If you’re interested in a career in compliance, our senior associate, Eilish Cullen, talks about life at Teal Compliance, and what her work involves.
About me
I’ve been working as a Senior Associate at Teal Compliance since November 2022. Having previously carried out Teal’s comprehensive Compliance Officer Training Programme, I was already aware of their reputation within the compliance industry. Prior to this, I worked at a small litigation firm in Liverpool and had several roles including Head of Department, Deputy COLP, Director and Complaints Partner.
In my previous role, I carried out a wide range of tasks including fee-earning, supervision, training, elements of human resources, as well as policy drafting and compliance record keeping.
My role
My day-to day duties, usually consist of:
- Reading Legal Futures/Law Gazette. Fellow ‘compliance geeks’ will understand the need to keep ourselves informed of Regulatory and AML developments.
- I try to be active on LinkedIn. It’s a great platform to share our knowledge with clients, potential clients and those in the industry. I think it’s important for our clients to know about the services we provide and to put some personality into what others deem to be a ‘dry subject’.
- I’ll plan out my day. This could be a Policy Review, Regulatory/AML training, CQS File Reviews or our most popular service – our independent AML Audit.
- As Associates, we always keep an eye on our inbox for ‘Ask Teal’ enquiries. This is a central inbox where clients contact us seeking urgent guidance, and we aim to provide high-quality expert advice within a short period of time. Some of these can be very technical and tricky but between the Teal Team, we have always been able to assist.
A typical day
Whilst we’re thankful to have flexible working, I tend to work 9am-5pm.
Thankfully, the Management Team at Teal encourage taking regular breaks and are very keen on having good mental health strategies in place – no one wants a burnt-out employee! This means I always take my lunch break, something that didn’t really seem to happen in my last role due to other demands. I definitely feel more productive as a result.
Sometimes your best thoughts come to you whilst walking your dog – who would have thought?
What I love about what I do
One of the reasons I love working at Teal is the sense of job satisfaction I get, something I feel was missing in my last role due to ‘spinning so many plates’ and never truly feeling that I was adding value as a result.
Many of our law firm clients feel the same, with their time and resources being thinly stretched. Here at Teal, I’ve been given the opportunity to provide expert guidance to our clients and help to shape their compliance framework for the better which gives me a great sense of personal achievement. This is why I ‘do what I do’.
Diversity is also something that keeps me motivated. No month at Teal is ever the same! Alongside carrying out independent AML audits, CQS file review and AML training, I have also been selected to participate in round table discussions on financial management and regulatory issues. Having this level of exposure has been extremely beneficial for my career development within Teal.
That said, like many professionals, I’m sometimes plagued with the dreaded ‘imposter syndrome’ and doubt my own capabilities. However, I genuinely think this is counter-balanced by having a supportive and positive team around. Getting good client feedback also helps!
