Interview with Helen Walshe

When my parents came to visit me during October 2014, they stayed in a Hilton Hotel in Kensington. It was the perfect location for us because it falls directly in between my campus and my flat. My parents have never been to London before and I have only been in the city a couple of months beforehand. I wanted to show them the most famous attractions in London before they explored the outskirts of the city. Unfortunately, my parents came to London in the beginning of the week, so I couldn't take off time from class to visit with them. The woman at the concierge desk was extremely helpful in giving my parents tips on what tours to go on and such. For example, my mother wanted to go see the Cotswolds, Oxford, and Cambridge. Helen Walshe, the concierge at the time, made my parents the happiest tourists that week. She was energetic, organized, and always willing to give us restaurant suggestions. At the end of the trip, she gave us her contact information and assured us that if we were ever to come back to London, she would give us more recommendations for places to visit. I wanted to reach out to her again and ask her who she really is and find out her life story. Below is my interview with Helen Walshe.

CM: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today, Ms. Walshe. I know it was hard to find a time to speak with the time change.

HW: Oh, not a problem at all dear! It's a pleasure to speak with you again and connect after a few months.

CM: Great! I was wondering if you could tell me a little about your life and how you got to where you are now.

HW: Sure. Well, I grew up in Ireland, actually, in a small town called Donard in County Wicklow. It's all grassland with a very small village and every single person in the town knows each other. Although my mother still lives there, I wanted to get out and live in a big city. So, I attended university in Dublin and received my degree in accounting. During this time, it was incredibly difficult to find a job in the field of accounting. I tried to see if I could make the jump over the pond to America, but my accounting degree wouldn't have transferred. I would have had to re-do my university studies, which was something I just couldn't afford. The next best thing to America in my mind was London. I moved over a few years after university and started to job hunt. Although it wasn't easy leaving my family, I needed to see for myself what was beyond County Wicklow.

CM: Wow, that's crazy. Even though I was abroad for 4 months, I really missed my family. I don't know how you did it.

HW: It was hard in the beginning, especially because I knew no one in London and had no job. That's when I started to look into hotels.

CM: Oh, that's interesting. How did that happen?

HW: It sounds really random and I'm not too sure how it happened. It almost just fell into my lap. You see, since I didn't have a job at the time, I had so much time to explore London. I had the chance to see some darling "off-the-beaten-path" pubs and shops. It was such a freeing time to not have a worry in the world. I knew it couldn't last forever, so I decided to try and combine my knowledge of the city and the lessons I learned at university from accounting. I started to walk into hotels and ask them if they had any job openings. I got my first job as an Accountant at the Bayswater Inn Hotel. I was able to use my accounting degree and still have friendly interaction with visitors to London.

CM: Honestly, the hotel business is the perfect job for you because you are so friendly and welcoming to strangers (like my parents and myself)! It's funny, I'm an accounting major at my university in New York City and accountants are known to be dry and boring. In my opinion, we contradict that stereotype. Tell me more about your experiences at this hotel.

HW: Wow, it's quite interesting that the view of accountants on both continents are similar. Anyways, I loved working at the hotel. It let me us my knowledge of accounting. As time went on, I got promoted to Manager and Accountant at the hotel. It was quite an experience because I came from having no job to managing a hotel in London. Around 5 years later, I wanted something different. I thought I could use my experience with roaming the streets of London by myself to a higher degree. That's how I ended up at my job at the Hilton Hotel in Kensington.

CM: It's really refreshing to hear that I don't have to use my accounting degree strictly for accounting jobs. I think you have a great personality to interact with visitors to London. You were great with my parents and me who really didn't know our way around London.

HW: The great part about my job is that I get to meet some unique people from all over the world. I haven't really traveled outside the UK, so I love getting to speak with Australians, Germans, Italians, Americans, and so much more.

CM: I never really thought of the hotel business to be a networking opportunity. I mean, I got in contact with you after a few months and just a few interactions between each other!

HW: Exactly! It's nice that my two daughters get to work in the hotel with me. They are able to help out with check-in. It's quite expensive to travel outside the UK, so their interactions with the world happens right here in London.

CM: That's awesome that you get to keep your career inside the family. Do you ever think of switching hotels or retiring after so many years?

HW: I think once I stop thinking of "cool" or "trendy" places to visit in London is when I'll let a younger girl take over my position.

CM: So kind of you! Well, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. Next time I'm in London, which I hope is very soon, I'll definitely stop by to visit!

HW: Anytime! It's been so nice to speak to you and to share my experiences in London. If I ever make my way across the pond, I'll give you a ring. Cheers, then!

CM: Looking forward to it!


There you have it, folks! She truly is the epitome of a local Brit. It's incredible that she had courage to leave her family in her village in Ireland and explore the United Kingdom. She finds pride in the work that she does. Even with an accounting degree, she believes that the hotel business is where she belongs. Helen Walshe is an inspiration for all of the aspiring Accountants out there who don't think that's the career path for them!