Xaverian student, Jersey, is following in the footsteps of Xaverian alumni by gaining a place on a degree apprenticeship that will ultimately lead to her being a fully-qualified lawyer.
Former The Derby High School pupil, Jersey, chose Xaverian to follow A Levels in Economics, French and Psychology and the Extended Project Qualification and for its diverse community and excellent reputation, commenting: “I wanted to push myself outside my comfort zone and to be more social and meet new friends. Xaverian really pushed me in my subjects and gave me the confidence to take the next step with my apprenticeship.
“Each of my subjects were equally as challenging and interesting as the other, but I found French fascinated me the most the more we delved into the different topics on the subject. Above all, I would say that a foreign language can take you far in terms of your career prospects and opens up opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise be available.”
Jersey has gone on from Xaverian College to start a six-year Solicitor Degree Apprenticeship with law firm DWF and currently works within the PSL (Professional Support Law) team who specialise in the insurance industry and, on choosing the apprenticeship route, Jersey commented: “After completing work experience placements with various law firms, I was really drawn to the practical side of law and the type of work involved. Once I discovered I could combine this with a law degree, it was a no-brainer for me! Now I am a few months into my apprenticeship, it was definitely the right decision, and I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.
Within the company, Jersey’s role is to research different types of insurance and explore the factors that will affect insurance now and in the future. Jersey also frequently assists her team in working on projects and producing reports for senior members of the firm, and commented: “As part of my apprenticeship, I spend one day a week in university and the other four days of the week at the company. l will spend the first four years working towards my degree in law and the final two years working towards the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), after which I will be a fully-qualified lawyer, which is my ultimate goal.
“I really enjoy my apprenticeship as I genuinely learn something new every day, and there are many lawyers at my firm who have a wealth of knowledge and expertise, are friendly and more than willing to help with any questions I have, even questions related to my studies in law which has been more than useful. There are many different sectors of law, many of which I still know nothing about so I’m unsure about what area of law I will go into, but there is still a lot of time ahead of me and who knows what the future holds!”
The staff at Xaverian, particularly the careers team, were extremely supportive and really helped me prepare for interviews and encouraged me to pursue apprenticeships, even though it is an incredibly daunting career path to undergo at such a young age.