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Kirstie Wallington
She Spent 12 Years Working to Branch Manager. Then Her Son Started School.
Kirstie spent 12 years rising from apprentice to branch manager at a national agency. Then her son was due to start school, and everything she thought she had built started to feel like the wrong fit.
Partner Agent, The Letting Experts25 June 2026
Some decisions are not really about the job at all. They are about the life you are trying to build around it. Kirstie spent 12 years rising from apprentice to branch manager at a national agency. Then her son was due to start school, and everything she thought she had built started to feel like the wrong fit. Here is what happened next.
The Career She Built From the Ground Up
Kirstie started in lettings as an apprentice at 18 and worked her way all the way up to branch manager. Years of steady progress got her there. For a long time, that was enough. Then her son approached school age, and the job she had spent over a decade building suddenly wouldn't provide her the flexibility she needed.
She wanted to do the school runs herself, to be there for him rather than send him to a school club before and after every day. She asked if there was a way to make her hours work around that.
The answer was no. A morning and afternoon club were the only options on the table, built around what the business needed, not what her family needed.
She wanted to do the school runs herself, to be there for him rather than send him to a school club before and after every day. She asked if there was a way to make her hours work around that.
The answer was no. A morning and afternoon club were the only options on the table, built around what the business needed, not what her family needed.
I didn't want to send him to school clubs. I wanted to be there for him, to do the school runs myself. But they wouldn't let me do that.
The First Few Months
Kirstie built her early business the way most agents do, starting with people she already knew and growing from there through word of mouth.
A few months in, Susan offered her a different kind of role, supporting other Partner Agents through the compliance side of the business. It meant stepping back from building her own lettings portfolio as fast as she might have otherwise.
For a while, money was tight enough that she considered a part-time job just to bridge the gap. Joining the support team meant she never had to.
Now she does both. Supporting agents day to day, while still taking on her own landlords through referrals and word of mouth.
A few months in, Susan offered her a different kind of role, supporting other Partner Agents through the compliance side of the business. It meant stepping back from building her own lettings portfolio as fast as she might have otherwise.
For a while, money was tight enough that she considered a part-time job just to bridge the gap. Joining the support team meant she never had to.
Now she does both. Supporting agents day to day, while still taking on her own landlords through referrals and word of mouth.
Those first couple of months, I was starting to think about a part-time job just to bridge the gap while my own business found its feet. Joining the support team meant I didn't have to.
Seeing the Business From Both Sides
What makes Kirstie's perspective distinct is that she now sits on both sides of the business, as a Partner Agent and as part of the support team that oversees lets and pre-let compliance for other agents, stepping in whenever they need help.
She remembers what it was like before that structure existed, when new agents had less support behind them than they do now. That's part of why she values the role so much now.
She knows what it feels like to be unsure and want someone to turn to, and it means a lot to her that other agents now have that support in place.
She's quick to point out that nobody is ever really on their own here, because of the network around them. People want to see each other's businesses grow, not compete with them.
She remembers what it was like before that structure existed, when new agents had less support behind them than they do now. That's part of why she values the role so much now.
She knows what it feels like to be unsure and want someone to turn to, and it means a lot to her that other agents now have that support in place.
She's quick to point out that nobody is ever really on their own here, because of the network around them. People want to see each other's businesses grow, not compete with them.
I always say to people, you don't feel like you're on your own here. You've got the team chats, you've got the support team. Someone always comes back to you, because everyone wants to help each other.
What Self-Employment Actually Gave Her
Ask Kirstie what changed most and she doesn't talk about targets or numbers. She talks about being present, about finally being able to work and still be the mum she always wanted to be, something a corporate agency was never going to offer her.
She's candid that at a big company, you can start to feel like a number rather than someone building anything of your own.
It shows up in how her landlords treat her too. She hears from them directly, over WhatsApp or a phone call, rather than being passed between different people each time they get in touch, and she thinks that's exactly why they choose to stay with her.
She's candid that at a big company, you can start to feel like a number rather than someone building anything of your own.
It shows up in how her landlords treat her too. She hears from them directly, over WhatsApp or a phone call, rather than being passed between different people each time they get in touch, and she thinks that's exactly why they choose to stay with her.
At a big company, you just feel like a number. Here, people would rather call or WhatsApp me directly than explain the whole thing again to someone new every time.
Does Kirstie's Story Sound Familiar?
If you are balancing a career you have worked hard to build with a life that no longer fits around it, Kirstie's story is one of many across The Letting Experts network.
Partner Agents build profitable, personally branded businesses with the compliance support, coaching and systems to make it work from day one, whatever stage of life they are starting from.
The first step is simply finding out whether it is the right fit for you, and whether your area is still available.
Partner Agent territories are taken as agents join the network, and we cannot guarantee that your area will still be open when you decide you are ready. If Kirstie's story has made you think it might be worth a conversation, now is the right moment to have it.
No pressure. No obligation. Just an honest conversation about what might be possible.
Partner Agents build profitable, personally branded businesses with the compliance support, coaching and systems to make it work from day one, whatever stage of life they are starting from.
The first step is simply finding out whether it is the right fit for you, and whether your area is still available.
Partner Agent territories are taken as agents join the network, and we cannot guarantee that your area will still be open when you decide you are ready. If Kirstie's story has made you think it might be worth a conversation, now is the right moment to have it.
No pressure. No obligation. Just an honest conversation about what might be possible.