A glimpse of a different environment

Interactive Discussion

For management students in India, the prospect of studying or working in another country can be a daunting one.

Every work environment is different and often, budding managers don’t have the first idea of professional demands overseas. In order to bridge this knowledge gap, Sambhram School of Management recently offered its students a chance to interact with Damian James, a professor from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland.

Around 60 students took part in this interaction, which went on for a good one and a half hours. As part of it, the students voiced many of their concerns and doubts regarding working overseas. For his part, Damian James did everything he could to answer their queries. He also spoke at length to give them a better idea as to the attributes they would need to keep in mind, if they ever wanted to work in his part of the world.

Ananta, one of the students who was a part of the interaction, terms the entire programme as a great opportunity. “Professor James told us about different managerial concepts which are in practice in the UK. The main part of the discussion was a comparison of the managerial concepts here with those prevalent there. He also took us through some of the key factors that employees in the UK are looking for in terms of human resource,” explains Ananta.

These attributes go well beyond one’s educational background. “He spoke to us about how it’s important to have a strong personality and be able to work under pressure. He also explained to us how we can go about developing these attributes,” adds Ananta.

For him, as well as several other students, this was one of the more important parts of the discussion. In addition to this, a student named Ananya also brought up the possibility of interning in the UK — something she is very keen to do in the future. Damian James spent a while addressing her queries, as well as touching upon the subject of further studies in the UK.

What set this discussion apart was that it went beyond textbook learning. As part of his talk, Damian James also spent a while discussing what potential employees need to keep in mind, apart from their qualifications. Ananta elaborates, “One thing I learnt from him is that apart from our education background, we need to work on developing an aptitude. If we want to work in another country, we have to prepare ourselves to be mentally strong and focussed, more than anything.”