Jamie T.
About me
| Jamie T. | |
| Social Policy and Social Work | |
| Applied Social Science: Crime | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Derwent | |
| 2008 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Commercial Manager | |
| Bayswater Education | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Education | |
| Medium-size business (50-249 employees) | |
| 2018 |
More about Jamie
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A day in the life of a Commercial Manager in the United Kingdom
At the formative stage of your career it is your team and leaders that will have the most impact on you. These are the people you are likely to see more than anyone else in your life over the time you work there so make sure you get on and have fun.
Briefly describe the organisation you work for
I work for a Social Enterprise in the language education industry. We mainly teach English to international students in the UK and Cyprus throughout the year, as well as Fashion and Digital Marketing courses, and also run summer camps for young learners on various university campuses. We operate a 1 for 1 model - for every student we teach, we sponsor a child from an underprivileged background for an equivalent course.
What do you do?
I am responsible for the Young Learner courses which operate both through the year and during the summer. I oversee course design and development, financial planning, organisation, staff recruitment and operations. As well as this I am also part of the student recruitment team and look after Italy and Hong Kong markets.
Reflecting upon your past employment and education, what led you to your current career choice?
I started out as a Sabbatical Officer on the Students' Union and then went on a year long volunteer placement in Scotland. I then worked in seasonal jobs in language schools and at a ski resort. That led me to my current industry and moving to London. My first role was in operations which I didn't enjoy so I then joined a graduate scheme in supported housing for vulnerable adults. I was there for 2.5 years, at the end of which I was a Service Manager but I had a difference of opinion with the charity while helping to open a new project which led to my resignation. I contacted my former company and a 6 week contract turned into 5 years. I eventually decided to leave as the culture of the company was changing due to Private Equity investment and joined a new business which is where I currently am and have been involved in all aspects of starting the business.
On reflection I have always been open minded and more concerned with the culture of the workplace and the people that are there.
Is your current job sector different from what you thought you would enter when you graduated?
Yes - I was convinced I would work in some form of social impact work throughout my career and I still plan to return but I have enjoyed my time in this sector and learned skills which will help when I do return.
Describe your most memorable day at work
For me, a day in Samarkand really helped me to understand the journey and progress I had made.
When I was little we used to play the Subjects game - you choose a few subject areas then choose a letter of the alphabet and list as many of that thing as you can in a minute. U came up and countries and I remember knowing Uzbekistan. From then it became a bit of a family joke. My first trip abroad was when I was 18 which was also my mum's first trip abroad and to go from there to 12 years later being in Uzbekistan on a work trip really resonated with me and happily it is one of the most friendly, interesting and different places I have ever been.
The realisation of progress was very tangible from a personal perspective and there was a great sense of achievement for me. It was one of my first work trips and I now spend approx. 2 months of the year abroad and have many clients who are now friends in many cities around the world which is something you can't put a price on.
Are there any challenges associated with your job?
Many challenges - especially in the current environment where travel is restricted. From an industry point of view exchange rates and extreme events have the largest impact on our business which are things that are largely out of our control.
Other challenges specific to my current role are that I am now in a much smaller company so as well as doing new things and having a larger impact on strategy and planning, I am also performing tasks that I was doing on entry to the industry.
What’s your work environment and culture like?
We have a very supportive environment. We are all solution focused rather than problem focused and there is a lot of room for innovation and creativity which are things that I value highly. There is also a no job too small attitude to everyone - when I started we were renovating our school and everyone was involved when the flat pack furniture arrived and the classroom chairs needed to make it up 4 flights of stairs!
At the moment everyone is working from home, usually we are all in the office. My role involves times working from home and also international travel approximately 2 months of the year. We have teams in Cyprus and Liverpool so video meetings ad calls are something we were already used to.
What extracurricular activities did you undertake at university and what transferable skills did you develop through these?
I was part of the JCRC and became chair of Derwent during my studies. I was also involved in RAG and Student Action (Volunteering) and eventually went on to be a Sabbatical Officer on the SU. I got involved in a range of college sports. I think these activities prepared me really well for the world of work - we were organising and budgeting events, representing our students and creating cultures and communities, thinking creatively to issues that arise and collaborating with a wide range of people from different backgrounds and applying upward influence to university staff members and directors.
During study I worked part-time throughout and had done before university - I worked in catering and, as well as preparing me for cooking on a budget semi-decent food, it also introduced me to different people and working environments.
What would you like to do next with your career?
My plan is to work for my current company for the next 1-3 years and then move sector with the skills I have learnt on the business side and eventually set up my own social enterprise. I am at a stage where who I work with and work for are the most important things and learning from different leaders is very valuable. I am getting more involved in industry-wide discussions which can only help my future.
What top tips do you have for York students preparing for today’s job market and life after graduation?
From my perspective:
- be open-minded - opportunities can lead you to places you never thought you'd go (in my case this includes Uzbekistan) and into roles and industries you never thought you'd enjoy/didn't know existed
- value culture and people over anything else - at the formative stage of your career it is your team and leaders that will have the most impact on you. These are the people you are likely to see more than anyone else in your life over the time you work there so make sure you get on and have fun
- don't be afraid to reach out to people - I've been very lucky in that I haven't had to go through large, serious interview processes but that is also because I have chosen roles carefully and also kept in touch with former team members/managers
- never leave on a bad note
- if you're not sure, try something with a fixed term on it and/or try something different - I wasn't sure what to do when I left my Sabbatical year so took a year volunteering in Scotland. This meant I had some time and space to think about things, had a very enjoyable experience, left my comfort zone and developed different skills that weren't just about work but about life as well but it also had a definitive end date so I knew it wasn't forever.
- try to avoid bench-marking against peers - I have plenty of friends who went straight into great graduate schemes that have guided their careers until now. I knew that wasn't the route for me so I chose a different path and have been successful in my own way - there are hundreds of ways to build careers and very few people go straight into their dream career straight away, even fewer stay in the same career path from graduation to retirement.
What topics from students are you happy to answer questions on?
Small businesses/start ups
Social Enterprise/social impact
Volunteering
Seasonal work
Travel
COVID 19 impact on tourism/education sectors
Alternative career paths
Language Education
Next steps...
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