Charlotte Fairclough

Tell us a bit about your experience at ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥â€¦. 

My time at ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ was the most enjoyable of my life! I felt so at home studying the languages that I loved in a beautiful part of the UK. I met friends for life, honed my language skills and gained valuable real-life working experience which has led me to my dream job at the University of Liverpool.  

Why did you choose to study at ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥? 

I choose to study at ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ because the department was extremely welcoming. I remember attending the Open Day with my parents and feeling that each staff member would know who I was if I studied here. I’d visited other larger universities and thought that I wouldn’t get the hands-on approach to learning languages that Bangor would provide for me. Being able to walk along the third-floor corridor and knowing that I could knock on any lecturers’ doors and speak to them about my studies was an incredibly important factor for me. Also, being from a landlocked county, the beauty of Bangor and the wider North Wales area was so appealing to me!   

How has your career developed since graduating from ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥, and what is your current job role? (could you provide a brief list of notable positions) 

Since I graduated from Bangor in 2018, I have worked in two higher education providers- University of Bradford and University of Liverpool. My current role is as the Internationalisation and ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ Abroad Officer in the School of the Arts at the University of Liverpool. My role entails providing pastoral and administration support to international students who study Architecture, Communication and Media, English, Music or Philosophy and also facilitating and supporting UK students from the same departments to go abroad during their degree. One of my career highlights was organising an extra-curricular trip to Paris in June 2022 for 19 students. Giving students an opportunity to be independent, explore Paris and meet new people (like I was able to on my Year Abroad at Bangor!) was an amazing personal experience, and I’m continuing this with a larger trip to Vienna in June 2023!  

In what way did studying at ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ enhance your employability? 

¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ not only gave me the foundation for my passion of ‘¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ Abroad’ through the Year Abroad that I undertook it also gave me the chance to complete a year-long internship working in the International Education Centre. My Year Abroad enhanced my languages studies, allowed me to explore France and Germany, meet new people and enormously developed my soft skills. When I returned to Bangor for my final year, I became aware of an internship opportunity in the International Education Centre. The internship was a year-long administrative support job working with Inbound exchange students to Bangor. This internship transformed my employability and, ultimately, my career as I was able to gain hands-on working experience within an International Office. We welcomed over 300 exchange students during the year that I was at the IEC, and I thoroughly enjoyed supporting them all during their studies at Bangor. The internship at the IEC enabled me to apply to jobs at other universities and gave me the foundation and passion for my career thus far.    

What advice would you give to students studying in ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥?  

Take in every moment and experience. The five years that I spent as a Bangor student passed by so quickly, and whilst I made the most of my experience, I would advise potential new students to get involved with everything they can! Your studies are one thing, of course, but the support services within any university are a great resource, so access them as and when you need them.  

In one sentence, what was your favourite thing about studying at ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥?  

The departmental support, experiences gained and friendships made.