I did not come straight from School, I studied travel and tourism at Oxford College and Childcare at a nursery on the Churchill (Hospital) site. I didn't know what I wanted to do when I left school so followed something I was passion about. 'travel and tourism.'  I then studied childcare to go abroad. However, with COVID it meant I had to change my career plan. However, I knew I still wanted to stay along the tourism route.

What made you apply for an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship is a great way to earn money whilst studying for something you are passionate about. It enables you to gain real life experience rather than just reading from a textbook. 

Blenheim Palace has always a place that has interested me and a place I visited from time to time before I worked there. I wanted a workplace that had variety - I think once you start at Blenheim Palace it really does open so many opportunities. Blenheim Palace is also a major tourist destination within Oxford that holds several events so that side of the business really interested me too.

I'm a customer service/social media apprentice so it is a split role - this means my role is very varied and my roles and responsibilities can change every single day. One of my main roles is to assist the customer service team in answering phone calls and emails to help guests out daily. As well as this I check all of Blenheim Palace's social media from Facebook to TripAdvisor, from Twitter to Instagram. On these social sites I respond to queries, like guest's photos and reply to any reviews we may have. Because my role is a split role it means I have also had the chance to attend the behind the scenes on our event press nights and attend discussion meetings.

What do you like best about the job?

I love that my role is split and has so many opportunities for me, it has really opened so many doors and allowed me to boost my confidence when talking over the phone. (That was something I was not looking forward too!)

How are you finding the apprenticeship and how is it helping you progress?

I'm loving my apprenticeship at Blenheim palace, as I've said many times it has opened many opportunities for me and allowed me to explore interests. I've only worked at Blenheim for 6 months but can say it has helped me with my confidence a lot. 

What do you hope to gain and once your apprenticeship has finished?

I'm hoping to continue steering in the right direction with a career that I enjoy. Whilst completing my apprenticeship I'm working with many departments such as Events, marketing, and customer service. I'm hoping to settle down in one of these departments and progress up the career ladder. This is hopefully still working at Blenheim.