Career Focus | Case studies and interviews


Case study:


DHARTEE SUNUWAR, NEPAL BA BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Why did you choose


Middlesex as your university? I grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal and went to school and college there. I did three years of a four-year college course in Business Administration at college before coming to Middlesex University to complete my final year here. I chose Middlesex University as there were only a few British universities whose business courses matched


my existing studies in Nepal. The location was important to me also as I have family living in London, and being an international student, I didn’t want to be alone in an unfamiliar city. The agencies in Nepal recommended Middlesex and I had heard of its reputation for excellence in business studies.


In Nepal I volunteered at a care home for the elderly, who I enjoyed spending time with. I also volunteered teaching basic language and numeracy skills to children whose parents were not able to help them. Since coming to Middlesex University I have volunteered with the Ethnic Minority Foundation, an organisation that helps ethnic minority women with English language and basic IT skills. I have now progressed from assisting in English lessons to co- ordinating the volunteers for the London base of the EMF programme.


Interview:


NIKOLETA PAPAIOANNOU, GREECE BSC PSYCHOLOGY


What are you doing now? I just started my new job as Community Learning Facilitator (CLF) for Macintyre, a charity that works with autistic teenagers.


Have you been involved in any activities that have improved your employability? In my third year I started to use my psychology


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I have always wanted to do something good for society and make some meaningful contribution. Volunteering is an excellent opportunity to do this. When I know how my little efforts have helped others, I feel good. Also, volunteering has let me interact and understand people from different backgrounds and I feel my skills and knowledge have definitely broadened.


Through all my volunteering I feel I have made a meaningful contribution to someone else’s life. I also feel a self-satisfaction in knowing that I’ve done something worthwhile for other people. Since I have been volunteering with the EMF programme I have developed my own skill base while helping others. I am now considering a career in the third sector and plan to do my Masters degree in developmental studies. My volunteering experience has shaped my career.


experience. I volunteered in Greece in a guest house for autistic teenagers. I learnt techniques for working with different students – how to help their confidence and calm them down. Painting was one of the most enjoyable activities – to see the students express how they felt. I worked with some non-verbal students and I could see how their body language revealed how they slowly began to trust me and like spending time with me. This year, I volunteered at Asian People’s Disability Alliance in Wembley. I


The support I have had from Middlesex Volunteering Programme has been immense. If I hadn’t received their email for the volunteering opportunity with EMF, I would have not had this wonderful experience of understanding and helping women from diverse backgrounds. Volunteering, to me, is a micro-level effort for a better community/country. It means I can make an active contribution in helping others, to be a responsible citizen and to ‘give back’ to the community. I have gained an understanding of cultural issues and the obstacles they sometimes present for women, especially around education and I look at the world with a different perspective. The knowledge I have gained through volunteering has opened up more career opportunities in sectors that I would not have known existed if I hadn’t volunteered.


worked in the day centre for adults with special needs from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. I also volunteered at St Joseph’s Pastoral Centre in Hendon.


Do you have any


employability tips for new students? Work in your field of interest – not just theory, spend time doing what you are actually studying. When it comes to an interview you can share facts drawn from experience and you will be much more confident to talk during your interview.


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