Added: 1 day ago by NFU Mutual
Starting a Graduate Scheme is exciting. It can also feel like a big change. You’re learning about a business, building confidence and developing new skills. You may also be thinking about where your career could take you next.
We spoke to Jennie and Imogen, Early Careers Specialists who work closely with graduates across NFU Mutual.
At NFU Mutual, graduates are supported from the moment they accept their offer to join us. That support continues throughout the three-year Graduate Scheme and beyond, as they move into permanent roles. It’s carefully planned, but it’s also personal. It helps each graduate feel welcomed, guided and encouraged.
We spoke to Jennie and Imogen, Early Careers Specialists who work closely with graduates across NFU Mutual. They explain how much care goes into the Graduate Scheme. They also explain why the Graduate Scheme at NFU Mutual feels different from many other early careers programmes.
Many businesses offer Graduate Schemes. What makes the Graduate Scheme at NFU Mutual different is the way support, development and culture come together.
“Being a mutual organisation, there’s a strong focus on long-term development rather than short-term solutions,” says Jennie. “I think that creates a very different experience for our graduates.”
Imogen’s experience reflects this too. She joined NFU Mutual as a graduate and has had opportunities to move, learn and grow across different areas of the business. She says those opportunities helped her enjoy a varied career and continue developing at NFU Mutual.
Feeling comfortable and included is an important part of settling into working life. NFU Mutual’s culture aims to create an environment where people feel respected, encouraged and able to be themselves. Graduates can build connections through their cohort and wider networks, while hybrid working offers flexibility alongside opportunities to meet, collaborate and learn in person.
Our long-term approach shows up in practical ways too. Graduates receive structured training and development, with opportunities to build a strong network, learn from colleagues and explore different areas of the business. Hybrid working gives many colleagues flexibility, while still creating time to connect, collaborate and learn together.
When you join NFU Mutual as a graduate, support begins even before your first official day. Once you’ve accepted a place, Jennie, Imogen and the wider Early Careers team help you feel connected and prepared. This includes keeping in touch, introducing you to key people and creating chances to meet other graduates before you join.
Imogen explains that this early contact includes a Graduate WhatsApp group, contact with line managers and a getting-to-know-you day at our Head Office in Tiddington. Once graduates start, induction week helps them settle in, understand the business and continue building their network.
“We help settle the new graduates in when they first start and then make sure that they’re supported all the way through the three-year Graduate Scheme,” says Imogen.
For many graduates, this may be their first experience of a corporate workplace. The induction week provides time to understand how NFU Mutual works, what to expect in your role and how to build effective working relationships. It also gives you space to ask questions, meet other graduates and become familiar with new routines before beginning your first placement.
Throughout the Graduate Scheme, you’ll have a team of people around you, including your people or line manager, placement manager and the Early Careers team. Each has a different role: your manager supports your day-to-day work, your placement manager provides consistency across the scheme, and the Early Careers team coordinates your wider development. This gives you more than one place to ask questions or talk through a challenge.
Imogen explains that having different people to turn to can make a real difference, especially if this is your first professional role. You can ask practical questions, talk through an unfamiliar situation and learn how to approach workplace conversations with confidence. Having more than one source of guidance also helps you become increasingly independent as you settle into the business.
Jennie helps graduates make the most of every stage of the scheme, from onboarding and development activities to networking and professional qualifications. She also works across the business to make sure the experience is joined up and graduates receive consistent guidance throughout their placements.
“My role is to help create an environment where graduates can thrive and be supported,” says Jennie. “It’s about helping our graduates make the most of their experience and build the skills, confidence and connections they need to be successful.”
NFU Mutual’s Graduate Scheme is designed to help you grow and discover where your strengths and interests could take you. Alongside structured development and professional qualifications, you’ll have opportunities to build your network, try new things and explore different areas of the business. This can be particularly valuable when moving from education into work, as you do not need to have every step of your career mapped out from the beginning.
Imogen knows the value of this first-hand. She joined NFU Mutual as a Finance graduate. Since then, she’s built a varied career across areas including technical accounting, sales and agency, change and Early Careers.
“When I was on the Graduate Scheme, there were other areas of the business that I was really interested in,” she says. “Because I asked, I was given the opportunity to explore those interests. I was told to go and see what it’s like, learn from the experience and bring something back to my role.”
For Jennie and Imogen, one of the most rewarding parts of being Early Careers Specialists is seeing graduates grow in confidence. They see graduates learn new skills and move into roles where they can keep developing.
“Watching someone join at the start of their career and develop into a confident professional is really rewarding,” says Jennie.
Imogen feels the same. For her, one of the most rewarding parts of the role is helping graduates build confidence and take their next steps.
That care doesn’t stop when graduates leave the Graduate Scheme. Jennie has seen many former graduates give back by supporting new graduates. This helps create a strong graduate community.
Starting your career is a big step, so it matters to feel welcomed, respected and able to be yourself. At NFU Mutual, you’ll have clear structure and guidance, alongside opportunities to build relationships, look after your wellbeing and grow in the way that works for you. From the first contact before you join to the moment you move into a permanent role, the Graduate Scheme is designed to help you build confidence, make connections and prepare for a long-term career.
