Case studies: Senior policy adviser (Europe): Guy Bromley

After graduating with a German and politics degree from the University of Edinburgh, Guy spent a year working as an elected officer at his university's students' association. Since then, his language skills and experience have taken him around the globe

I landed a range of job offers that included international experience. I settled on a renowned, global company's Specialist and Activity Sector graduate scheme. Not only did working for an international company give me the opportunity to utilise my language skills, but it also gave me invaluable commercial experience and allowed me to satisfy my love for the outdoors.

A further reason for this choice was the opportunity to spend my first placement working in Florida. Besides exposure to the operational and financial realities of running a global company, I was also tasked with establishing how to target new market segments across the North American and European markets. This proved both interesting and challenging with regard to taking onboard different consumer tastes and habits. I found my American and international colleagues very quick to welcome me, and invites to social events were more forthcoming than they would have been back in the UK.

Outside of work I took full advantage of all that Florida and the USA has to offer - theme parks, politics, alligators! I lived in a flat share, which I found over the internet. I probably wouldn't choose to live in Florida long term, but I loved the chance to get a feel for life on the other side of the Atlantic.

Next, I moved to Adelaide in Australia for a new placement and a new challenge focused on implementing a business continuity strategy for one of the company's Australian overland adventure businesses. This experience took me the length and breadth of Oz, visiting the majority of the company's operating bases, running workshops and collecting important data for my report. I quickly found my feet as Australia felt more similar to the UK in business and socially.

Having earlier decided that my heart really lay in the public sector, I began work at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the Civil Service European Fast Stream. I now work in London in a European-facing role looking at reducing the burden of EU regulation on UK businesses.  Although this involves regular trips to Brussels at the moment, I will be spending five months there next year on secondment to the European Commission.

All being well, I should move from the UK to the EU Civil Service. I'm not there yet, and I'm not sure I've taken an obvious approach to getting there, but working for the EU and living in Brussels permanently has long been a dream - I just hope it's achievable.