International student becomes Head of Centre for a day
Studying at university is a great place to experience new things, whether it be a new subject or career opportunity – but what could be more different than spending a day acting as your very own Head of Centre?
Follow Linh from Vietnam as she got to experience life as the Head of Centre for a day in 2018.
Linh studied the International Foundation Year in Business, Hospitality, Law, Management, Marketing, Transport & Logistics and progressed to the University of Huddersfield in 2018. We spoke to Linh after her day working as the Head of Centre to see what she learnt about what goes in to running an International Study Centre...
Behind the scenes
“What surprised me the most was that there were more staff working inside the International Office than I imagined” Lindh tells us. “This illustrated that there was a professional team for students all over the world.”
Linh says she found the staff at the International Study Centre extremely friendly and welcoming: “It was a pleasure to talk to them. I felt very privileged to visit.”
Lots to do
As part of Linh’s day, she attended meetings with Linda and discovered just how much work goes into running the International Study Centre. “I really admire how Linda has to solve minor problems such as the purchase of a new desk, or bigger issues like building a new computer room – some of these appeared to be very daunting tasks!”
On a normal day as a student, Linh would observe Linda enter her classes to check student attendance. Whilst working as the Head of Centre, Linh got to join Linda on these checks herself. “Checking attendance was very exciting, as I only saw Linda enter my class to do this and didn’t know whether she checked every class and what she did with the data.”
Career progression
After working with Linda for the whole day, we asked Linh whether she would consider working as a Head of Centre in the future: “I would definitely love to be an inspirational teacher. It is always a pleasure to share with others what I have learnt, or support people to improve and achieve their aims. If I could go even further, being a Head of Centre is a desirable next step.”
Tips for new students
Having being both a student and a Head of Centre at Huddersfield, Linh had some great advice to offer to new students “Use your time wisely. It is vital to set up an independent study timetable to improve on what you learn in class.
Relying on your mother tongue all the time is likely to hinder your potential to practice, develop and master English. Students are also encouraged to become course representatives or join the student panel. These are great opportunities to raise your voice and contribute to solving problems.”
First class degree
We caught up with Linh again in 2021 after she finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Huddersfield and received a first-class. Watch her video to hear more about her experience. “I’m glad that I chose Huddersfield. The experience here has been really great, one of the greatest things I have ever done in my life.”
From everyone at the International Study Centre, well done Linh on your success at the University of Huddersfield.
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To join the International Study Centre, and meet people like Linh and Linda, visit our programmes page and discover which is the best course for you.