Charles Russell : Broadening Horizons

It became very apparent to me when talking to my Tutor about completing my UCAS application last year that my personal statement was going to lack any details of relevant work activities outside of school.  This was the one opportunity I had to catch the eye of the University Admissions Officer and to stand out from the thousands of other applicants all competing for a University place.  It was time I did something about it!

I was keen to follow a University course in the field of commerce, business, accounting or finance.  My own considerable efforts at finding appropriate work placements proved unsuccessful, so I approached WOBS to see if they could help.

Within days I received offers of two placements - one for four weeks to work in a firm chaired by Worth old boy Robert Bodnar-Horvath ((B'74) and the other to spend some time with Charles Russell, a leading London firm of Lawyers.  What a result - I took them both!

With slight trepidation I made my way to London to start my first work placement at Connaught Mason, a specialist fit-out contractor based in Central London. The Company completes contracts in both design and build with project management services. For the first week I was based at one of their project sites in Vincent Square, working alongside the quantity surveyor and project manager.  After the first week I was transferred to their Head Office at Waldour Street.  Here I was privileged to work for the Finance Director.  I was kept busy entering invoices, auditing sets of accounts against costs, and setting up a new account book incorporating all projects. My time spent at Connaught Mason has opened my eyes to a new industry sector of which I had no previous knowledge.

My second period of work experience was at Charles Russell, a City-based firm of lawyers.  On the first day after a brief induction period I was thrown straight into the world of Law. I was asked to deal with a high profile case involving a household name company.  I undertook research into potential clients utilising the Solicitors Code of Conduct, as well as looking up case files. I also sat in on conferences within the merger and acquisitions department, and visited the Law Courts.

During my time there I met a number of trainees and other staff at Charles Russell, including Oliver Rumsey (G'99) who is a Worth Old Boy. They all talked to me about their own experiences in respect of the degrees that they had studied at University, and what had made them decide to choose Law as a profession.

This experience has certainly helped me as it has opened my eyes to a potential career that I had never considered before.  It has also given me a flavour of what happens within a Law firm.  I really enjoyed my time at Charles Russell and had I been there for longer would have welcomed the opportunity to spend time in all seven departments of the firm to give me an insight into different aspects of law.

My advice to any sixth former would be to try and obtain as much work experience as possible.  View it as an opportunity to broaden your horizons. It gives an invaluable insight into your possible future working environment as well showing commitment outside the classroom for UCAS purposes. In addition it has reaffirmed my determination to follow my chosen career path and has given me the extra motivation to succeed in my A levels. It is also a chance to start your ‘networking' drawing on the generosity and experience of individuals who are already well established in their chosen field.

I cannot say a big enough thank you to WOBS for giving me this opportunity - and I would hope to be able to return the compliment to the next generation of Worth students sometime in the future!

Matthew Scotland - a Year 13 Student at Worth