"After I finished my Undergraduate Degree back home in Japan and did a bit of teaching there, I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in education and chose a UK MA in TESOL with ICT (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Brighton University.
I’d already had the most amazing time in Japan; I love the culture, the food, and the people are really friendly, but I was keen to future-proof my CV. I chose to stay in the UK to expand my knowledge of different teaching styles and how technology can help keep students engaged throughout their studies.
I moved to Coventry soon after my Master’s and was lucky enough to spot a new role at Arden University. It was a great way for me to gain some experience and everyone seemed really nice, so in 2017 I joined the Student Support Team.
This role gave me the opportunity to gain some great experience, the team was super supportive and it was rewarding to help students progress through their studies."
There are many things that I enjoy about working at Arden. But the one thing that stands out for me is the friendly and supportive atmosphere.
"As the University has grown significantly since I first joined, there are always lots of new opportunities which tend to pop-up. I heard about a new role in ‘Academic Support’ and thought this was a great chance to gain a more operational view of the business. Arden recognised my hard work, and I was given the job!
I am now an Academic Resources Coordinator, which has allowed me to take on more responsibility and lets me more involved with the Academics. In this role, I oversee all administrative tasks related to Arden’s contracted Academics, and as we’ve been growing with new study centres and courses, I’m given the chance to work with lots of academics from different backgrounds.
Working at Arden has enhanced my skill-set considerably, and I’m now able to quickly adapt to changes and challenges, as well as learning how to manage different stakeholder relationships. I’ve earned some great transferrable skills which are invaluable for progression at Arden or if I decide, in the future to move back to Japan.
One thing I did notice is how much the employees talk about the ‘Arden Values’, and the staff are encouraged to work with these in mind. I think the ‘Taking Ownership’ value probably resonates with me the most, not only do these values help boost our team’s productivity, but it’s also helped push me to do the best that I can for that task, and go the extra mile."