Noa Gal recently joined us for a one-week work experience. Noa reports back on her week at the Institute…

The work that the Tavistock Institute does is diverse, important and very intriguing and I was very fortunate to be able to take part in work experience with the Institute. I was working with Thomas Spielhofer, a principal consultant and researcher, who gave me an overview of some of the projects he is involved in, all of which were very interesting.

We chose one project that I could do some independent research on. I searched for resources that are related to the project and annotated them with the aim to create a better understanding of how this specific area contributes to the whole essence of the project. I was very lucky that I was able to visit the office in London and get a feel of how everyone works together. The office had a lively, very friendly atmosphere and I felt very welcomed by all the staff.

During my visit, I was able to sit in meetings for different projects. Some meeting were focused on existing projects and others were focused on proposals and future projects. I enjoyed the lively discussions and how all the members of the meetings bounced ideas off each other in order to figure out the best approach to each project. This experience has made me appreciate how much time and effort goes into each project especially the effort that goes into creating a proposal for a project that may or may not get approved.

Overall, I enjoyed and appreciated my time there and found the experience very useful for my personal development and future studies. I have a better understanding of how a research institution works and how the workplace and workspace supports the process from proposal to research approach and final project.