Woman swapped £64k corporate job for waitressing after burnout made her collapse in meeting

A woman quit her high-flying £64k a year corporate job due to burnout and moved more than 9,000 miles across the world to work as a waitress.

Tara Franks, 29, quit her senior corporate job in January 2023 after being so burned out she fell ill while delivering a presentation.

She lost the ability to speak and see and said it was a "turning point" and after two weeks of returning to work Tara resigned.

She had burnout - a state of complete mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion.

Tara and her boyfriend, James Thomas, 29, both ditched their corporate life and used £18k savings to travel and move abroad.

After travelling around South East Asia for four months, the pair landed in Cairns. Australia.

After two months of travelling, they settled down in Melbourne.

But instead of going back into their previous careers they both found jobs in hospitality and Tara now earns $32 an hour on a weekday, $36 on a Saturday and $42 on a Sunday.

Tara and James are planning to extend their visa and carry on living in Australia and have no plans to return to the UK - or get back into the corporate world.

Tara, a restaurant host, originally from Wirral, Merseyside, said: "As I hit 27/28 I was like 'shit'.

"I was at a point in my career where things were going really well and I didn't have a reason to leave.

"I had shares in the company and if I had stayed another year I would have made a profit - I lost money leaving.

"I even spoke to work about starting up an office in Australia but it was too complicated.

"November 2022 was when everything changed - I went off with burnout.

"I was giving a presentation and I lost my sight and ability to speak.

"They had to call an ambulance and I spent three days in hospital."

Tara started working for a start-up HR tech company in 2018 and progressed up the company ladder and moved to their London office.

After five years she was in a senior position at the company earning £64k a year.

Tara said: "A lot of my friends were jumping from job to job at the time and I had been at the company for five and a half years.

"I had the most amazing friends and manager but it meant I didn't realise the signs of burnout."

In November 2022, Tara was delivering a presentation at work where she lost her sight and was unable to speak.

She was taken to St Thomas Hospital, where she spent 12 hours before being taken to Homerton University Hospital, London where she spent three days.

Tara said: "They thought I had a stroke but it turned out to be a crazy stress episode.

"I was then off for a month. I returned to work in January 2023 but handed my notice in after two weeks."

At first, she said her family didn't believe her travelling plans but the pair set off in May 2023.

She said: "They were super super supportive. My dad didn't believe me until I booked the flights.

"Everyone was super supportive and we had about five leaving parties before I left.