University Services: Careers and Employability Service

One of the scariest things about being a third year is thinking about the future. It can sometimes be hard to see yourself in a career after so much time spent in education, and you might even need some direction as to what you would like to do as a career.

The Careers and Employability Service at the University of Cumbria are there to help! Whether it’s throughout your course to assist you with a long term plan or to help you find part-time work whilst you study – the careers service even offer help to students for up to three years after they graduate.

They are available online, by email, by phone and in person – and it really is very easy to get in touch. They use a number of social networks and online media sites to communicate and engage with students, staff and general public. You can find the links to these on the website, http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/StudentLife/Support/Careers/Home.aspx.

The website also offers a job search facility, for both long term careers and part-time jobs. You can also find links on careers, courses and finding jobs at www.diigo.com/user/uoccareers

The Careers Service (like LiSS) offer 30 minutes appointments with an adviser. The adviser will discuss your requirements and may suggest that a follow-up appointment might be useful. You can make these appointments via the library front desk, or by emailing careers@cumbria.ac.uk (allow up to 5 working days for a response). You can find the opening times for the library via this link; http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/StudentLife/Learning/Resources/Libraries/LancasterCampus.aspx.

It is also easy for students to get help finding part-time work – something which can make a big difference to a student. Having a part-time job not only increases your income, but it increases your skills and experience in the work place, allows you to meet new people and could even open some doors for your career after you graduate.

You can search for part time jobs in the local area at various places, including the Lancaster Guardian at www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/jobs.

All full and part time job vacancies and placements that the careers service think students would be interested in are advertised on the University’s Virtual Job Shop: http://cumbria.prospects.ac.uk/. If you register to this website you will receive regular emails about all types of work and placement opportunities including part time and summer holiday work as well as graduate opportunities locally, nationally and internationally.

If you would like to get involved on campus, Student Ambassadors help the university with marketing activities and outreach work – i.e. open days, Higher Education fairs etc – you can contact Louise Gray for more information on Louise.gray@cumbria.ac.uk.

You can email jobsandplacements@cumbria.ac.uk to receive their weekly Opportunities Knock Bulletin.

If you are looking to volunteer rather than gain employment, you can also get advice and links on the Careers website. To find out more about voluntary positions, and the roles available contact Emma at the University of Cumbria Students Union, emma.egglestone@cumbria.ac.uk or you can phone 01524 590 810. There are also helpful websites like www.ucsu.me and www.do-it.org.uk.

There is so much available on the Careers Service website, and it is a very helpful tool for all students, from first years to three years following graduation. The website is so easy to navigate, and everything you need is available, even if you cannot find what you are looking for there are contact details available, which make it even easier for you to find what you need. 

Just go to http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/StudentLife/Support/Careers/Home.aspx to find out more.

Lancaster Litfest: Charlotte Kovac, an experience.

This year Lancaster’s very own ‘Litfest’ reached its 35^th year of bringing together a plethora of poets, performers, writers and readers and celebrating literature. The entirety of Litfest is run by a small, yet enthusiastic team made up of Andy Darby (artistic director), Dawn Diaz (finance officer), Maria Major (marketing manager) and Claire Dean (interim deputy director). Alongside these was an army of volunteers, of which this year, I happened to be one.

My volunteer duties were basic, helping with the box office and tickets sales, showing people to their seats and generally being on hand and helpful when needed. Although these tasks seem small, without volunteers performing them, the event wouldn’t run as smoothly or successfully. It’s also a great and easy way of gaining experience if you want to be involved in literature events in the future.

The biggest perk of volunteering at Litfest is being able to attend the event after. I helped out at the ‘Short Stories: Wide Horizons’ event where Alison Moore and Aamer Hussein coincidentally both read out short stories relating to swans. Moore’s short story ‘The Egg’ had a cold and eery tone that captivated the audience with nervous anticipation. The story revolved around a man’s special collection of bird’s eggs, and one egg that has allured him, but has yet to collect. Moore’s descriptions of various birds’ eggs were beautifully detailed and accurate; her writing is meticulous in every sense. The ending was dark, haunting and poignant, something the audience will remember for a long time.

Hussein’s short story entitled ‘The Swan’ showed just how varied two stories relating to the same thing can be. ‘The Swan’ is a love story, based around Hussein’s own real-life experiences. The swan, lovingly named ‘Satin’ is the catalyst of the entire story, the man and woman often go for walks in the park where Satin resides and develop an unspoken relationship. The story tells us of how the two people flit in and out of each other’s lives, and has an interesting and unique ending.

Litfest is a great way of interacting with writers, whether it’s enjoying old favourites or being introduced to something new, as I was with Moore and Hussein. Litfest has been running for a long time, and should keep running and be a part of Lancaster’s culture scene as it is now. I do however feel that Litfest could be improved if it had more involvement from students, such as holding an event for students to recite their own works, or have alumni from both universities come and read at the festival. Overall Litfest is a great experience to be a part of and I would urge everyone to attend next year’s event, whether it’s in the role of a volunteer or as a member of the audience.

Volunteering at Bowerham Road Primary School by Maeve Lane

I am a 3^rd year English BA student at the University of Cumbria. I first looked into volunteering at Bowerham Road Primary School in my second year at university; September 2012. I looked into volunteering as it would boost my C.V and I was looking into doing a PGCE after university. To become a volunteer at the school I emailed them and was subsequently forwarded onto the volunteering co coordinator; Mrs Pollock. I met her and we discussed which age group I would like to work with, what experience I had and about me getting a CRB check, which is mandatory to work in a school. The school were very supportive in getting me my C.R.B and helped me with the process.

There are 2 teaching assistants, a teacher and me in the class I work in. I get on well with everyone and I do different jobs every day. These can vary from helping individual children on work they are struggling with in class, to helping to design displays for the classroom, to listening to children read. The days in which I volunteer have always been very flexible from the beginning and I volunteer for 6 hours a week.  Ms Pollock also helped me in becoming a tennis coach in America for 8 weeks during the summer 2013, through the company CCUSA.

I enjoy working at the school as it has given me valuable work experience and has taught be to organise my time between volunteering and university work. It has taught me to be patient and to think of more exciting ways to engage the children to work. I would highly recommend any trainee teachers and fellow students to gain as much work experience and volunteering experience as soon as possible. This will increase your chances of getting a job when you graduate.

The teaching experience has been very rewarding. It has given me an interest in working with children and potentially becoming a Primary School teacher in the future. It has also given me valuable experience of working. This experience will hopefully stand to me when I look for a job once graduating at the end of this year.