A cabin manager for easyJet who lost her job of 14 years following a turbulent time for the aviation industry has launched a successful dog training business in Ipswich.
Hundreds of jobs were lost in August after easyJet closed their base at Stansted Airport – with many people still out of work as Covid-19 continues to disrupt the economy.
Leanne Milburn-Turner was on maternity leave when she found out she was being made redundant, after 14 years working for the airline.
The 40-year-old from Ipswich said she was “devastated” as she thought she would continue in her role until retirement.
She was due to return to work in September but knew her job was at risk.
“The longer the pandemic went on, the more I worried about my job,” said Mrs Milburn-Turner.
In June, after finding out she had no future at Stansted airport, Mrs Milburn-Turner launched her own dog training business in Ipswich and is already fully booked until the end of November.
The dog-lover had been training alongside her full-time job after having bad experiences when training her 10-year-old rescue Vinnie.
“I had very bad advice from a trainer about five years ago, which just made Vinnie worse,” she said.
“So I decided to train Vinnie myself and did some dog training courses to become qualified, hoping to do it alongside easyJet in the future.”
Losing her job with the airline spurred Mrs Milburn-Turner onto launching her own business – called The Ipswich Dog Trainer – where she goes into people’s homes and offers one-to-one advice, obedience training, reactivity training and more.
She said: “I am ridiculously busy already, and I am full-booked until November 20.
“I did not think it would be this busy, but a lot of people have bought puppies during lockdown so need help.
“Some dogs are also experiencing separation anxiety, while others are struggling without socialising.
“I was really upset when I was made redundant and it was quite daunting, but once I started my own business it was great to be my own boss.”
Mrs Milburn-Turner hopes to expand her business in the future, offering puppy classes and pet first-aid.
To get in touch with The Ipswich Dog Trainer, you can visit her website or send her an email at info@theipswichdogtrainer.com
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