Assistant Private Secretary to the British Consul General Review

My work placement with the Mountbatten Institute was at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). I thoroughly enjoyed the year working at the FCO and the opportunity would have never been possible without the Mountbatten Institute. Not only was I able to work in an exciting and fast paced city, but I was also given a role of real responsibility, which has allowed me to develop both personally and professionally. It was without a doubt the best year of my life to date and I am very thankful for the way the Mountbatten Institute has helped me advance in my career as a result of my work placement.

Despite only working in the role for 12 months, I was always treated fanastically well by all of my colleagues. I was made to feel a part of the team instantly and I was given responsibilities that both challenged me and allowed me to showcase my abilities. The FCO provided me with an excellent network of colleagues who fully appreciated the effort I was putting into the role. When I worked on particular projects, I felt that my work was always fairly reviewed and valued by those working with me.

The fantastic thing about the Mountbatten Institute is that the work placements available have been comprehensively reviewed to ensure they are appropriate for prospective candidates, and that suitable support networks are in place. Throughout my placement at the FCO I was given excellent support by both my line manager and also from staff working at the Mountbatten offices. My line manager supported my professional development and allowed me to attend two courses throughout the year that considerably helped with my role. I always felt that guidance was available if I needed it and that people around me were invested in making my year as great an experience as possible.

Throughout my year at the FCO I was kept incredibly busy due to the nature of the role and the fast paced environment we were operating within. Having said this, I was provided with adequate support if the workload became unmanageable. The role was incredibly varied so it meant that each day was completely different and things could suddenly come up, which meant that you had to be flexible and prioritise your workload. The role provided an excellent opportunity for me to understand how to adapt to particular circumstances and allowed me to develop a whole range of skills, which were necessary to succeed within the role.

I was given a great deal of responsibility at the FCO. My role involved liaising with UK Trade and Investment colleagues on a daily basis to arrange events and ensure alignment with the activities of the British Consul General. I was also in charge of managing the Consul General's diary and creating detailed business programmes for any business trips he might have to take. Finally I assisted with running large scale events throughout New York and this involved working with a number of internal and external stakeholders. I always felt that the level of responsibility given to me was appropriate and that I was not simply completing menial tasks that would not have added value to my experience at the organisation.

I developed a wide range of transferrable skills within the role that have been vital to the success of my career. I learnt a lot about how to negotiate with others and how to deal with very tight deadlines during incredibly busy periods. It was also fascinating to work in a culturally different environment but the confidence I gained has enabled me to work with people from all over the world on some very global projects. The skills and knowledge that I picked up during my work placement were applied to my degree studies and I was also able to take what I learnt during my studies and apply this back to my work placement. Overall, I would say that the skills I developed were incredibly valuable for everything that I have since done.

The atmosphere in my office was excellent. People were incredibly friendly and there were opportunities to socialise with colleagues outside of work. All of my colleagues were very approachable and I felt that there was excellent communication between individuals in different teams.

The work placement was incredibly well set up. The Mountbatten Institute provided me with excellent instructions about the role prior to being interviewed, and then also sent me detailed guidelines before actually starting at the FCO. This included information on the office culture, the number of people in the team, people I could contact for further information and various other useful pieces of information. Prior to starting my work placement at the FCO, I was also assigned a work buddy who helped me to get settled in.

My line manager identified that I would benefit from personal training to support my communication and assertiveness skills, and so I attended a relevant one day course. In addition to this, I was able to attend a course on the British Government to help provide me with a better understanding of the industry I was working within. I was always aware that if I needed further training, it was readily available.

Due to the nature of the placement at the FCO, I would not have been able to continue my employment at the organisation once the placement concluded. However, I was made aware that the organisation would support my future employment prospects and I have subsequently had support from my line manager when applying for other positions.

There was an excellent social scene amongst my fellow students. Within the FCO, regular social events were organised to help the team integrate and get to know each other. I was also able to socialise with my fellow Mountbatten students and so made some great friends and connections throughout the year.

The cost of living was naturally quite high, seeing as we were living in an expensive city (New York). However, the Mountbatten Institute provided us with a stipend every two weeks to cover the cost of living, as well as providing us with housing, which would not have been affordable if I had tried to work in New York independent of the Mountbatten Programme.

The nightlife was excellent with a wide range of options available.

There were a number of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. The Mountbatten Institute provided with a number of events throughout the year including tickets to baseball games and the opportunitiy to attend a number of dinners/events.