Student Diary: My week of work experience with COBIS

In early December, I had the pleasure of completing a week of work experience organised by COBIS (Council Of British International Schools). I had a variety of experiences throughout the week, visiting the University of Bath (COBIS Supporting Member), Monkton Prep School and the COBIS Headquarters in London. The week was a huge learning curve for me and has helped to develop my understanding of the working world.

Monday

On my first day of work experience, I was lucky enough to spend my time at the University of Bath. I was accompanied around the university by Danielle Maya, a very friendly and helpful host (especially when it came to finding my way around the campus!). During my day, I also met Helen Lofkin, Julie Fulepova, Annika Theilgaard and Kirsten Brown. I was welcomed by everybody with open arms and each person gave me an insight as to how the university works and explained their specific roles. I also received some much-needed tips and advice as to how I should make my decision as to which university I choose, and I am very grateful for this. My first day of work experience ended with a lecture by Dr Sam Carr. This lecture was the complete opposite to how I imagined it as before this experience, I typically assumed lectures to be long and boring but Dr Sam’s lecture was very interesting and very interactive. Needless to say, I learned a lot of new things. After such a brilliant day my expectations for the rest of the week had risen dramatically and I was beginning to understand why adults come home so tired!
 

Tuesday

My second day was also spent at the University of Bath, however, the day had a contrasting focus to that of the first. My day was packed with sport and it began with a tour of the sports facilities of what is the Sports University of the Year. This included seeing the 50m swimming pool, the athletics track (both outdoor and indoor), the hockey pitches, rugby pitches and football pitches. However, the majority of my day would be spent elsewhere. The day was focused on the sport of tennis (not one of my chosen sports but still incredibly enjoyable to watch and partake in!). One of the best parts of my day was watching the high-performance athletes train and play. It was both inspiring and enjoyable to see just how good you can become if you put the effort in. After observing the session, I met with Barry Scollo who had just returned from a victory representing Great Britain in tennis in Lille. One of the results of this win was a radio interview with a radio station in Bristol which I had the privilege of witnessing. It was unlike what I had imagined, as it was so simple and quick. I was also told that these interviews can be done over the phone! In the afternoon I watched some up and coming stars playing some very high-level tennis before meeting Liam Broady who is currently the 170th best singles tennis player in the world and the 6th best in the United Kingdom! He is currently on the fringes of the Davis Cup squad and has also been competing in Grand Slams. I finished my day by attending a mental attitude lesson which focussed on mental belief and used the example of the 4-minute mile to encourage participants. I found this one of the best parts of my day and feel that I can apply what I have learnt from it to everyday life.

Wednesday

The third day brought a change of scenery as I visited Monkton Prep School which has classes from Reception to Year 8.  I spent most of the day with Year 3. In this class were my two lively cousins who impressed me massively with their work ethic and knowledge. I began the day by helping Mrs Cooke (Year 3 teacher) with tutoring and listened to the children reading. I then headed to the gym to take part in a PE lesson for Years 1 and 2 where I was introduced as a  “professional footballer for Liverpool”! Again, I was impressed by the children who gave their very best in all aspects of the lesson.

I continued to switch between Year 3 lessons and PE lessons alternately for the rest of the day and I even got to play hockey with the Year 8s, thanks to Mr Sim. By working in a school, I gained experience of the workplace and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It has shown me an important area of the education sector and has also helped me to realise that I enjoy working with children.

Thursday

In the morning, I travelled down to London by train (this gave me an idea of what it is like to commute!). I was met at the station by Catriona Lawless, Student Engagement and Events Officer at COBIS, and brought to the company's headquarters at Russell Square. I then had a packed day and met with most of the team who described their role and how they got to their current position. This made me realise that the degree that you take does not necessarily give you a set career path. I also spent time with Hannah Porritt, Communications and Events Executive, who demonstrated the COBIS website and helped me to research news headlines to add to the COBIS newsletter. I had an enjoyable end to the day as I was tasked with finding inspirational quotes for the COBIS Games which will begin on 18 May 2018 in Sheffield. I also managed to get some time off from the desk to help decorate the new arrival in the office - a Christmas tree! My first day working at COBIS gave me a real-life experience of the working world and showed me what the environment and vibe of a small office team is like.

Friday

I was pleased that my final day of work experience was again spent at the COBIS office. It began with meeting the staff who I did not have a chance to talk with on the previous day. They introduced themselves and explained their roles. Jamie Ralph, Communications Officer, showed me how he manages the organisation's social media accounts and I got to create and publish posts on Twitter and Facebook about the new office Christmas tree. After that, I helped Hannah with an interview with a former student from Doha College which was very interesting and a new experience for me. To finish off my final day, I have written this blog so that my brilliant time here can be shared with everyone connected with COBIS.

My work experience journey has been truly great and has helped me understand how things work while allowing me to see and do things that I may not have had the opportunity to do otherwise. I'd like to say a massive thank you to COBIS, the University of Bath and Monkton Prep School for having me and making me feel very welcome. They have made my work experience fun and exciting and have also gone to the effort to make sure it gave me a variety of examples of work by giving me the opportunity to go to three different settings in one week for which I am very grateful. 

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Harry is a Year 11 student at Range High School, Formby in Liverpool.