Interviews
- News Archive
Out There in the Real World
An interview with Larissa Khatchik, a third year English and Cultural Studies student
At St Mary’s, undergraduate students have the option of undertaking work placements in their second and final years through the Centre for Workplace Learning. These placements are part-time and the students fit them in around their university timetable.
The placements are very popular and successful and they attract students studying from the entire range of undergraduate degrees offered at the University College. Students benefit from the placements in ways which relate to their academic learning, to their personal and professional development, and to their future career prospects.
They are encouraged to reflect on their progress and learning through the placement, to take their academic knowledge to the workplace and so test theory in practice, and to bring back the skills and professionalism that they learn on placement.
Each year students choose to take up placements in a variety of organisations, including local small businesses, large multinationals and a wide range of organisations in the not-for-profit sector.
Larissa is a current final year student studying for a joint honours degree in English and Cultural Studies:
Why did you choose to study at St Mary’s?
I had a few friends whose brothers came here and they just loved it and had so much fun. So when I came to apply for uni, I knew there were only a couple of choices, and this was the main one. I knew it would be great, as there’s a great atmosphere here. Also, some of my tutors came here in the past, and everybody had good things to say about this place.
So you’re happy with the course you chose?
Definitely. I’ve loved all the modules so far. I’m enjoying it so much.
Tell me about the work placement you’re doing.
The company’s called Business Publishing and, of course, the purpose of the placement is to do something related to what you want to do after you get your degree. And I always wanted to do journalism, so that was the only field I looked at. I was looking at local magazines and that company kept coming up when I was looking on the internet.
The company’s quite prestigious; it has four local magazines in different districts of London, like Mayfair and Sloane Square. So I just knew that would be a good place to get a work placement. I did try other places, but it’s more difficult to get a place on bigger name publications.
Did you get help from the CWL in organising the placement?
Yes, they helped me a lot, because I had a lot of trouble trying to find it in the first place. So I emailed Liz Coombs, the Director of Workplace Learning, the names of companies I was interested in, and she contacted them for me. She spoke to one of the editors at Business Publishing, gave me a reference and set up an interview for me. I think it’s more difficult if you have to do all that by yourself, but Liz and the CWL gave me a lot of help.
How did you find out about the CWL?
Doing a placement is an option for everyone in their 2nd Year but it’s only an option with certain subjects in the 3rd Year. My boyfriend does Geography, and he was doing a placement in the 3rd Year, so I asked if I could do a placement for the same credits as a third year dissertation. That was fine, although eligibility for the placement does depend on the degree combination you are taking.
Do you think most students might benefit from some work experience?
Well, I think it’s better doing a work placement at the same time as a degree, rather than afterwards. Usually you’d be expected to work all the time, whereas with this placement I’m able to go in one or two days a week when I can. It’s more relaxed, so it’s easier to get the work experience through this.
What do you do on your placement?
So far, I’ve done loads of research because they’re planning on setting up a new magazine for the area of Victoria. I started the groundwork of research, looking at the demographics of people in the area and which districts they live in. That’s been mostly census work, but I’ve also been researching fashion trends and London Fashion Week. They’re showing me how to find the information, how they put it together, and how they select information to use in the magazines.
With the fashion research, I’ve also had to phone up head offices of companies like Gucci and Prada to get information. So that’s been really good for my communication skills too.
How long is the placement?
It started in November and it continues until May. It’s a minimum of 200 hours, but if I go over, it doesn’t matter. At first it was only one day a week, but since we had this exam break I’ve been doing a few extra days here and there. I’m now waiting to find out what my timetable is for my second semester, to see if I can do one or two days a week to make up my hours.
Do you think you’ll be able to get a permanent job with the company after you finish uni?
I don’t know yet. I hope so, because I love it there. It’s a lot of fun and the people are lovely. Even if I don’t get a full-time job with them, though, it’s still going to be something good on my CV. It’s been great work experience for me.
So you would recommend work placements to other students?
Definitely. If they haven’t done work experience, but they know what they want to get into, they should definitely do it. It’s such a good learning experience and you get a good taste of the field you want to get into.
More information about the placement opportunities offered by the Centre for Workplace Learning is available at www.smuc.ac.uk/cwl. Or you can contact Liz Coombs, Director of the Centre for Workplace Learning directly on Tel 020 8240 4015 or email coombse@smuc.ac.uk
