Office Coordinator - Alice

What is your role at summer boarding courses?

Office Coordinator

What’s the average day like at summer school?

The key administrative tasks of the office coordinator are centred around: the arrival and departure of students, excursions and finances. A typical morning usually involved updating the college’s spending via excel spreadsheets, managing the petty cash and expensing staff members. This would often be followed by preparation for any upcoming excursions, which included creating risk assessments, staff briefing packs, student group list, as well as liaising with venues and transportation companies. After lessons, the students would come to the office to access their pocket money for spending during free time. This can be the busiest period of the day for the office coordinator as you will have both students and staff popping into the office for various reasons, however it is also a nice sociable period where you can chat to the students and your colleagues about their day.

What have you enjoyed the most about working with Summer Boarding Courses?

I enjoyed working in such a multi-cultural, open and diverse environment. We had students from a huge range of countries which fostered deep integration between them, and it was insightful to learn about different cultures and perspectives. The same can be said for the staff I worked with – everyone brought a uniqueness and varied skill set, which made for a unique and interesting working environment.

What advice would you give a staff member going into their first summer with Summer Boarding courses?

Be willing to take initiative and support your colleagues by doing additional tasks that may be out of your job description. It will not only help with the smooth operation of the programme but also solidify team morale, which is important as summer school days can be long and tiring. Equally, don’t be afraid to get stuck in with activities if your administrative tasks for the day are complete. There are often lots of fun social and sporting activities to oversee or participate in – I feel this is the best way to integrate yourself into SBC and really get to know the students. And lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for help, SBC are a very supportive company and there will always be someone available to give you a helping hand.

What’s your favourite summer school memory?

The Oxford College graduation ceremonies were particularly special. It was fantastic being able to celebrate the student’s academic achievements in wonderful settings, such as the Examination Schools and Oxford Town Hall. As an office coordinator, you will be involved in the preparation of these events, so it is great to see it materialise and watch the students enjoying their final moments on the course.