Category Archives: Student Guide

Post it notes saying "journey map" and "apply"

How to find summer work experience

Are you looking to expand your experience and skills during the summer vacation? Perhaps make new contacts and build your CV, LinkedIn or any other profile?

Taking on some unsalaried opportunities can give you the flexibility to try a variety of new experiences that fit round your other interests or commitments. If you are taking on any unpaid opportunities the work and opportunities fund could help you to meet any costs associated with this.

  1. What do you want to achieve or experience?
  • Reflect on strengths and experiences so far; consider what is missing or what you would like to experience more of.
  • Identify skills and experiences that fit with your career or personal development plans.
  1. Find out what is available
  • Online work experiences and internships are often short and workable in your own time. Schemes are available and are a great way to make connections and develop sector awareness.
  • Volunteering could be directly related to your programme of study, career goals or something completely different. It could be ongoing or as part of a one off event, at home or abroad.
  • Company Insight days and events are available throughout the year are often online. Attending them shows your motivation and can help you make career decisions.
  • Work shadow or short work experience. – an opportunity to observe and develop your understanding of a role, grow your network and commercial awareness and identify your career goals. You will likely need to arrange this opportunity yourself.
  • Self-directed projects. You could try entering competitions; Search social media, using hashtag to find opportunities. You could set yourself a research project, develop a design, product or business idea.
  • Search for opportunities on the Target connect portal.
  1. Decide on the opportunity you want and apply
  • Check company websites and social media. Find details of key contacts and check for any application or registration deadlines.
  • Check the application methods. Some may have structured application processes others may be undefined, requiring you to make a speculative approach.
  • What tools do you need? CV, cover letter/ email. Include evidence of motivation for the opportunity and prior experience in your application.
  • Ask the Careers and Employability Service for support to develop your CV or help with your application.
  • Remember to log your activities for Employability Points and update your CV and LinkedIn profile with your experiences, new learning and skills!

Good luck with your summer experiences!

Woman dressed smartly on phone with laptop

How to find a summer job

The summer vacation provides an ideal opportunity for students to secure paid work experience and to develop valuable employability skills. Read on to find out more about the types of work available, the top things to consider when searching for summer jobs, and how to apply.

Step one: Know your options

One of the first things to research when looking for a summer job is what opportunities are available. Examples include:

Step two: Identify your preferences

Considering your own requirements in advance will allow you to search more efficiently for relevant opportunities and can narrow down the vacancies to apply to. Some points to consider are:

  • Location
  • Transport links
  • Sector
  • Duties and skills involved
  • Hours and flexibility
  • Wage and overtime options

Step three: Search for opportunities

A good starting point for your search is the Careers and Employability Service website, which contains links to online jobs boards, organised by sector.

Other useful websites include:

You might also find it useful to check in shop windows for vacancies, or adopt a speculative approach. This involves contacting an employer directly (usually providing your CV and a cover letter), even if they do not have any advertised vacancies.

Step four: Apply!

Check the job advertisement for instructions on how to apply. This can vary depending on the role and organisation. Generally, the application process may involve:

Remember: the Careers and Employability Service can support you with applying! Book a 15-minute Quick Advice appointment to have your CV, cover letter or application answers reviewed by an Adviser, or book a 30-minute Interview Practice slot.

And that’s it! Four simple steps to give yourself the best possible chance of securing a summer job.

Good luck!

 

Hannah and Jireh

Kent Stars: Diversity Champions Hannah and Jireh

This month’s Kent Stars are Global Officers Hannah and Jireh. As part of the Global Officers Leadership Development (GOLD) programme, they have been involved in a wide range of activities including the organisation of WorldFest, our annual celebration of cultural diversity at Kent. Hear from our Diversity Champions Hannah and Jireh:

Hannah – My name is Hannah Kirabo, and I am studying Law. I am an international student originally from Uganda and Eritrea, but I live in Eswatini. My main interests include going out to eat and working creatively. I also like to read, take pictures, and spend time with friends and family.

Jireh – Hello! I am Jireh Akandwanaho, a final year Law with French student and an international student from Uganda. Moving to the UK sparked my interest in diversity, especially in cultures and languages. Some fun facts about me are that I am the last born out of seven, I speak five languages and I love Jesus.

Tell us about the Global Officers Leadership Development Programme and your involvement with WorldFest

Hannah – The Global Officers Leadership Development Programme is a programme run by the International Programmes department of the University. It comprises of a series of workshops on cultural intelligence, leadership skills, planning and effectively executing tasks. The bulk of the programme comes from involvement in various activities including Global Hangouts, Campus Tours, Orientation Activities and WorldFest, and I have had the pleasure of taking part in all of these. Leading up to WorldFest I was involved in the marketing and communications, launch video and world quiz. I edited the launch videos that went up on the Global Officers’ Instagram and the University’s instagram story. I took part in the planning of the world quiz – formulating questions, setting up the quiz and running it as an in-person Global Hangout. I also attended the weekly planning meetings for feedback. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of such a successful celebration of cultural diversity!

Jireh – I applied for the GOLD programme because I was interested in working with the Dean of Internationalisation and wanted to support and contribute to making the University a more conducive environment for the international community. My experience as a Global Officer has been so enriching to my cultural intelligence and has developed my leadership skills through various activities for example participating in Worldfest. We were given opportunities to put forward ideas and organise various events for Worldfest as well as handling the marketing aspects. I was part of the marketing team where I got to write a newspaper article about Worldfest in the student newspaper, as I have always wanted to do, and I also made a virtual tour video of my beloved country, Uganda. It was such an incredible experience, thanks to the creative freedom and support we were given by the university to implement and plan our ideas.

What advice would you give to other students?

Hannah – Try new things. The worst-case scenario likely will not happen and, you will be glad you tried.  You meet many interesting people through getting involved and it is a great way to put yourself out there, make friends and discover who you are and what you may be interested in.

Jireh – I would advise students to get out of their shells and get involved in the various activities available to them during their stay at university. Not only do these activities increase their skill set but are also opportunities to network and meet new people. Plus, they are usually fun too.

What are your plans for the next year?

Hannah – I hope to get more involved in the Kent Student Law Society, focus on my studies and look into placements and internships for the vacation period both here and at home. I also plan to continue to try new things and explore more of Canterbury and England at large.

Jireh – My plans after I finish Kent is to go on to take a year out doing some legal internships or graduate roles as I also utilise my creative skills to create various sources of income for myself. Then, I would like to do a Masters and qualify as a solicitor.

Applications for the 2022/23 Global Officers Leadership Development (GOLD) programme will open in July 2022.

Learn more about the Kent Stars campaign.

Life after uni week

Events roundup: 16-22 May

Here’s a roundup of this week’s top events:

Summer Term: Gulbenkian Summer Festival

Throughout the Summer Term, you can get involved in the Gulbenkian Summer Festival at the Canterbury campus. Enjoy live music, outdoor cinema and a pop-up food stall with a different theme each week. Take some time away from your studies to wind down, spend time with friends, and have fun.

All week: Life After Uni Week

This week is Life After Uni Week at Kent, a week of online talks and workshops to help you prepare for graduation and beyond.

Monday: Get prepared for the world of work

Life After Uni Week kicks off with a range of events on Monday, from a session on CVs, cover letters and application forms to making yourself impossible to ignore in the jobs market.

Plus find out why you might want a job in the creative industries, the fastest growing sector in the UK. and jobs in the creative industries. These sessions are taking place online and are open to all students.

Wednesday: Time to de-stress

Take some time to relax with this Exam Calm breathing online session 13.00-13.30 with Kent counsellor and mindfulness teacher Lorraine.

Or if you want something more physically active, join this community bike ride on campus with other students and College Life Officer Tom (who also happens to be a professional Mountain Bike Coach!)

Medway students can also destress with a free 15 minute relaxation massage between 11.00-15.00 at the Drill Hall Library.

Thursday: Revision techniques, goal setting and outdoor cinema

Brush up on your exam techniques with this 15 minute online bitesize session from our Student Learning Advisory Service.

Whether you love goal setting or have given up on it, consider joining this Study Plus Goal Setting and Goal Achieving interactive workshop, 14.00-15.30. Learn more about the benefits of goal setting and common pitfalls.

As part of Gulbenkian’s Summer Festival you can watch American Horror ‘Get Out’ on the big screen in the open air. Take a seat on the hay bales at 21.00 on the Gulbenkian Lawn.

Friday: Stress management workshops

Looking for ways to manage stress better? Why not try a Journaling Tools workshop to help manage time, efficiency and wellbeing, 11.00-12.30 online.

Or if you’re got a lot on at the moment, try this Stress workshop: how to manage it well when you are busy or have a heavy workload, 14.00-15.30 online.

Saturday: Lawn games and Post Office Horizon System event

Take a break from studies and join your College Residential Life Assistants for some light-hearted fun with lawn games in Darwin Rose Garden, 12.00-16.00 on Saturday afternoon.

Learn more about one of the largest miscarriages of justice with this Post Office Horizon System event at the Gulbenkian. The event will be joined by ex-sub-postmasters and mistresses who were wrongfully convicted for theft and false accounting, legal and IT experts, and investigative journalists. Join us 13.30-17.30 to hear stories, panel discussions and a Q&A session.

Browse all student events.

Students at bushcraft event

Building resilience through communities at Kent

Connecting with others with similar interests and outlooks on life can help us manage the difficulties that everyday life can throw at us.

Despite the warming weather, Spring can also mean stress over exams, deadlines, and applications for summer employment or graduate employment, making it sometimes feel overwhelming and draining on our psychological coping resources.

Here are some suggestions on activities and initiatives that can help you find ‘your tribe’ and enjoy the wellbeing benefits of surrounding yourself with support from like-minded others.

College and community life at Kent

The College and Community Life (CCL) Team is dedicated to assisting you in connecting to other students within and across the eight university colleges. For example, you could join a Mindfulness Walk exploring Darwin, Rutherford and Eliot Colleges or  play lawn games at Darwin Rose Gardens with other students.

The CCL team regularly organises events open to all students, providing exciting opportunities to make new friends and connections. Past events have ranged from Harry Potter quizzes to bush craft workshops, so you are bound to find events that connect you with others who share your interests. To find out more about events happening on our campuses, you can follow CCL on social media or check out the CCL events calendar for more information on other social opportunities like the regular Dolche Vita breakfast club or Rutherford Lunch Club.

Kent Community Oasis Garden (KentCOG) 

The KentCOG provides you with a platform to de-stress and volunteer with other students immersed in beautiful nature, right next to the Canterbury campus. By taking care of the beautiful garden and engaging in regular sustainability activities, you can participate in various de-stressing activities with other students interested in sustainability and gardening. In May, the garden will host exciting events such as a house plant swap and a walk where you can identify different species of bumblebees with other students, check out the KentCOG calendar for more details.

Sports teams 

If sports get you going, you may wish to consider giving one of the University’s numerous sports clubs a go. These teams are only open for Kent students and allow you to team up with other students, develop new skills in a friendly environment, and broaden your network across multiple disciplines. The University also holds specific competitive sports teams, which allows you to team up to represent your university with others. So, whether you are a more experienced team sport player or have always wanted to give a team sport a go, take the opportunity while you’re at uni to get some exercise, meet new people and have fun!

Kent Sport

The ALL Active Programme is open to all students and offers a variety of weekly activity sessions. First years and students living on campus can access the sessions for FREE as part of their Kent Sport inclusive membership, otherwise the sessions are £2 per session with a Kent Sport pay to play membership (no set up fee required).

Prefer to walk, run or cycle around our picturesque Canterbury Campus at your leisure? Check out these marked out 1 mile, 2km, 3km campus routes, or grab a map from outside the Sports Centre and next to the Law School building opposite the Library lawn. If you’re on or near the Medway campus, check out Medway council’s Get active pages, including led health walks and cycle rides.

Give it A Go is a programme of FREE active and create sessions being delivered in partnership with Kent Sport and Kent Union throughout the summer term, providing a variety of activities for students to try out, meet new people and develop your skills – these could be craft sessions, sports, trips off campus and much more! At Medway? There is a  Give It A Go Programme at The Hub Medway too!

Student groups

The numerous student groups of Kent can be a great way to find your community and expand your network. The groups are formed by the students, brought together by similar interests, hobbies, or calling towards a particular cause. In fact, there are over 250 student clubs to choose from, with more added each year. In addition, many societies continue to organise events and socials even at the end of the academic year, so it is not too late to take part and join the fun!

Mental health support

We have several peer support groups where you can connect with like minded students who may have shared experiences, check out our Student Support and Wellbeing calendar for what’s on online and on campus.

If you’d like to know more about how we can support you with mental health, disabilities and long term health conditions, specific learning difficulties and autism, take a look at the Student Support and Wellbeing webpage. If you feel you need urgent mental health support please take a look at the Emergency Support page. Have you used Student Support services this academic year? If you want to comment on your experience or give suggestions for the development of support at Kent, please take a quick online survey to share your feedback and ideas.

Written by Antti Lattula, third year student, on 01.05.22

Check out further articles on Support and Wellbeing, College Life and Community Life. 

Corridor of servers

Digital by Default: Post Office Horizon System free event, 21 May

This event brings together ex-sub-postmasters and mistresses who were wrongfully convicted for theft and false accounting, legal and IT experts, and investigative journalists to think through some important issues raised by one of the largest miscarriages of justice.

Join us on Saturday 21 May, 1.30-17.30 at the Gulbenkian Theatre.

The event is centred on the lived experiences of people directly impacted. It provides an opportunity and space to reflect on what happened and what lessons can be gleaned. There will be a mix of stories, presentations and panel discussions, and a Q&A session with the audience.

We are pleased to be joined by Mrs Seema Misra (SPM), Mrs Nichola Arch (SPM), Mr Parmod Kalia (SPM), Mr Patrick Green QC and Ms Kathleen Donnelly (Henderson Chambers), Professor Lydia Hayes (Head of Kent Law School), Professor Richard Moorhead (University of Exeter), Professor Bernard Richmond QC (Kent Law School), Ms Flora Page (UCL), Professor Harold Thimbleby (Swansea University), Dr Ida Petretta (Kent Law School), Mr Ian Reeves (Head of the Centre of Journalism), Mr Karl Flinders (Computer Weekly), Ms Katie Glass (Telegraph), and Mr David Chaplin and Ms Helen Lacey to discuss N Wallis, The Great Post Office Scandal (Bath Publishing 2021).

The event is generously supported by Kent Law School, the Division for the Study of Law, Society & Social Justice (LSSJ), and the FutureHuman fund.

Please note that the event will be recorded.

The event is free but ticketed. Register your place now.

 

 

 

‘Penne’ for your thoughts – catering focus groups

We want to make some changes to the way we do food on campus, but we need your help.

So, if you know your Bolognese from your Buddha Bowls, we want to hear from you!

Shape the future of food at the University of Kent with us and earn £20 credit on your KentOne card by taking part in one of our focus groups.

Register your interest today by visiting the UniKentFood website.

Kent Giving Week, 9-13 May

Events roundup: 9-15 May

Welcome to the Summer Term. We wish you the best of luck with your exams – you’ve got this!

All week: Kent Giving Week

Take a break from revision and join Kent’s first ever fundraising week. Events include a 5k run/walk, Rock Choir Concert, stress buster massages and more!

Monday:  5K Your Way

Whether you’re based at Canterbury or Medway, you can get involved in the Kent Giving Week 5K Your Way. You can walk, run or dance your way around the route and help raise money for our new Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy.

Tuesday: Exam support and find out about proposed changes to the academic year at Kent

Get into exam mode with this bitesize online session to learn exam techniques with the Student Learning Advisory Service, 12.00-12.15. Look out for more of these sessions throughout the exam season.

Pick up some free fruit and snacks from Templeman Library Welcome Hall 13.00-15.00, plus some great advice on library resources to help with your revision.

Join Professor Richard Reece, DVC Education and Student Experience at a student webinar, 16.00-17.00, to find out more about the proposed changes to the academic year at Kent.

Wednesday: House Plant Hospital and mindfulness sessions

House plants looking a little sad? Bring them along for House Plant Hospital so the team can diagnose them and give you some advice on how to restore them to their former glory.

If you need a breather from exams, try out this Exam Calm online mindful breathing session, 13.00-13.30. The short, guided meditation will be followed by a discussion about how mindfulness can help us cope better during the exam season.

Or if you prefer to be outside, you can join the outdoor mindfulness session, 17.00-18.00 for a guided meditation at the Kent Community Oasis Garden.

Saturday: Cambridge Day Trip and Bee Walk

Join the Chaplaincy Team for a Cambridge Day Trip! Meet new people and spend time exploring ancient lanes, colleges and university buildings. This trip costs £18 with a coach leaving Canterbury campus at 8.30 on Saturday.

Get out in nature and learn how to identify and record different Bumble Bee species at this Bee Talk and Walk, starting at the Kent Community Oasis Garden, 10.00-12.00.

Survey: Help shape Kent’s anti-racism strategy
Complete the Race Equality Charter Student Survey by 17 June for the chance to win one of three £50 gift vouchers.

Browse all student events.

 

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Ready to start building your digital skills?

Your Digital Pathway is a new, free digital skills course from Santander in
collaboration with the Institute of Coding, and the award winning
TechUP initiative based at Durham University.

With 50,000 places available, the course is designed to help if you want
to take the first step on the pathway to building your digital skills, and
can support you to:

  • Return to, or start education
  • Return to or start work, or to pivot your career
  • Set up a business online

We know that everyone has a different digital skills starting point.

The course is taught at an introductory level and includes up to 8 hours
of content which can be completed in your own time, and at your
own pace.

Everyone who completes the course will receive a certificate of
achievement and will also be entered into a prize draw for the chance
to win one of 88 Santander grants worth up to £2,500 (T&Cs apply),
available to use on the tailored Santander Aspire webstore to purchase
a range of items including laptops, tablets and Chromebooks.

Registration for Your Digital Pathway is now open and applications
close on 29 June 2022.

Find out more about the course and how to apply.

City mentoring

2022 Kent Staff Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Awards

Do you know a member of staff who has made a difference through their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) work this year?

We recognise that EDI is the work of everyone and changes in daily practice make big impacts in the lives of those around us. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is ongoing work.

It requires continuous learning and relearning, with the understanding that there is often no end point, and that’s why we want to make sure this work does not go unnoticed.

We want to celebrate all the staff members who have made Kent a more inclusive community.

So, if you know of someone who has championed EDI in any way this year, let us know! Maybe someone has listened to your feedback and changed their practice to make it more inclusive?

Or perhaps you’ve noticed a small but significant action that someone in your team has made, that has changed your experience at work for the better? Whatever the action, big or small, we want to hear about it!

You can submit as many nominations as you want – we have so many fantastic members of staff working on EDI initiatives all year round.

An afternoon of tea and cake will take place on 8 June to celebrate the nominees.

Click here to nominate a staff member

Nominations will close at 8.00 on 24 May 2022. Invitations to the awards tea (on 8 June) will be issued on 31 May.