my family or aiding my caffeine addiction by finding new cafes to try! 

Q: Who would you invite to your dream dinner party? 

This is a hard question! My dream dinner party would include my childhood icon, Whitney Houston, I would do almost anything to hear her sing live! I think I would also invite Aretha Franklin, Beyonce and Celine Dion.  

Q: What one thing would you bring to a desert island? 

If I couldn’t bring Bear Grylls then the next best thing is my phone – I am sure YouTube tutorials would get me through until I was rescued!! 

Q: If you had a magic wand, what one change would you make on behalf of members? 

I often speak to students who are extremely interested in continuing their education but they question their ability, if I had a magic wand I would love to be able to show them the future and how they can do anything they put their mind to.