What do you imagine when you think of working in International Development? Maybe you envisage working on the ground in a remote, developing part of the world to address issues such as poverty, disease and education. This image of front line work provides the visible and public face of International Development but have you considered the wide range of roles and functions required to support the successful execution of projects on the ground? These support roles may be less visible but could provide a good foothold into International Development. For example, policy, advocacy/outreach, human resources, finance, IT.

If you’re considering a career in this rewarding sector you will probably want to start preparing yourself sooner rather than later as International Development is a competitive field to break into.

Here are a few tips to help you with this.

• Have a clear idea about the kind of development work you want to do. This is likely to involve investigating the different roles within International Development and considering which of these roles might be a good fit for your academic background, experience, skills and career interests.
• Think about specialist or technical skills/qualifications/experience that might be required and consider how you might acquire these.
• Gain experience and build networks/contacts through volunteering activities, involvement in fundraising or campaigning activities, blogging etc…
• Commitment to/experience of International Development is essential and it’s unlikely you’ll be able to secure a graduate position without having relevant experience (voluntary or paid) on your cv.
• Consider gaining relevant/transferrable experience and qualifications outside the International Development sector. It’s not unusual for professionals to transition from the commercial sector into international development a few years into their career.

To find out more about careers in International Development, including opportunities to meet employers and alumni working in this sector, please visit:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/about/what_we_offer/events/themed-weeks/development

Anjali Dwesar manages Charity Apprentice  – an online course run by international development charity Child.org. Charity Apprentice is a free 10-month course that anyone can do in their spare time to gain the skills needed for a career in the charity sector. A combination of online learning and real-life challenges, the course has been designed by charity professionals and covers topics ranging from effective advocacy to social enterprise to fundraising strategy to sustainable development.

Anjali is here to give you her five top tips for launching your career in the charity sector.

1. It’s all about the skills and experience
   The charity sector is extremely competitive, and landing a job in the sector isn’t based on good intentions unfortunately. In order to stand out amongst the other candidates, it’s really important to build up your skills and experience during your time at university and beyond. You need to demonstrate to employers that you’re qualified for the role and that you’re going to make a success of it. Of course, you must demonstrate passion for the cause of the charity – but ultimately, it’s your skills and experience that will get you the job.

2. Find out what you’re good at
   The sector is hugely diverse, and there are such a wide variety of jobs available. Saying that you want to work for a charity is not enough – you need to think carefully about your skill-set and what you can bring to the sector. It’s not just campaigners, fundraisers or volunteer managers that the sector needs – there are jobs in designing, coding, project management, and many more. Explore the team page of charity websites and look at the kinds of jobs available – you might surprise yourself!

3. Be impact-driven
   I’ve met some of the most passionate and inspiring people in the charity sector. Yes, it is a lovely place to work but that doesn’t mean it’s easy! If you’re working in the sector, your job is to make the world a better place and that’s hard work. You need to demonstrate in your applications that you’re driven by the question: how can I make the most impact in my job?

4. It’s not what you know…
   Don’t rely on the big charity recruitment websites – smaller charities might not have the budget to post their opportunities on there. Make sure you’re using lots of different tools to find out about job vacancies, both online and offline.  Use LinkedIn, Twitter (#charityjobs), Facebook groups, attend charity networking groups, events etc.

5. Don’t give up!
   You might not get your dream job straight away, but all experience you gain will be valuable. Say yes to opportunities and work hard – you will get there!

To find out more about Charity Apprentice, visit  charityapprentice.org.

by Francesca Trotman

How did you get into your role?
My name is Francesca Trotman, I’m the Managing Director and Founder of the non-profit marine conservation organisation called Love The Oceans. We’re based in Mozambique, I have my residency there so live there most of the year. I come back to England periodically for recruitment and to visit family.

I’ve been obsessed with sharks since I was eight years old. I learnt to dive when I was 13. I knew I always wanted to do something to do with the oceans at University so I chose Marine Biology as it was an obvious choice and did it at University of Southampton. I did the integrated Masters course there (four years). At the end of my second year I went on holiday to Mozambique for diving and saw my first shark killing which was very emotional given my attachment to sharks. I soon realised that it was the shark fin industry as a whole I needed to be angry at, not the individuals doing the killing since the education level is so low in our area, the fishermen have no idea about the damage they’re doing.

I went back to uni and found a supervisor who would support me to go back to Mozambique and work out how bad the shark fishing problem is there. I found Ken Collins, who gave me a lecture slot to the year below where I recruited three research assistants to come and spend four months with me and the fishermen over the summer of my 3rd year to collect data for my 4th year (masters) dissertation. When I was writing up the results for my dissertation back in England they were pretty much what you’d expect in terms of sustainability of shark fishing and the potential negative implications for the local marine ecosystem. However, my stats weren’t significant because I didn’t have enough data which meant I couldn’t publish my paper or do anything about the fishing going on. I began to look at how financially I could continue my data collection and build a team to help out. I started researching NGOs and the conservation volunteering space and that is where Love The Oceans was born from, I founded it November 2014. The sole reason we’re not a charity is that I founded it whilst I was still doing my masters and charities are a load more paperwork than non-profits! I recruited my first batch of volunteers whilst finishing my masters and ran the first programs summer 2015. And the rest, they say, is history…

What are the best things about working in your role?
It’s an incredibly rewarding line of work. Working with the local community is very uplifting and of course I get to scuba dive and snorkel with some truly amazing animals, including whale sharks, humpback whales and manta rays.  I also am continuously keeping up to date with new scientific studies and methodologies which is also exciting. All the research we do is the first of its kind in the area so it’s incredibly satisfying. I find what we do endlessly interesting and I’m never bored.

There are lots of different areas involved in our work so you build a multitude of skills in the field. Since we have zero funding, our motto is always to ‘make a plan’. Something doesn’t work? Make a plan. Car broken down in the middle of nowhere? Make a plan. Ran out of paint? Make a plan. You gain some really great life and survival skills that are incredibly useful in Mozambique but completely useless in a developed country.

We meet a lot of different people from a lot of different backgrounds and I love inspiring people to get passionate about marine conservation and pursue their dreams. A perk of the job is that I get to live on a beautiful beach for 70% of the year. Pretty cool. I love my job.

What are the biggest challenges you face in your work?
Money. We have none. We’ve been running three years and it’s incredibly difficult to make ends meet in this industry and still be ethical – we don’t want to turn into a money guzzling machine that operates in 100 countries and has no specific goal to achieve. I live in a straw hut in Mozambique and I stay with my parents when I come to England. It sucks not being paid. As a UK company abroad to get anywhere there are a HUGE number of hurdles to overcome to run an organisation – we spend about £4k on insurance alone annually and we can’t even afford to pay our staff, it’s a killer. Hopefully one day soon we can get paid but right now the organisation runs on people’s good wills, family and friends’ support, and most of us have a main job and do LTO tasks on the side. I’m the only full time worker for LTO. But, at the end of the day, I really love what I do and so I don’t mind going without.

In Mozambique we struggle with trying to encourage people to think more sustainably, see the bigger picture, and take action. Women’s place in society is something that we constantly address. Encouraging women to seek careers is something we feel passionately about. Typically in our rural location local women start their periods, get married, have kids and that’s it. Average family size is 10 kids, men can have more than one wife but wives may not have more than one husband. As three women running a conservation organisation it’s tricky, a couple of times I’ve caught a look of complete shock when I’ve done something that typically a woman would never do in their culture, it’s kind of depressing but also fairly entertaining and satisfying to blow stereotypes out of the water.

What top tips would you pass on to a student interested in this type of work?
Don’t go into conservation science if you want to make money. You won’t. Go into conservation science if you’re extremely passionate about what you do. Find a great team to do it with, make sure you get on with your co-workers. Working in a remote region can get pretty intense. If you want to work in the field, make sure you’re OK living without makeup, straighteners or a hairdryer. We’ve been building a magnificent LTO team over the last three years and we’re now at a point where I feel the individuals that make up our team are so awesome that there is nothing we can’t do. Everyone is so passionate about LTO, making a difference and meeting our goals. It’s awesome.

If you’re researching organisations to work with, I would recommend digging. Just digging, digging, digging to get as much info on them as possible and check their ethics. There is SO much legislation in the UK surrounding health and safety abroad but absolutely nothing regarding ethics abroad. Don’t go with organisations that work with animals in captivity, support elephant riding, or let you work for long periods in orphanages. Research the ethics around each activity you’ll be doing. We’ve got some info on ethical volunteering on our website and the questions to be asking if you want more info.

When I look at a volunteer or staff’s application, I immediately first go to their qualifications. If you want to work in science you need a degree. A masters will make you much more desirable, a PhD even more so. After this I look at scuba diving qualifications and the number of logged dives they have. I then go and look at how passionate and enthusiastic they are. We only want the most passionate and enthusiastic individuals working for us. It’s really important to get this across in an application.

Generally, I’d recommend while you’re at University to grab absolutely every opportunity you can. I built up my CV as much as I could before I left uni and then founded my own organisation anyway. I’d really recommend just grabbing life and making every second count.

I am Costanza Poggi, policy adviser in Green Alliance’s political leadership theme. My team focuses on political advocacy and building alliances to impact the biggest policy decisions on the environment.

1. How did you get into your role?

After my masters in Environment, Development and Policy, it took a year to get my first job. I did two short internships, some freelance contracts for environmental organisations and a stint of nannying when I couldn’t find anything else. But when ‘Environment Sector graduate scheme’ finally appeared in my email alerts, I applied instantly.

I hadn’t heard of Green Alliance before, so I went straight to their website, staff page and blog, which gave me a sense of what the organisation did, and I got more of a feel for the organisation by reading their opinion pieces.

With masters and undergraduate degrees mostly focused on international politics, I didn’t know a huge amount about UK environmental politics and policy. By doing my research I was able to perform well at the interview and be honest about what I did and didn’t know. I was clear that I could apply lots of what I already knew to a new context. The good thing about a graduate scheme is that employers are much more interested in your demonstrable drive and passion than your knowledge in the field, which they know you’ll develop on the job.

I was surprised and pleased to be offered the job and started as a policy assistant, along with four others, on a year-long graduate scheme. After about eight months, my team went through some changes, and I found myself gradually taking on more responsibility, and when a policy adviser role came up, I was in a great position to apply.

2. What are the best things / biggest challenges about working in your role?

Politics is a cross cutting theme at Green Alliance, so, unlike some of the other teams, I work on many different topics. In order to respond to political opportunities (in an increasing unpredictable landscape) we often have to be able to draw on expertise of colleagues or get up to speed on new topics –  anything from air pollution to fisheries or land management very quickly. The variety is great but it also means being a very reactive and strong communicator.

The best thing about my job is having the time to think about who we’re trying to influence and how we’re going to do it. This means talking to people right across the environment sector and partnering with businesses and NGOs. We target the most senior decision makers in the country, so I get to see first-hand the effect and influence what we do has on politicians and their work – like seeing our work cited in the government’s 25 year plan for the environment.

Following the political cycle has its downsides though, as a lot of our planning and strategising is at the mercy of rapidly changing political events. What is key is knowing how to prioritise and to accept that you might have to drop whatever you’ve spent the past five hours working hard on.

The real perk of the job is feeling fulfilled and passionate about what I do. The political events of the past 18 months and the media narratives that accompany them can be disheartening at times, but seeing that what we do can directly influence political decisions and bring positive change gives me great hope and satisfaction.

3. What top tips would you pass on to a student interested in this type of work?

Get involved: There’s so much you can do to demonstrate your interest in the environment and sustainability. You can volunteer for a local wildlife project, start or join a campaign or sign up to a society at university, all of which will make it easy to demonstrate your interest in your application and give you a feel for different types of jobs you could do.

There are lots of opportunities to talk to people – think tanks and institutes hold lots of events, so add yourself to their mailing list if they have one to find out more about them. Networking is obviously helpful, but so is experiencing how organisations in the public, private and third sector interact in the same sphere. You might also get a better idea of which part of the sector you might want to work in. Businesses, government, media and NGOs are all very different.

Get the basics out of the way – look at the kind of jobs you want to apply for early on, read the skill requirements and then take up any opportunity you have to develop the ones you don’t have whilst still at university – this might mean writing a couple of blogs to prove your ability to write for more than academic audiences, or helping out a charity with some admin or event support – so you won’t be held back when you’re ready to start looking for work.

Do your research – you can understand so much about an organisation like mine from its social media, events and publications, follow them and look them up beforehand. This will also help you understand whether or not it is the right place for you and the direction you want to go in – which is the most important thing.

Relax – there’s no set path to follow, and you might do lots of different things before you find out what suits you, but stay keen and willing to learn and it will show.

Executive Producer Helen Collerton from Parable (http://parableworks.com) shares her top tips for working in the production industry. Helen is a UCL alumni and studied BA English Literature. 

1. It’s all about having the right attitude.
   Last year I took a poll from around 30 freelancers I work with regularly. I asked them what they had studied at university, and the answers that came back ranged from History to Anthropology, Psychology to Media, English Literature to French, Politics to Economics to Geography and on and on. Rather than devaluing your choice of study, instead this shows what I believe to be the most important truth to success in production: it’s all about your attitude, enthusiasm, and dedication. What these 30 people have in common, is that they are each a joy to work with, both in terms of skill and personality. Production is an intense job at times, and people will value passion, and a fresh and positive frame of mind.
2. Pigeon hole yourself.
   Within the film/production industry, there are many specialisms, each requiring a unique set of skills and experience. While it is of course vital to ‘shop around’ to work out what you like making, one of the best pieces of advice I was ever given, was to be aware that you only need two or three of a certain type of ‘thing’ on your CV, before you will only be getting calls to do exactly that. There is some sense to thhis – the industry changes so rapidly, that you do need to be regularly making food programmes/natural history documentaries/sports broadcasting/commercials etc. to ensure you are moving at pace with your specialism in terms of technical kit, processes, and talent.
3. Know what everybody else does.
   You are going to become better at what you do, and easy to work with, if you put some effort and research into understanding the roles of the people working around you. Whether you are working as a runner, a researcher, or an executive producer, if you understand the details of each part of the puzzle, and the various pressures, stresses, and focus points of your colleagues, you will become a more valuable member of the team. You will also find that you learn more, and that you learn faster.
4. The word ‘hierarchy’ should not apply.
   This is a big one. There are hundreds of different roles in film and production, and while some are more complex, or require more experience than others, the words ‘hierarchy’ or ‘senior/junior’ should not apply. This is for two reasons: firstly, everybody started as a runner, a driver, a tea-maker, a dogs body or an assistant. Everybody has been where you are, and the only thing separating you from the people with more responsibility than you, is years of experience. A well-run and welcoming production team should make you feel that this is true, because it is. Secondly, a brilliant ‘anything’ is invaluable. No cog on the wheel or link in the chain is less important than any other – every project relies on people at every stage of the process doing a brilliant job. You’re just as important as everybody else.
5. Be kind to yourself.
   Sometimes I think that when people talk about the film/production industry, they make it sound like a very hard place. The reality is that if you surround yourself with lovely people, it is a genuinely amazing place to be. In order to keep yourself sane and safe, remember that you are only as good as you are strong, healthy, and happy. Part of the job is looking after yourself – I’m a firm believer in not working with people who don’t treat you well, and in relaxing and having fun whenever possible.

Helen also is a writer and has a piece on her blog called  ‘Making Space for Writing’. You can read it here: https://readmesoftly.com/2017/12/17/making-space-for-writing/

As part of Charities and NGOs themed week, we asked to share what it’s like to work in a small charity and tips for getting into the sector:

Working in a small charity, as opposed to a large one, means that you can make a difference and you really get to see the impact of your work. For example, our interns take part in real grassroots work with vulnerable women, experience that they would have little or no opportunity to gain elsewhere.

Another benefit of working in a small charity as opposed to a large one is that you get a real feel of what it is like to run a charity and the hard work that is involved. The team has to pull together and support one another; this is why your role can be so broad. When it comes to working in a small charity, hard work and teamwork are key but the rewards are worth it.

Our interns develop a wide array of skills including using social media professionally. Communication skills are enhanced through building rapport with a wide range of people including policy makers as well as grassroots women.

Our top tips for those wishing to pursue a career in the charity sector:

1. Be open minded – you may be exposed to sensitive information.
2. Commitment and enthusiasm – this is what keeps charities going!
3. Be professional and passionate about what you do.
4. Progression – be willing to expand your knowledge and develop your skills.
5. Expect the unexpected! Particularly with grassroots work, no day is a typical day.

Meet JAN Trust at Charities & NGOs Link Up: Meet the Employers on Thursday 1st February alongside other charities including Friends of the Earth, Think Ahead, The Challenge, Macmillan Cancer Support and Green Shoots Foundation.

Are you interested in working for the charity and not for profit sector? Not sure what roles there are and where to start?

UCL Careers Charities & NGOs Themed Week 2018 is starting on Monday 29^th January: your chance to meet charity professionals and discover what jobs you can do.

The week’s events are open to students and recent graduates from all degrees. Click on the event titles below to book via myUCLCareers.

Careers in Campaigning, Policy, Public Engagement and Fundraising

Monday 29th January 2018, 6 – 7.30pm
Would you like to discover more about the amazing work of charities and NGOs and what makes them tick? Then don’t miss our panel event where you will learn about the wide range of functions within a charity and jobs available, directly from the people doing them.

Charities attending include Sustrans, Age UK, Rethink, Wellcome and Shelter.

Get into the Charity sector: Careers in Operations, Programmes and Research

Tuesday 30^th January 2018, 6 – 7.30pm
Have you considered a Career in Operations, Programmes or Research within a charity or NGO? Then come along to our panel event to gain an insight from the professionals talking about their experience of the sector and top tips for following in their footsteps.

Charities attending include The Challenge, Crisis, The British Heart Foundation and GreenShoots Foundation.

How to Market Yourself in the Charity Sector Workshop with Unlocked Graduates

Do you want to find out how to market yourself in the charity sector? Do you want to better understand the processes used by charities and find out what they typically look for? Then come to this workshop conducted by Unlocked Graduates!

N.B. Please note that unfortunately there is no wheelchair access to this venue.

For further details and to book a space click here.

Charities Link Up – Meet the Employers

Thursday 1st February 2018, 6 – 7.00pm
This is great chance to meet with people working in Charities and NGOs. Come along to have an informal chat about the work they do, gain advice on how to get involved in the sector plus find out what opportunities they have.

Charities attending include:

• Friends of the Earth
• Think Ahead
• RedR UK
• ReachOut
• JAN Trust
• Macmillan Cancer Support
• Holy Cross Centre Trust

Has the Media industry caught your eye as the next step after your degree? This week we are putting the spotlight on this diverse and exciting sector.

Perhaps you already know that PR is for you, or are you considering which role might suit you best within Publishing? Perhaps you have already tried your hand at documentary making!

We have some fantastic speakers who have kindly given up their time to come and share their experiences as part of Media Week.

The week kicks off on Tuesday evening with an insight into Publishing, where people working in a range of roles from freelance editing to trade marketing will take your questions. We are excited to have speakers from Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan Children’s Books, Pearson Education join us.

On Wednesday we will take a look at what it’s like to work within Film, TV and Radio. Again, this is an incredibly diverse industry so we have been sure to have a range of speakers including a director, commercial and freelance producers.

On Thursday we’re delighted to have the UK’s number one ranked NCTJ journalism school News Associates join us to run a journalism workshop.

Finally on Thursday evening we welcome speakers from the BBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Macmillan Cancer Support, Periscopix, Redscout and WPP to talk about the fast paced world of Advertising, Marketing & PR.

Of course working in the Media is not all about partying with celebs! As with any job, there’ll be the good stuff and the more challenging parts. It’s important to consider what your expectations of working in a media role are. If you are looking for a 9-5 job, then it might not be for you! It often involves hard work and long hours, and at weekends. That said it can be positively challenging and rewarding. UCL Careers’ Media Week events give you the chance to find out what a ‘day in the life’ is really like and whether it might be for you.

We appreciate the events have booked up quickly but we’re really pleased to say we will be recording each event and also writing a short blog, so if you’re not able to join us in person, you can still find out more. We will specifically break down the different areas and provide some top tips. A look at Prospects.ac.uk shows just how many roles there are within the Media industry. Prospects also breaks down the different roles within Advertising, Marketing & PR. Check out the different job profiles and watch this space for our next Media Week blogs!

The ‘arts’ sector includes job opportunities in a wide range of areas including:
– Architecture
-Museums, galleries and libraries
-Fashion
-Music, performing and visual arts
-Film, TV and Radio

Employment in the arts industry – according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) – is growing at more than four times than the overall UK workforce. This includes those in both the creative and support roles (such as administration, finance and IT) and the UK is currently employing nearly two million people in this sector.

What do I need to work in the arts?
– Either a practise talent or skill or have the passion and interest for the area you wish to work in.
– You may have to be prepared to work freelance, as self-employed or on short-term contracts

Further information can be found on the Prospects website

What sort of ‘creative’ roles are there available?
Actor, Designer, Animator, Curators, artist, architect, art director, choreographer, photographer, film/theatre director, cinematographer, audio describer, composer, writer, creative director, editor, costume designer, digital imager, painter, prop maker, drapes master, foley artist, set builder, illustrator, model maker, lighting/sound designer, graphic designer, marketing, radio presenter, scenic artist, stand-up comic, storyboard artist…

…to name but a few but for a further list please do visit http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/p1

Do I need to have a ‘creative’ degree to work in the arts?
No. The arts sector may be creative, but they still need all the roles and departments that you might find in even the corporate world such as IT, finance, HR and legal.

So if you are studying computer science but have a personal interest in film– perhaps you can combine your degree with your passions and decide on a career in the arts by becoming a visual effects editor? Or, why not use your transferable skills for something like these:

Broadcast engineering, stage manager, fundraiser, agent, programmer, effects technical director, render wrangler, location manager, casting director, event manager, library assistant, producer, radio traffic manager, researcher and many many more…
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You can find out more about working in the arts from the panel discussion on

Tuesday 14 November: Working in the Arts Forum (as part of the Museums and Cultural Heritage Themed Week)

Bookings through My UCL Careers

Danielle Thom – Curator of Making at the Museum of London

It was never my original plan to be a curator. As an undergraduate at Oxford University, I’d spent much of my history degree faffing around with journalism internships and trying to make it in magazines. As it turned out, I was a terrible journalist, and thus spent my first year post-graduation trying to stay afloat in the Sea of What Do I Do Now. I signed up for an MPhil, trying to recapture the bits of university that had appealed to me – research, 18^th century history, material culture – and was persuaded to switch to History of Art for the visual training it would offer. Lacking savings, a scholarship, or family funds, I spent the rest of the year working in a cold-calling office, saving up the commission I earned to pay my way through an MPhil.

My master’s degree, at the University of Birmingham, was invaluable for several reasons. It allowed me the opportunity to confirm, once and for all, where my interests lay. It gave me the chance to do in-depth research, at a level beyond that expected of undergraduates. And, crucially, there was an element of work experience embedded in the programme, which allowed me to work on a small exhibition in a voluntary capacity, co-curating a display of prints at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. At the end of the year, that experience turned out to be vital in getting me my next job, as a junior Curator with the National Army Museum, in Chelsea. I had wanted to stay on and do a PhD, but – again – funds were lacking. I figured that working in a museum was the best thing to do, and this job allowed me to live at home with my parents, save up money, and gain additional, important, experience in the field.

And that’s how I ended up at UCL, in part because my PhD supervisor there, Tom Gretton, was recommended to me by my MPhil tutor; and in part because I still needed to live at home to make ends meet. I worked part-time retail for the first year, squeezing in shifts around time in the library and archives. This isn’t intended to be a tale of woe – I’ve been extremely lucky – but it’s important to realise that the entry route into museum careers isn’t always plain sailing for those who lack economic and other forms of privilege. Finally, however, I managed to secure AHRC funding, which covered me for the remaining two years of the programme, and freed up my time so that I could take on additional volunteering, one afternoon per week.

Six months after finishing my doctoral thesis, in 18^th century British print culture, I managed to secure a job on the Assistant Curator Development Programme at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was a bit of a culture shock, fresh from a PhD, full of self-importance and used to autonomous research – to suddenly be responsible for fairly mundane, even menial tasks, such as counting dead beetles (for pest control purposes) and shunting objects around on trollies – but it was as essential a part of my education as the PhD had been. I was assigned to the Sculpture department, which wasn’t then my area of expertise, but I figured that it was an opportunity to develop a new body of knowledge, and took advantage of the resources available to me. I’ve been working on a book manuscript, about an 18^th century British sculptor, and was able to do a month-long curatorial fellowship at Yale University while researching that. I co-curated a pavilion at the Venice Biennale, as well as curating several smaller displays, and travelled all over Europe and the US as a courier for artworks. I also applied to, and was accepted for, the New Generation Thinker scheme, which is run jointly between the AHRC and BBC Radio 3, giving me the opportunity to make radio documentaries and appearances. I took advantage of every opportunity presented to me, although not all of those were easy projects, and sought things out rather than waiting for them to come looking for me. I’ve learned that in the museum world you can’t be shy about singing your own praises, as odd and obnoxious as it may feel to do so, because it’s rare that someone else will do it for you.

The assorted experiences which I’d gathered while working at the V&A enabled me to get my current job, as Curator of Making at the Museum of London. I’ve been in post for the last six months, and here I’m responsible for the historic decorative arts collections (such as jewellery, ceramics and sculpture), and also for developing collections and displays that reflect contemporary making in London today. I’m involved in the exciting redevelopment of the Museum of London, which is building an entire new museum at West Smithfield. I’m also still (!) working on my book manuscript, and occasionally make an appearance on the radio, continuing my 18^th century researches while forming new networks in a less familiar field.