Bolton School old girl address pupils from her home in Australia as part of an inspiring Woman of Work talk.

Charlotte Unwin was the latest guest to be invited to speak to Bolton School Year 10 girls as part of the careers programme and spoke about her career in communication.

She is a speech and language therapist living in the Gold Coast, Queensland and spoke remotely to the pupils.

Charlotte reflected on her time at Bolton School, which began in 2007, and how she developed a love of modern foreign languages.

After Bolton School she studied Russian and Italian at the University of Sheffield and recalled living in three Russian cities – Moscow, St Petersburg and Yaroslavl – during her four-year degree.

She completed a Masters in International Tourism and Hospitality Management at Manchester Metropolitan University.

During the course, Charlotte secured a job as a travel agent before working for a company that was a hotel consultant for the British Army and taking a role as a business travel consultant. This all came to a halt, she said, when Covid hit. Working from home gave her time to reflect on what she wanted to do with her life and she realised that she wanted to help people.

Charlotte signed up for more study – a two-year conversion course in the form of an MSc in Speech and Language Therapy at UCLan.

Fed up with the English weather, Charlotte took the decision to emigrate to Australia, where she now works in a community role for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

She spoke about having a wide variety of individuals on her caseload and how she conducts sessions wherever people are comfortable.

Advising her Year 10 self, Charlotte said do not be afraid to make mistakes and to find something that you enjoy doing.

She answered a range of questions, including: Why did you choose the speech and language therapy course? Was Australia a big difference in culture? Are you homesick at all? And how long did it take to get your visa?