EPeeps Katie Stock | Office Assistant

Hey everyone! I’m Katie, the Office Assistant at EPHQ in Dunedin. I am an English lass but consider myself a Kiwi (having lived here for nearly 16 years now!). I would call New Zealand my home but do enjoy popping back to the UK every now and again to visit my family. I live in Dunedin with my partner Ben, who is Mosgiel born and bred, and our dog Stan the Staffy. We are a family of 3 soon to be 4 as I am currently pregnant with our first child. Although you might not guess it, I love anything outdoors. I love being in nature and that is where I am my happiest.

I went to school in Timaru and moved to Dunedin to study. I ended up studying twice as I had no idea what I wanted to do (it’s still a work in progress). I studied tourism, where I went on to work at the Royal Albatross Centre as a tour guide for 2 seasons. I then went on to business studies with my main passion being small business management where I came top of my class and got a scholarship through Anderson Lloyd. My passion is people and that’s what led me to work here at EP! Although I have only been at EP for nearly 5 months I feel like I have always been here. The culture is like no other and the people are amazing!

What’s one thing that surprised you when you began working at Education Perfect?

Since starting at EP I can’t get over how friendly and welcoming everyone is. You think that would be a given when starting a new role but alas I have been to many places where the welcomes have not been so warm. I love that there is no divide no matter what role you are in and everyone gets the opportunity to connect with EPeeps across the whole business.


What does a typical day look like for you in your role?

A typical day for me starts with making myself a coffee and having some brekkie! Then it’s straight to checking my slack and emails. I like to use my calendar to block out sections of my day to make time for travel bookings, tech requests, office to-do’s and bigger projects. My role includes a variety of jobs that I love so you can either find me at my desk working away, sending off packages, printing, picking up food for the office events… the list goes on! When it gets near the end of my day I like to add a few jobs to my to-do list for the following day- this way I can set myself up for the day ahead.

Goals for the next 3 months?

I would love to expand my knowledge in my role as I am still learning as I go.I am currently working on my personal development goals as I plan on having a long career at EP! I am already thinking of areas in the business I would love to work in someday, but at the moment I am working on being the best I can be in my current role.

What are you most excited about?

Not gonna lie, I am most excited about becoming a mother. This is something I have wanted for a very long time and my partner and I are extremely excited for the next chapter in our lives. I really feel like this is my life purpose and I can’t wait for the rollercoaster they call parenthood!

I am also very excited about my career at EP. I am looking forward to growing as a person in my work life and also in my personal life.

Where is somewhere you’d like to visit?

I have always wanted to visit Japan as I have heard it is amazing! I would love to try all the different foods and also buy lots of Japanese Stationery. I LOVE stationery! 

Fun fact: I was the manager of Typo in Dunedin for 5+ years and I had to leave due to the fact that I was spending a majority of my wages on stationery. 



What advice would you pass on to a younger version of yourself?

I have always loved this quote:  “And while you may not be everyone’s cup of tea, you don’t have to be. Tea has never apologised for not being coffee, it simply gravitates towards those who chose it.” 

This has always stuck with me as I have been told that I’m “too loud,” “too talkative,” “too sensitive.” so many things from a young age. I used to let comments like this get to me until I got older and realised that I am a pretty cool and unique person and I am the only one of myself in this world. I used to try and change for other people and it was making me miserable. So if I could give my younger self any advice it would be to not care what others think of me and keep being the weird, talkative, outgoing person I was born to be!