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Day: 3 October 2014

Career Corner: Manchester Graduates at idealo Berlin

Written by Robert Firth on . Posted in Lifestyle.

University of Manchester students are frequently told that they are desirable to companies all over the world. Four Manchester graduates making waves in the Berlin tech scene share their experiences of working at idealo—Germany’s largest price comparison portal.

 

Manchester alumni at idealo:

 

Steven Geddis – Computer Science

Katy Phillips – French and German

Stuart Russell – French and German

Oliver Wynn – German Studies

 

How did you find out about idealo and your current job?

KP: I was already living in Berlin and had just finished an internship in online marketing for another e-commerce portal. A friend whom I knew from my year abroad in Vienna was working for idealo already and told me I should apply because they give you free breakfast and flexitime—that was enough to tempt me.

SR: After moving to Berlin, a friend who also happens to be ex-Manchester University started working at idealo and after she mentioned that they were looking for new recruits, I applied via the job advert on meinestadt.de

 

Tell us a bit about your present role and responsibilities.

SG: My present role is a software development role within the idealo Reise [travel] department, working solely on the Hotel price comparison engine product in a small and close-knit team. So far, in my first three months I’ve already contributed to a responsive design rebuild project, geospatial data/mapping and product search systems.

KP: My role is within both the Marketing & Editorial departments and focuses on researching and writing market analysis studies for our e-commerce blog. I am also the PR/social media contact for the UK site and liaise with journalists and other sites.

SR: My main role over the three years I have been at idealo has involved processing and correcting the data that appears on the website. I am also responsible for replying to customer issues via email and translating new, soon-to-be-incorporated developments from German to English.

 

How has your Manchester degree helped you in getting where you are today?

SR: My degree in German and French at Manchester University developed the language skills that I had already acquired at secondary school, thus giving me a huge advantage in job markets within German and French speaking countries. In particular my year abroad which saw me living in both Bavaria and Quebec prepared me for a career outside of the UK, meaning moving abroad was not as much as a big deal to me as it would be to your average UK citizen.

OW: The language skills from my degree have certainly opened a lot of doors for finding work and living abroad. In addition the analytical method learnt in Manchester and during my master’s degree has helped in problem solving on the job.

 

Why did you take the decision to leave the U.K. after graduation?

SG: I continued to work in Manchester for six years after graduating before taking the plunge to leave. Primarily, a better quality of life. Occasionally nostalgic flashbacks remind me of the good times ‘oop norf’ (and the road cycling in the Peak district).

KP: Having studied languages, I knew that I was keen to get some more experience working abroad, and initially thought that I would spend a year here for my internship. After that year, I realised that Berlin’s tech scene still had a lot more to offer me, so I decided to stay.

 

How did you manage adapting to life in a different country and city?

SG: Ask that question in one year’s time! I’ve only been in Berlin for three months so I’m still adapting. Without a decent level of spoken German one will forever feel like an outsider in German society. For me, this is the first experience living permanently in another country. Undoubtedly, the first six to nine months are the most difficult (if you cannot speak German) so persistence and a good sense of humour really help.

SR: I soon began to feel at home. It helped that I already had friends in Berlin (again many of whom were ex-Manchester University students—at one point there were eight students from my degree course all living in Berlin), although the main reasons for experiencing such an easy transition were the ease of finding a job, my previous experiences during my year abroad and my ability to speak German.

 

What was your level of spoken German like before you moved to Berlin?

SG: Rudimentary. I took a three-month, one class per week introductory German course (A1.1) at the Goethe Institute at Manchester University last year, where I learned the fundamentals of the German language. When I arrived in Berlin I could only introduce myself, say my age and tell people where I came from, and comprehend some written and spoken words, which, in truth, is fairly useless. Now I can speak and write German at a basic level. You learn quickly.

SR: The time I had spent in the UK learning French and German meant that I was able to communicate and get by without any major problems. If you have the solid foundations that a language degree provides you though, you quickly improve when immersed in a German-speaking environment.

 

Would you ever consider moving back to the UK?

SG: Not unless there is major political and cultural shift to affect the quality of life. Or, at least, not for a few years. I need a break from England.

KP: I definitely wouldn’t rule it out, as there are many things the UK has to offer that Germany doesn’t but at the moment working here is much more interesting for me.

SR: After almost four years in Berlin, I still enjoy everything it has to offer. Things such as the ease of getting around and living costs are more advantageous in Germany than the UK. That said, I still haven’t ruled out moving back to the UK at some point in the future, but in the short term, I have no motivation to leave Germany.

 

What advice would you give students who are in their final year and unsure about what they’re going to do next?

SG: Don’t believe that you must migrate/return to London for a career.

KP: Don’t restrict yourself to jobs and further study in the UK. There are lots of training schemes, internships and entry-level roles as well as post-graduate study options further afield in Europe and beyond. I’m glad I chose to move somewhere new straight after graduation, because its a time when you have fewer ties and you’re completely free to try something new.

SR: If you have the flexibility, moving abroad, even if only temporarily for the experience, can be very rewarding. In most major cities there are plenty of expats too, which makes it easier to make friends, especially if you don’t speak the language, although of course, making the effort to learn at least the basics will be of huge benefit.

OW: Very few people have a clear plan about exactly how they want their career to pan out when leaving university. Look for the kind of work that you think will interest you for years to come. This way you will enjoy your work every day and come out with a skill set that allows you to progress in the industry.

 

For information about working at idealo check out: http://jobs.idealo.co.uk/

For careers advice, visit careers.manchester.ac.uk.

Teetotallers have it harder at university.

Written by Robert Firth on . Posted in Lifestyle.

In 2013, the Oak House Welcome Week was advertised with the slogan “One Chance, Unlimited Memories.” For the majority of students their memory of freshers’ week is that they don’t have many memories of it. Not surprising when the entire week revolves around attending late night venues with effective strangers whilst consuming so much alcohol that you start to confuse feeling sober with being only tipsy. Yet for some people who you probably can’t remember, freshers’ was a lot more memorable because these people don’t drink.

Not drinking is still something that many students seem to find strange. One female student I talked to said that “most people were a little surprised… although a couple of people have given me funny looks but not said anything.” More worryingly she commented that “there are a few times where I have felt a little bit pressured into drinking or excluded because I don’t drink.” Although compared to other peoples’ experiences this seems to have been pretty mild, in an article for The Epinal, Loughborough University’s student newspaper, a contributor talks about “the constant pressure and questioning around you, with the majority of young people finding [not drinking] a difficult concept to grasp.”

These responses to non-drinkers by students are echoed in research done by The University of Sussex which found that students considered teetotallers as “something strange, requiring explanation.” However, not all is bad for non-drinkers: in social situations they were found to be perceived as more socially competent by their peers than those who drank. Likewise the student I spoke to said she didn’t feel socially disadvantaged by not drinking: “I don’t feel like my socializing was affected as I only tend to go out with my friends who don’t care about me not drinking which stops any awkwardness or pressure.”

Whilst most non-drinkers seem to navigate the lager-scented course of university well enough, it is surprising that Students’ Unions don’t do more. They may point to the many societies available to join at universities across the country but in the words of another contributor to The Epinal, “many of the societies’ socials are just an excuse to get drunk.”

One university which has looked at ways of accommodating non-drinkers is London Metropolitan University which in 2012 considered banning the sale of alcohol in certain areas of the campus. However, it is difficult to justify banning the sale of alcohol around campus on the grounds of fairness when you can still already simply order a soft drink in a bar.

Whilst alcohol remains the foundation of much of our social lives, little is probably going to change for non-drinkers. Alcohol Aware Manchester is a group set up by second year biology students who aim to provide events to show students that alcohol is not needed for students to socialise. For the Salford student I spoke to, more needs to be done by individual universities, perhaps through working with student groups such as Alcohol Aware, to challenge and change attitudes about alcohol: “I think that the university could put less emphasis on the preconceived idea that all university students want to do is drink all the time and put more focus on the activities that don’t have to involve alcohol.”

English and money problems as an international student

Written by Robert Firth on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Starting at university is hardly the simplest or easiest thing you’ll ever do in your life. Now imagine being one of the over ten thousand international students who have left their home country behind to study at The University of Manchester. Forget your difficulty in understanding accents, and think about the difficulty of understanding accents in Britain, in a language which likely isn’t your first, as well as having qualms about your home and family being thousands of miles away. I spoke to two international students, Fride, a second year business student from Norway, and Asha, a second year geography student from Bermuda, to see how they managed.

For Fride, the information she received before arrival was excellent: “I got so much… saying all sorts of things like what types of banks we can choose… anything about the city.” However, Asha said that the university fell short on information about practical aspects of everyday life: “There was nothing… [about] how much groceries would actually be… and how some shops are way more expensive than other places you can go to.”  She adds, nonetheless, that she joined a focus group last year in which she voiced her concerns about the lack of finance related information provided to international students, and that this has been taken into account in 2014’s International Orientation.

One problem that seems to plague nearly all international students is understanding English in an academic setting. Although all international students have to prove they have a high level of English before coming to a British university, Fride admits that she still spends “more time doing essays than those with English as a first language.” Asha also tells me she knows students who have had to translate their lecture notes into their native language, because they struggled with them. I ask her if there is support available: “There is an International Office but all they do is say things like ‘keep trying’, ‘don’t give up yet.'”  Fride tells me there are many places you can seek help but doesn’t specify where. If there is support available to help students with their English then it seems these sources need publicising better to international students.

Aside from the university, support is available from the International Society which has an office opposite the Students’ Union  (next to Kro Bar on Oxford Road). They run English Language classes at a range of levels, day trips to places in the UK, and myriad other projects and opportunities. As for home students, being in good halls also seemed to be the most important factor in helping the international students who I spoke to settle in. Fride says she felt at home because she could “always ask for help” in halls whilst Asha says that university life would have “been very different… if I had not had my foundation of halls friends I’d probably be alone.”

Asha and Fride’s experiences studying in a foreign country seem to have been successful because of a combination of their attitude, flat mates and good knowledge of English upon arrival. Obviously, not everyone’s experience is quite so positive. One aspect which is concerning was the lack of information that Fride and Asha felt they received once they arrived. Although Fride acknowledges that she “didn’t really need that much” after arriving, this might not be the same for foreign students who struggle in adapting to study in the UK.