London Met's Karolina Wicher has won not one but two highly coveted placements.
Date: 5 August 2014
Student Karolina Wicher has won not one but two highly coveted placements at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London and the Estonian consulate in Poland.
The Diplomacy and International Relations student will spend the summer rubbing shoulders with the very best in the business.
Karolina is currently working at the Estonian consulate in her home country of Poland. In addition to office work and administrative tasks, she has received a real insight into her chosen profession.
Karolina said: “I received a traineeship, which included explaining to me how the embassy and consulate works, the specifications of the job of the embassy and consulate, the behaviour code, issues surrounding confidentiality and knowledge about specific laws and regulations.”
Diplomacy and International Relations
The 21-year-old was inspired to apply for the placements after discovering her passion for diplomacy and international relations at London Met.
“My degree has made me more interested in the work of embassies and the diplomatic stuff. Particularly following inspiring guest visits to London Met. After two years of having diplomacy modules I decided that I wanted to see how it is in practice and taste the work of an embassy.
“In the future I plan to do a PhD and specialise in international security. I would love to work as a researcher-analyst. This job opens doors to many different work places from embassies to international organisations such as the European Union or United Nations.”
The importance of work experience
Steven Curtis, Associate Professor of International Relations at London Metropolitan University, teaches Karoline. He said: “Finding placements in diplomatic institutions is a highly competitive process and for Karolina to have been successful in one instance, let alone two, is testament to her commitment and dedication to her studies.
“Our students are able to undertake placements to earn credit towards their degrees and Karolina will be able to use these prestigious internships as the basis for her final year work placement module. They will also provide her with practical experience and a better understanding of how the processes and institutions we have studied work in practice.”
Diplomacy and International Relations at London Met
Take a look at London Met’s Diplomacy and International Relations webpage if you’re interested in following in Karoline’s footsteps.