Dr Natalie Day

• Regional Manager The Brilliant Club

‘Using my education in the education sector’

In March 2016, I was coming to the end of my PhD in Sociology at Newcastle University and looking around for a job outside academia which would value my PhD and utilise my skills.  In April 2016, I was employed by The Brilliant Club, a fair access charity working to equip pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds with the knowledge, skills and ambition to gain places at highly selective universities, as Programme Officer for the North of England.  I have since been promoted to Regional Manager in the region. 

The charity works to recruit, train and place PhD tutors in non-selective state schools to deliver challenging academic programmes based on their PhD research.  Researchers interested in disseminating their research to non-academic audiences, gaining teaching experience, or seeking rewarding, paid experience in the widening participation sector should visit http://www.thebrilliantclub.org/the-brilliant-club-for-researchers/get-involved/

My PhD was key to me getting the job, and the skills I gained in my PhD are vital to me doing it well.  In my presentation “Using my education in the education sector”, I will talk about all the ways this is true.