Sophie Hammler

Why Teesside University?

It’s my local university and the Business School has a really good reputation throughout the region.
I also heard about it through links with my sixth form college who were really positive about Teesside University.

I attended an open day in the summer and was really impressed with the facilities and how friendly everyone was.

Tell us more about your course

The course was really varied and included modules relating to multiple business disciplines which were all really useful.

I particularly enjoyed creating my own business plan as part of one of the modules as it gave me some real life transferable skills. I also enjoyed the modules relating specifically to human resources and business psychology, which is why I decided to pursue a career within HR.

Did you do any work experience or an industry placement?

Yes - I completed an industry placement for a diesel engine manufacturer and gained experience working on a busy site in a HR role.

This was an excellent opportunity to gain work experience in the field I was interested in pursuing as a career. Without this invaluable work experience I wouldn't have been successful in securing a graduate position in HR. It also made my final year of university much more manageable as I was able to write my dissertation for the company, using a live case study as the foundation.

What was your social life like at Teesside University?

Really good. The Student's Union was perfect for lunch and drinks after lectures, especially being so close to the library and Business School.

All the end of term/end of year events like Final Fling and Festive Fling were amazing and everyone always had good fun.

Did your time at Teesside University help you to achieve your goals?

Yes 100% - without my degree and industry placement I wouldn’t be where I am today.

After leaving Teesside I worked as a graduate HR Advisor for a large construction company, which was a regional role involving a lot of employee relations case work. I moved on to work for another major contractor where I am currently based at the Manchester Airport Transformation Project as a Human Resources Co-ordinator.