How I found this job:
The Media Guardian supplement (every Monday).
Influencing factors in accepting this job were:
New to London, wanted experience to use for an imminent MA in Arts Administration.
What my role involves:
- Company administration: organising the AGM, renewing charitable status, liaising with auditors and the trustees and directors, reporting on finance, controlling the sales ledger, recruitment, and event management.
- Assisting the managing director: drafting fundraising letters, keeping a schedule of fundraising activity, general PA duties.
- Editor, British Antique Dealer’s Association Handbook: proof reading, editing, collation of images, text input, liaising with the printing company.
- Office manager, aided by an administrative assistant
Most important skills and knowledge I use in my job:
- Being a team player and effective communicator
- Strong interest in a wide range of disciplines in the arts
- Practical problem solver, using initiative and available resources
- Skilled organiser of events and people
Most interesting and challenging part of my work:
Juggling everything at once, meeting and working with some extremely talented and interesting people.
Advice for current TCD students entering the employment market:
I think if I had any advice for someone looking to work in the arts I would say that work experience counts for everything - employers need to see you are not just someone with an MA - you need to provide evidence that you are able to work with others, you can use a computer, you can stay in a job for a given length of time. I have recruited three members of staff (all in to 'first job' graduate positions) to the magazine I work for and I always look for evidence of these three things. Secondly I would advise individuals not to count on being paid very much when starting out, and expect to sometimes work for free or very little.
Other relevant information on my career to date:
Last year I discovered a friend of my family who was studying a similar MA to Arts Admin and Cultural Policy course that I was about to do. It was new, and called Cultural Entrepreneurship also at Goldsmiths (run out of the same faculty). From what this new friend told me it seemed the course leader of the MA in Arts Admin and Cultural Policy shifted all of his focus to the new MA. It was great to find this insider information. Anyway, I was lucky to have eventually met some of my potential classmates through this new friend (the two courses share a limited number of classes). After the MA in Arts Admin and Cultural Policy they were mostly working part time in minor administrative roles, often working for free (some of them still are). I feel quite at an advantage that I deferred my place on the MA, got a job and gained some perspective. I do want to do an MA at some point - I did contact Goldsmiths about a potential transfer to the new MA in Cultural Entrepreneurship just to see what they'd say. They were very kind and said that my formerly successful application to the MA to Arts Admin and Cultural Policy would be considered alongside a new application which I would have to make. In short, they were very good to deal with and I may approach them again.
I have had other thoughts about doing an MA in finance or maybe one day doing an MBA. We'll see. For the moment I am happy working, London is an expensive place to be as a student (although plenty of people I know have and do make it work!). |
