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The Apprentice…ship

The Apprentice…ship

Hannah Walsh, Operations and Communications apprentice, reflects on the process of finding herself at the Tavistock Institute.

Posted

15 February 2016

Hannah Walsh, Operations and Communications apprentice, reflects on the process of finding herself at the Tavistock Institute.

When I applied for the role as the Operations and Communications apprentice in September 2015 I remember being quite nervous about writing my covering letter as unlike other work I had done, which was mainly part time, this was not a formality. I suppose you could say that doing something alien to me was just the beginning of my time at the Tavistock Institute. Looking back at the first three months of being a member of the team I can reflect that the time I’ve spent learning new skills and adjusting to a new environment has been both daunting and exciting too.

I returned from a ‘gap year’ in August where I was volunteering as a nursery teacher in Malawi. Before I departed for my highly anticipated journey, I was at a loss of what to do with my life. Living abroad and away from everything  I was used to, was a chance to grow and explore as many opportunities as  I could to hold and take with me when I came back home. However, the problem I faced was that whilst venturing around and living the gap year lifestyle, was that I had explored almost too much and found that there are many different and exciting paths I could take. I therefore arrived back in East London not with inspiration but with a headache and a tan, in other words I did not ‘find myself’. Whilst looking for job opportunities that I hoped would take me onto some kind of career path I grew tired of finding internships for graduates. Eventually I came across an opening at the TIHR where one of the requirements said ‘A-Levels would be an advantage’, and knowing I had some of those I submitted my application and was invited for an interview.

‘Finding myself’ working at the Tavistock Institute I am increasingly learning a wide variety of new and diverse skills. As the Operations and Communications apprentice I will be studying a qualification in digital marketing. Which yes, is ‘a bit random’, as I say to my non immediate family when the dreaded question of ‘so what are you up to now?’ lingers in the air. However, I feel this is genuinely something that will be a life skill as well as increasing my employability. As the world becomes more digitally interactive by the day it is a skill I will be able to bring to any career path and when I do finally decide to head off to university, it might just help me decide what degree to do.

2016 is proving to be an exciting time for me; I am involved in a few projects, one being an archive project where I will play a dissemination role in our archive blog. I will also begin training for my qualification where I will meet learners like myself and study areas in data analytics and social media marketing alongside helping to make sure everything in the office happens smoothly. I suspect I will find it challenging but it will also give me a chance to grow into myself and discover what I want to do in the future.

Hannah Walsh
(previous Operations and Communications Apprentice)

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