‘Regret it’: Springbok WAG on NOT pursuing lucrative career

Springbok WAG Layla Kolbe – the wife of Cheslin Kolbe – has admitted to having “regrets” over not pursuing a lucrative career as a chartered accountant.

The mother of three put her professional life on pause to support her spouse.

Layla and Cheslin married in 2018, the same year he was called up to the Boks.

The couple lived abroad in France and Japan, where Cheslin played club rugby. Layla and the kids are now based in Cape Town.

SPRINGBOK WAG LAYLA KOLBE ON CAREER REGRETS

In an Instagram Q&A, Layla Kolbe responded to a question about seemingly abandoning her academic accolades. The 32-year-old is a qualified chartered accountant who paused her career to support her Springbok spouse.

Responding to the question, she said: “At the time, I didnt regret not pursuing the CA route. But now I do.”

In a birthday post earlier this year, Layla revealed she was “ready to find a job.”

Back in 2020, a year after the Springboks won the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Layla shared a heartfelt post about why she chose to be a mother and wife over a career.

She posted: “I left my career, in the middle of my articles of fulfilling my own dream of becoming a Chartered Accountant. People laughed at me and still do.”

She continued: “Yes, I left for rugby. I left to back my husband. I witnessed all his crits, all the Springbok call-ups, camps, and long tours, but I never got selected. I witnessed all the great seasons, but still no Springbok debut. Because of size.

“I witnessed how this man still perseveres and still puts his all on that field every time despite it all. I can’t explain what a roller coaster these past few years has been like. To just see him be a part of such a phenomenal squad was one of the proudest moments for me.” 

“No CA qualification could have ever replaced witnessing not only Cheslin make it, but witnessing a nation with so many underprivileged and heartache, witnessing hundreds of kids in townships running freely with joy and hope, videos of bars packed and people singing “OLÉ” arm in arm; streets packed with people from all backgrounds- all together in unity! All Celebrating this victory. That is flippen special”.

WHAT DO CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS EARN IN SOUTH AFRICA?

According to Payscale, Chartered Accountants in South Africa can earn between R192 000 and R981 000 per annum, with the average being around R700 000 a year.

This means that Layla Kolbe could easily earn around R60 00 per month.

However, it appears that despite their humble beginnings, the Kolbes are already pretty wealthy.

According to Rugga, Cheslin is the highest-earning Springbok, with a R22 million paycheck per season for his Japanese club, Tokyo Sungoliath. This equates to around R1.8 million a month!

IS IT IMPORTANT FOR SPRINGBOK WAGS TO HAVE THEIR OWN CAREERS?

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