Host & previous student - Coady

As a student, Coady participated in the first ever Insights Immersion week, in the summer of 2018. Now she is an alumni host, welcoming groups of Insights students to her workplace.

Politics (MA Hons), Class of 2019

Now working as a Transformation Adviser at a Local Government Association

We've gone back to find Coady's student reflection that she submitted at the end of her Insights experience and caught up with her now that she's an alumni host.

Student experience, summer 2018

Summarise your Insights experience

I was really nervous to go… I was always concerned with getting there on time and figuring out the tubes. We left slightly earlier than was needed just to be sure. As soon as we were there my nerves disappeared and the meeting flew by. [The alumnus host] worked in charity investment, an area I am interested in and I didn’t even realise this job was an option.

I found this trip really motivating and I’ve come home determined to make the most of the time I have left at university. It has also made me really confident that I can speak to professionals and make meaningful connections fairly easily.

How will this experience influence your choices in the future

Overall this experience has been so amazing and has really opened my mind to other areas of work that I didn’t even know existed. It was great to see what it would be like to work in this city and getting people’s perspectives who worked and lived there.

Alumni host reflections, summer 2024

Looking back, how did you benefit from participating in Insights as a student?

Insights changed me as a person, for the better! I learned that actually I wasn’t a shy individual who couldn’t make conversation. When actually faced with the situation on the Insights programme, I managed to chat. This really set me up for my career as a lot of my work involves making relationships and also the experience just generally made me much more confident in myself. 

What are your motivations for participating in Insights as an alumni host?

I agreed to be a host for the Insights Programme because I benefited so much personally from participating in the programme as a student, I knew I would love to give that experience to other students.

I've now hosted two different years and I continue to find the experience to be fun and interesting to hear from the students. The students I've hosted are all very engaged and keen to ask questions which was great.

Why do you think it's important to support the Insights programme?

Insights really helps to plug the gap between those under represented in higher education. I was from a small town where there were no corporate careers and I found it super valuable to visit and understand what it means to be a consultant or a researcher or a recruiter – jobs that don’t exist where I’m from. 

What experience did you offer the students during their visit to your workplace? 

I offer students an informal conversation about local government careers and career paths. I really like to get the variety of local government careers across to the students so I try to bring a panel of graduates and people early in their careers to give a bit of an overview of where they are in their career and what they studied at university. Then I open it up to questions from the students. 

What impact does being an Insights host have on you?

Discussing my career with students filled me with enthusiasm for my profession and allowed me space to reflect on everything I’ve done and how far I’ve come since being a student.

What is the benefit to your organisation/company?

In local government, we’re always keen to get the message out there about career opportunities as it’s quite common for people to not know what their local council does or understand the expansive variety of what local government does, from environment, to legal, to business, to culture. We also got the message out about our local government graduate programme. 

What would you say to a University of Edinburgh student who is considering applying for a place on the Insights Programme? 

I would say just give it a go! It’s an amazing opportunity to travel and try something new, even though it might sound scary, it’s great fun and will definitely grow yourself. It’s also great to make some connections in the working world, even if it’s just to have a chat when you’re considering applying for roles. 

Top tip for alumni considering being an Insights host

Do not overthink the visit or try to overpack it. Just having a chat and conversation is really valuable even though it can feel a bit awkward.