Case studies : Careers adviser: Jane

Jane completed a PGDip in Career Guidance and Development at Edinburgh Napier University in 2009. Her first degree was BA Hispanic Studies at University of Liverpool, where she graduated in 2002.

I now work as a careers adviser at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, but have taken many steps to progress to my dream job. Having initially drifted through TEFL abroad and admin jobs for the first few years after graduating, I eventually found a job in the local paper for Connexions, working as a personal adviser. During this job and while working at a further education college with disabled and disadvantaged client groups, I gained NVQ 3 and 4 in Advice and Guidance.

I went back to university in 2008 to undertake a postgraduate course in career guidance and development and graduated with a distinction. After a brief period in Canada where I worked in admin and volunteered with a community guidance organisation, I came back to the UK to take up this position, which I had found on an online job search website.

Having a PGDip was essential for this job and the grounding in theory and understanding of the wider context of career guidance has proved invaluable.

A typical day will usually start with an hour of admin, time to reply to emails and catch up with the team. I keep in touch with distance learners and students at partner institutions. I spend a fair amount of time checking CVs and offering e-guidance/telephone guidance. I will generally have one-to-one appointments at various points throughout the day, often doing follow up work or research as a result. I also run drop-in services every week at the student union or from my office.

I spend time preparing work for academic department presentation sessions where course-related job information, such as information about placements, internships, graduate training schemes and employer recruitment processes, is provided to students. I also manage all the careers information received daily at the university, ensuring that the students benefit from it.

This is a new appointment and I have a lot to develop. As the institution is in a rural area I would like to make more links within the wider community and I have started doing this by setting up a partnership with the local voluntary organisation. My career ambitions are to set up a successful careers service here, with a website and lots of resources and job vacancies, with the longer-term aim of becoming a head of service one day. Studying for an MA in Career Guidance is also a possibility at some point.
 
The thing I love most about my job is working with the students and graduates. I find it very satisfying to assist in the process of career development and enjoy encouraging their progression. I like engaging with people to provide a useful service and feel stimulated intellectually by being in a learning environment.

The limited admin support I have due to funding pressures makes my job challenging at times, as does the negative press around graduate unemployment at the moment. The looming funding cuts at most HE institutions and the wider debate around the value of degrees can be depressing. It is also frustrating if students appear disinterested in the events and workshops I am promoting.

A great aspect of my job is the freedom to carry out ‘pure’ career guidance work. The salary is good and higher than in other sectors. And, because in HE careers guidance there is less emphasis on targets, I can work more on my own initiative developing new projects and utilising opportunities with academics.

Think about gaining the PGDip in Career Guidance if you can and look out for trainee career adviser positions that some universities offer. Getting relevant work experience is valuable, as is making and maintaining contacts within HE careers - it’s a small world.