Tell us a bit about your background
I grew up in Hertfordshire, did English Literature, Economics and History at school and left during COVID (which feels like a lifetime ago!). I go to the University of Leeds and I study Economics and History. I’m a part of many societies, including Ballet and Girls Training Together, and love to spend my days on campus studying, going to fitness and dance classes, meeting up with friends, and, of course, going to my lectures.
What is your role at British Airways?
On my placement year I worked in the partnerships and sponsorships team, leading and managing relationships with multiple partners and working on projects to save the business money and create great products and experiences for our customers. I’ve worked on projects including American Express presents BST Festival, a Saudi trade expo, brand licensing, BrewDog, product placement, and launching our new partnership with the Times. I also supported our creative team on shoots across the year.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned since starting?
The most important thing I’ve learned is to be proactive. One part of this is to talk to people. Building connections has been so helpful on my placement, and so interesting to learn about areas of the business I didn’t even know existed! I’ve been able to go to events like Farnborough Air Show and shadowing dispatchers because of the connections I’ve made in BA. You also make connections outside of the business, networking with all different types of people from many different businesses. I also mean be proactive in terms of work and projects, if you hear about a project or experience you like the sound of, ask about what it is and if you can be involved – these are great learning experiences, and you never know who you may meet and what you could learn!
What was your journey into becoming a British Airways graduate?
While I am not currently a graduate, my journey into becoming a placement student wasn’t straightforward. I hadn’t really considered travel or aviation as a career before I joined, I’d been on family holidays but never had a huge urge to travel the world.
I didn’t know much about aircraft or the aviation industry either, but while applying for placement years I found that there weren’t many schemes that seemed shout at me. I wasn’t sure what area of business I wanted to go into, having no prior experience in a professional environment, but when I saw the BA scheme and how broad it was, and that I had the opportunity to go anywhere in the business really interested me.
Having the opportunity to do training courses and being on a ‘future leaders’ scheme I thought would really set me up for a future career. Since joining BA, I have become a bit of an aviation geek, learning how to identify different types of aircraft and learning some of the science behind how they work has been fascinating.
What top tips would you give to students wanting to follow in your footsteps?
- Be brave, and look for opportunities anywhere and everywhere, the best ones may not be the easiest to find.
- Be open to roles in any industry or area.
- Take the time to set yourself goals for a year in industry and what you want to achieve.
- Learn about the role you are applying for and make sure it aligns to your goals.
- Learn about the company you are applying for and ensure it aligns with your values.
- Be proactive, be curious and ask questions – people want to help you.
- If you don’t know what kind of area you’d like to go into, that’s okay! The aim of a year in industry is to figure this out and explore what you do/not like to do and how you like to work.