Hear from Charlie, who spent his third year on placement with Bentley.
You completed a Year in Industry placement, please can you tell us a bit more about that, where did you work and what did you do?
Absolutely, so my year-in-industry was at Bentley Motors Ltd, the internationally renowned Motor firm, who are based in Cheshire (a big move from Sussex where I am originally from). The role was in Government Relations and Sustainable Luxury.
I had an amazing time, and it has been the greatest decision I have made. Having had no vocational experience in GR or Sustainability or the automotive industry (I was the most unlikely person to work in automotive I could ever think of) and a newby to Cheshire the whole experience was a colossal learning curve.
In terms of how I got the placement, after initially receiving support from the careers team in generating a good and professional CV and covering letter, I applied to over 30 companies. I got to varying stages of the application process with these companies but that in itself was a valuable education in interview techniques and preparation. Eventually I had three offers to select from, these were Oracle (to do Intellectual Property Law), Toyota (PR) and Bentley Motors (GR and Sustainable Luxury) and Bentley sounded like the best fit for me.
I leaned less heavily on my legal education during my placement, or perhaps used it in a different capacity. In this instance instead of looking at laws we were looking at draft legislation and government policy and so I had useful background and resources that I had picked up from my degree so far.
What was your journey like to university?
University has always been an expectation, my Mother had always driven it home to my sister and I that it was the best option for us to work for a better life than she had - probably an ambition of most parents. She used to say, ‘don’t do things the hard-way like I have’, referring to her own journey from finishing her GCSE qualifications during her Naval training at 16 and gaining her Bachelors teaching qualification as a single, at the time business owning, parent. The university journey is unique to all students and applicants, for me I went through the motions, as everyone does, of writing and drafting many iterations of a personal statement, which had to approved by the headmaster at my school, and then begin the research into universities that best fit future ambitions. This took me all over the country and ultimately led me to selecting Royal Holloway as my first choice after I received an unconditional offer and both myself and parents were dazzled by our experience at an Applicant Visitor Day.
When you started studying here, did you already know what you wanted to get from your time at university?
Before university I had always had this ambition of practicing and shaping the law in some way, be it through a legal or political medium. I started university at a strange time, in the midst of the pandemic, so initially was happy for the respite from lockdown with the family. I really saw university as a blank slate, an opportunity to diversify and change myself to more of the person that I wanted to be - through friendship groups, societies and how I was perceived by other people. Royal Holloway provided an excellent place for this, with the diversity of students and societies.
What’s your favourite thing about your subject?
My favourite thing about studying Law and Politics is by far the applications to life that what you learn has. I spend so much of my time thinking why doesn’t everybody know this - especially when thinking of signing contracts and property. I also love studying politics in what has been such a turbulent period in Britain - it has provided a unique insight into political realities.
Have you been able to take your own interests into consideration on your course?
My last year was my first in pursuing non-mandatory modules, as is the way with dual course degrees of law. I haven’t found this to be a particular barrier, firstly as you are aware that the mandatory modules have immense future benefits when it comes to the next stage of a legal career, and secondly as they offer such a rich variety anyway. I will say that picking my modules has really enabled me to refine my degree to one that will be tailored to the career I am now looking at pursuing in the future and has really strengthened my energy and ambition for law.
What do you do in your spare time?
I've enjoyed playing badminton through my whole university career, it has been great to see it grow in popularity and size while I have been here and provided both exercise and friendships on and off court. I also have membership of both the Law Society and Politics/ International Relations Society, which I have really enjoyed the events, from balls and themed parties to careers fairs and panel talks.
What advice would you give to someone planning to study your course?
I would say both from an academic and personal perspective university and Law is what you make it - so throw yourself in at the deep end. Do the reading preparation for seminars as it’s the reading that makes the difference in your grades. Likewise make sure you attend the teachings consistently. Lastly, seek the fun - even in the mundane. Law can be hard as a subject, so see the fun in study groups and when talking about the weird legal cases about slugs in ginger-beer bottles!
Are you a commuting student or do you live on campus?
In my first two years I lived on campus, which was really amazing to be honest. There are so many benefits, especially in the first-year, to living on campus, not least the convenience. There is always a buzz on campus, something to do and get involved with. Not just through the venues on site but as a base of which to operate.
Lastly, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to apply for a Year in Industry placement?
For those applying to a Year in Industry, I would say firstly don’t be disheartened by rejection, it is a part and parcel of the process and is a valuable education when reflecting on it. Secondly, do not apply to just any role you find - employers understand whether you are truly interested in the role and what you can bring to it- and excitement and enthusiasm for the role does wonders.
