By the third year of a four year MSc Physics course I’d come to the realisation that obtaining a meaningful summer placement is by no means a simple task. In many cases applications for the biggest companies close before Christmas, rigorous application forms need to have serious time devoted to and many intern positions are not even advertised. With competition for internships having never been stronger one must utilize all available avenues.
Tag Archives: case study
Working the land in Northumberland National Park
Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland National Park
During her two weeks Katie worked with the Ranger team helping them in maintaining the park. This involved carrying out a couple of practical tasks to help protect the landscape, such as footpath relaying and tree felling in forestry areas. Katie also made several visits to Walltown Crags, a disused quarry site that is now open to visitors, and wrote a management plan for assessing how the site can be improved to become more appealing to visitors.
“The placement has improved my self-confidence. I have gained an understanding of different practical methods and various aspects involved in environmental land management. I can show prospective employers at interviews that I have taken the time to research the industry and the type of work involved in environmental management, which will help to increase my chance of a job offer”
Case Study: Teaching English in Italy – ACLE English City Camp 2014
International Relations with Political Science student Brian is from Hong Kong. He decided to really push himself during his first summer as a student by travelling to Italy and teaching others a language that is not native to him.
‘Following the end of my first year at the university, I decided not to go home for summer; instead, I had decided to make my first year abroad unforgettable. I stayed in Birmingham for a month to work in the City Council and spent a month in Italy to teach English. I was struggling to go so far out of my comfort zone, given that I have just settled in the United Kingdom for not more than a year. Yet, this is by far the most amazing summer I have ever had.’
Real Voices 