Profiles

Underwriting Assistant
Heritage Group
After working in a bank for eight months the chance to work for the Heritage Group arose. I am training to be an aviation underwriter. The prospect of working in the aviation industry seemed a unique and exciting opportunity.

Physiotherapist
Guernsey Physiotherapy Group
In the mornings I work with outpatients - people with sports injuries and post surgery. In the afternoons I work in the hospital with orthopedic patients. After a patient has been assessed I decide on a mode of treatment. This can be a combination of exercise, electrotherapy and some manual techniques. Some physiotherapists now do acupuncture as well. We also educate people about their condition so they can make changes to their environment if necessary and learn how to take responsibility for their condition.

Senior Manager Actuarial Services
Bacon & Woodrow
I'd always enjoyed maths at school and wanted a career where I could use maths on a daily basis. The actuarial profession seemed to offer a good opportunity for doing this. I came to Bacon & Woodrow for work experience after doing my A Levels and was offered a job after graduating .

Trainee Electrical Engineer
Guernsey Electricity
When I left school I came to Guernsey Electricity and completed a five year electrical installation apprenticeship. This involved day release at the College of FE. I completed City & Guilds Parts 1 and 2. As I learnt more at college I gained more responsibility at work.

Trainee Solicitor
Ozannes
I think works experience can show you what aspects of a job you enjoy, but equally it shows you what you don't like about a job. Whilst I was studying I did work experience in a number of local law firms so I knew which ones I would like to work in after graduating. Also, works experience looks great on your CV. The legal profession is very competitive and works experience can be a great advantage.

Assistant Manager
Guernsey International Fund Managers
HOW HAS YOUR CAREER WITH THE BANK DEVELOPED ? My first eighteen months were spent in the shareholder services department, during which time I worked on the registration desk and the dealing desk. We were responsible for receiving and processing deals from investors, which involved a high degree of client contact. I then moved to the valuations department where I stayed for three years before transferring to the central accounting unit. At this time I began taking accounting qualifications which I continue despite transferring eighteen months ago to a team responsible for client relationship management and developing new business. The company has always encouraged me to move around different departments to gain wider experience. WHAT DOES YOUR CURRENT ROLE INVOLVE ? Our primary role is to manage existing client relationships, which involves regular contact and meetings with the clients. In our business development role we have started to market ourselves at high profile conferences and regularly make presentations to potential clients. I enjoy my role in the company because it is varied and involves a high degree of human contact. The fact that I have experience in a number of different departments undoubtedly helps me to perform my current role more effectively.

Account Executive
Orchard PR
Public Relations interested me so I did works experience at Orchard. I knew I wanted a career in business but not in a back office environment because I wanted contact with people. After doing works experience Orchard offered me a job and I thought the experience in Guernsey would stand me in good stead for when I move to London which is what I want to do eventually.

Accountant
Ernst and Young
I wanted a structured profession and an accountancy qualification allows you to work in a number of different areas. You can stay with an accountancy firm or go into industry. For me the big thing is the ability to travel because an accountancy qualification is recognised in most countries.

Business Manager

I enjoy problem solving and dealing with people. This position means that I am managing the whole office so I get involved in all areas from HR to business development. It's very busy and there are so many things to do. We work very closely with our Jersey office so I spend a couple of days there every week. From having a background in client handling I understand the business so I am able to make the process and procedures more efficient.

Work Experience
Pricewaterhouse Coopers
I saw an advertisement in the Guernsey Press and e-mailed the address. Within a few days I received a reply asking me to come in for a chat, which I did, and shortly afterwards received a call with the dates. I was surprised with the amount of responsibility that I am given. That, and the interesting work, has made my experience enjoyable.

Marketing Assistant
Kleinwort Benson
I support the Marketing Division in the project work that it does. We organise lots of corporate hospitality events such as the Dresdner Yacht Challenge. I also get involved in copywriting and printing flyers, designing marketing materials and working on the Intranet.

Trainee Accountant
Pricewaterhouse Coopers
Having spent 18 years in electrical engineering I wanted a new challenge to broaden my knowledge and experience in a completely different discipline. It's been a steep learning curve but I've found it challenging and rewarding. It's crucial to manage your time effectively in order to achieve an optimal life-work balance.

Detective Inspector - Head of CID
States of Guernsey Police
People tend to underestimate the type of work that is done in Guernsey. There is an awful lot that goes on that people never get to hear about. For instance, we do a lot of work for the UK forces. You don't have to be in the CID to be involved in complex cases. If you want a job that is out of the ordinary, exciting and offers job satisfaction then this is it. I could not have done a job where I was stuck in an office doing the same type of things every day - the police force is not like that.

Staff Development & Quality Assurance Management Services for people with a Learning Difficulty
States of Guernsey
I started in an admin role with the Social Security Department. This gave me a good experience of dealing with Then I moved to Guernsey Telecoms as a personnel assistant where I completed the Institute of Personnel and Development Certificates in Personnel and training Practice. Working in HR gave me a good insight into how an organisation functions. When I was 24 I became administration manager at the Board of Health's Mental Health and Elderly Care Services . In that role I was responsible for 13 staff and a budget of £1/2m. My career has progressed quite quickly and I enjoy making the most of my skills and abilities .

Junior School Teacher
States of Guernsey
You have to do a degree. Then I did a one year Post Graduate Certificate at the University of East Anglia. It was a mixture of lectures, tutorials and practical work in the classroom. At the beginning you only observe in the classroom, then you teach under supervision and during the last term you have to do two months totally by yourself. The lectures cover teaching ideas about different subjects and issues such as racism and child protection.

Works Experience
CMA
Why PR? The variety. Even doing works experience here I have worked on so many varied projects including the Guernsey Litter Forum and the annual insurance industry ‘Risk’ conference. I have also written press releases for a variety of different clients. What sort of work do I do? So far I have mainly worked on event management such as the recent outdoor theatre at Castle Cornet. I was responsible foe arranging the advertising and ensuring media coverage. This week I am organising the social side of Guernsey Financial Services Commission insurance seminar, which has delegates coming from all over the world.

Advocate
Carey Olsen
I started work as a trainee solicitor in a firm of solicitors in Birmingham in September 1999. My traineeship was for a period of two years and I qualified as a solicitor of the supreme court of England and Wales in September 2001. I came back to Guernsey in October 2001 and took the Guernsey Bar examinations in December 2001(having passed my French Law exams at Caen during my year out). I was called as an Advocate of the Royal Court of Guernsey in January 2002. At that stage I was an ‘assistant’ and, as the title suggests, I assisted more senior lawyers with elements of their workload. As time has progressed I have become an ‘associate’ which brings with it responsibility for your own cases and greater autonomy.

Trainee Solicitor
Carey Olsen
I worked for a Guernsey firm of advocates for eight months prior to completing the legal practise Course in London. That’s a one-year course, which covers core subjects like conveyancing, criminal and civil litigation and business law as well as advocacy training and legal research. In your last three months you complete three elective subjects of which I did corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and commercial law. You learn how to work as a team and how to tackle problems that can and will appear whilst working in the real world of being a solicitor. It is far more practical and handouts than studying a law degree.

Administrator
Barings (Gsy) Ltd
Every year I work within a different department within Barings Guernsey. I get guaranteed work during my holidays and also a bursary, which is paid in instalments at the beginning of each term. Whilst being in Frankfurt as a ‘Praktikantin’ I have worked for the sales department and then more recently the marketing department of BAM AG. I have helped redesign the client database that they use here and now I am working on an analysis of the competition that BAM AG has in Germany.

Accountancy
PricewaterhouseCoopers
When I left school I went to work at Guernsey Electricity and completed a five-year apprenticeship as an electrician. I then decided to go to university and was able to get an adult grant because I had been working for three years. It was a bit of a culture shock because I had been earning for five years. But by that stage I was going because I wanted to not because it was something I was expected to do, so I think it was the right time.

Engineer
Guernsey Electricity
I’ve been here a year and day to day the work is very varied. I work as part of a team ensuring that the equipment can be monitored and controlled remotely by the operator using our SCADA system. It’s the sort of job where you feel you have achieved something. You can see something through from start to finish. I also love the variety of it. I enjoy finding out how things work.

Assistant Quanity Surveyor
RG Falla
The main thing is checking the work that has been done by the sub-contractors to make sure that it has been carried out according to the plans. Then I have to authorise payment for the work that has been completed. I also have to organise the men on the site to make sure they are doing the work. At the moment we are finishing off a job so I have to prepare manuals for the new owners explaining how the building works.

Accountant
PricewaterhouseCoopers
The firm has a global secondment process. I looked at the areas I wanted go to – it was a choice between Toronto, Edinburgh or Zurich. I had to submit a resume and have the support of the Guernsey Office. I wanted a secondment because I wanted to travel and see a bit more of the world.

Water Quality Technician
States Water Board
Monitoring and testing water quality at all stages from raw stream water through storage, treatment and distribution, to the point of consumption. Investigating and reporting any activity that may have harmful effect on water quality. Attending incidents where water quality has been affected and initiating the appropriate action to contain and remove contamination.

Police Officer
Guernsey Police Force
For the last three years of his eight-year career with the Police, James Willcocks has been a police motorcyclist. He has also served in CID and as a response car driver. James likes the fact that he is doing a worthwhile job for the community. He also enjoys the challenges that a career in the force provides and he likes the security that it affords him.

Social Worker
States Children Board
I started as a resource centre worker at Garden Hill. I was accepted as a trainee social worker and in the year before my training started I worked in different areas of the Children Board. I spent some time at the Family Centre, which offers support to the community. Then I joined the duty team taking calls, visiting families and generally assisting the social workers in their work.

Architect
States of Guernsey Technical Services
During the first three years you learn about design and technology issues. After graduating you spend a year in an architectural practise, which I did in Nottingham. I worked on a variety of small projects and acquired experience of how an office works. The Post Graduate Diploma is a chance to specialise; I concentrated my studies on urban design. You also have lectures on practise management, contract law and so on. The final year concludes the Masters programme and is in the workplace.

Health Promotion Officer
States Board of Health
What’s the best thing about it? The sheer variety of my work. It’s a job where I can combine academic research and creativity, as well as meeting and working with lots of different people. I also enjoy the challenge of developing the job as it’s a new role.

Dental Surgeon
Rue Maze Dental Practice
It’s a highly competitive degree and you need to make sure you achieve your grades at both GCSE and A-Level, as second chances these days are extremely rare if not non-existent. Get some work experience as a dental nurse. Ask your own dentist if there are any vacancies.

Veterinary Physiotherapist
Self employed
Following my initial physiotherapy degree, I worked in the NHS for two years. I became a member of ACPAT. ACPAT is a special interest group for chartered Physiotherapists; it provides us with our insurance cover as well as journals and courses. You must be a Category A member of ACPAT before you are able to treat animals. In May 2000 the first Msc in Veterinary College became available. This is a two-year course that includes both practical and theory work. Veterinary permission must be obtained prior to treating any animal. Close communication with other para-professionals is important and may include liaising with the farrier, vet or saddler when treating horses.

Business Manager
RBS International
After travelling overseas, 29-year-old James Ingrouille worked in various financial institutions before he was offered a permanent job with RBS International. Having gained experience in the retail unit of the group, he now manages a portfolio of business customers as one of the bank’s business managers. This is a job that he enjoys greatly, and he sees his immediate future in the retail division, where he believes that there will be ample opportunity to develop his career. James particularly enjoys meeting clients face to face. He says that many of these people are very busy indeed, so he visits them where they work. This not only allows him to get out of the office but also helps him to understand the core nature of a great variety of Island businesses. He has, meanwhile, some valuable advice that he would like to offer to people keen on entering the banking world. He said: ‘I think that the most important thing for secondary school students is to use work experience as a way to find out more about the different aspects of banking. Always listen to free advice. And be patient. Opportunities are always available, so it is important to stay focused and seize chances at the right time for you. Don’t be rushed into making premature decisions.’ As far as RBS International is concerned, James says ‘You always get the feeling that you are looked after.'

Corporate Manager
Royal Bank of Scotland
At the age of 22 Nick Bougourd already has the status of corporate manager with the Royal Bank of Scotland and is the first point of banking contact for a number of high-net-worth clients. He works with a team of five, dealing principally with transactions in excess of £5 million and specialising in real estate finance both in Guernsey and the United Kingdom. Nick’s skills are founded not only on experience at the bank but also on his AAT qualifications and a period that he spent in the British Army, which he joined aged 17. He is now embarking on a course of RBS International-sponsored study that will lead to qualification as a chartered accountant. People starting out in a career should always remember that training opportunities are vital. ‘I would advise young people to choose an employer who is willing to invest in your future,’ he said, adding: ‘But you need to be committed because it’s tiring attending evening classes while working full-time – but it’s well worth it.’ He also says that life at work is made much easier if you are fortunate enough to find a firm with a good office atmosphere and colleagues who are willing to help when you find yourself under pressure. Explaining what he enjoys at work, he said: ‘Ensuring that all our clients are one hundred per cent satisfied with the service we provide.’ And he confirms that he is more than satisfied with the level of job satisfaction. ‘Looking back, I am absolutely delighted with the path I have taken,’ he said.