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Helen graduated from BA English and French in 2021, and is now working as a Partnerships and Policy Innovation Manager for the Education Policy Institute, examining emerging education policy trends.

What has been your career path from graduation to now?

I started working as Executive and Events Officer at the Education Policy Institute in July 2021, just after I finished my degree and I’ve been there ever since! I found the role on , a really useful website for anyone who wants to work in policy or politics. After nine months, I was promoted to Partnerships and Events Manager and then in January 2024, I was promoted again to Partnerships and Policy Innovation Manager, a new role in the charity that was created after I expressed an interest in doing more policy-focused work.ÌýÌý

What are your core duties and what skills are important to your role?

My role has multiple parts to it: Firstly, I lead our policy innovation work, which looks at emerging education policy trends. I write proposals for projects looking at areas of policy that aren’t covered by our main research areas and then work with my Director to secure funding before carrying them out.Ìý Related to this, I also support our partnerships work where we build relationships with like-minded organisations and bring in funding for our research and convening – as a small charity, this part is really important! Finally, I also manage our events programme, in particular our presence at the Labour, LiberalÌýDemocrat and Conservative political party conferences where we run education policy focused events.Ìý

To do this role, a good understanding of the education system is important as you’re working across a lot of different policy areas - I’ve been massively helped by my colleagues who are very generous in sharing their time and expertise! Related to that, I’d also say it’s useful to feel comfortable asking to go for coffee/have a call with people you meet to build relationships and learn. Finally, being well-organised with good time management is key when there are so many plates to keep spinning!Ìý

How did your time at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø prepare you for the workplace?ÌýÌýÌý

At Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø, I was encouraged to follow my interests in my academic work and within the course structure, there was the freedom to write about whatever I wanted. I really appreciated this and it’s definitely shaped my curiosity and confidence in taking the initiative in my career.Ìý

I always wanted to work in a charity and the opportunities to and participate in society committees were helpful for that too in terms of networking and understanding how charities function.Ìý

Finally, I used Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø Careers a lot! I spoke to them at several points during my time at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø while I was working out what I wanted to do after uni. When I was looking for jobs after graduation, I found the practice interviews especially helpful and actually one of the questions I was asked at my job interview came up during my Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø practice interview, so it definitely helped me to prepare. Since graduating, I’ve also gone back to Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø Careers for more support since the service is available for three years post-graduation.Ìý

Were there any challenges in your job hunt?Ìý

My biggest challenge was the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact I kept reading in the news that recruitment was low and unemployment was high. I was worried I’d struggle to find a job, particularly as my degree wasn’t vocational so didn’t necessarily lead easily to any sector. Because of that worry, I applied for a lot of jobs and ended up starting only a couple of weeks after my last exam ended. Looking back, I wish someone had told me that there’s no rush, it’s not a race, and that it’s OKÌýto take a break or short-term work while I worked out what I wanted. That being said, I love my organisation and it was definitely worth the quick turnaround!Ìý

Top tips for current students:

• It’s always worth asking about opportunities for progression in an organisation during the interview, particularly as you start your career. Even if a progression route isn’t immediately clear, it can tell you about their professional development offer and the emphasis they place on upskilling staff.Ìý

• I think a small organisation is a good place to start a career – particularly in my first role, I was involved in HR, finances and administration as well as events so it gave me a really good grasp of how an organisation functions and I got to try out lots of different things!Ìý

• Once in a job, don’t be afraid to ask if there’s a skill you want to learn or a direction you want to take the role in. I wouldn’t have started my policy innovation work if I hadn’t asked.Ìý