Hajer Al-Hamali attends the School of Oriental and African Studies and interned with us in our Team Up Hub offices. Here she writes about her experiences, and on what brought her to Team Up.
I was first introduced to Team Up at my University’s fresher’s fayre. With glowing reviews from the society's members, I decided to go on to the website to find out more about the charity’s work - a social mobility charity with the sole purpose of increasing social mobility.
It was only a few weeks later that I came across Team Up again whilst searching for internships, and their position advertised really appealed to me as it combined valuable work experience with the potential to make an actual difference. With a straightforward application and interview, I was offered the position. Having been here for a mere two weeks I can safely say I have been fully immersed into the work.
My time here has been an enjoyable and formative experience. I have acquired a valuable range of project management skills in a short space of time, such as being entrusted to prepare a scope for a potential fundraiser (a project management term for assessing objectives and estimated requirements for the completion of a project), and learning how to use a gantt chart (used to track progress on tasks) - which is surprisingly more interesting than it sounds!
I have also learnt how to process reports, effectively plan and execute stages of project management, and have had good practice in adopting the appropriate tone for email communication with corporate partners - all skills which are incredibly vital in the working world and are not commonly taught in schools and universities.
I have even had the opportunity to stand in as a tutor for Team Up’s tuition programme that runs in schools across London, which involves volunteers who tutor low-income children at risk of underachieving weekly using a tailored curriculum that targets students’ areas of need. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience where I worked closely with a small group of students and focused on mastering valuable mathematical techniques with them. I have always relished the pleasure of a solved equation or problem, but the pleasure of watching your students understand mathematical concepts is far greater!
I am looking forward to the next couple of months and I have thoroughly enjoyed the last two weeks. I have been given a warm welcome by every member of staff in a team that operates as a tightly-knit dedicated family. I truly believe that children are the future of our society and the only way to improve the future is by providing the necessary guidance for this generation to blossom.
Education at every level is a right and not a privilege.