After completing an undergraduate BSc in Medical Physiology, I decided to pursue a postgraduate Legal Conversion Course (CPE/LLM) following an interest in the legal field that developed during my time at university. Once on the course, I found that I enjoyed all my modules a lot – particularly Contract law! Something about the analytical side of my science degree matched well with the attention to detail required in contractual matters and so I specifically searched for opportunities that would build on this interest.
I applied to Thales’ Legal & Contracts graduate programme because of its association with my legal degree but also the fact that it was a job profile I had not come across before. The opportunity to work within a global company that specialised in so many interesting and innovative areas was very appealing and I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Graduate assessment centre in the spring of 2019 after completing the previous steps of the application process.
The assessment centre itself comprised of a busy programme: with interviews, a written exercise and a group activity to test a range of competencies that were specific for the role. It was also through this experience that I realised that Thales was a company I would be very happy to work for and I gratefully accepted my offer on the train home!
My first rotation was a six-month placement in the Avionics (AVS) division based in Crawley. This involved supporting the commercial team on the wide range of projects that they handle, spanning long-term multijurisdictional contracts to exciting new bids in the pipeline. Currently, I am on my second placement in Defence Mission Systems (DMS) and responsible for providing commercial support to the unmanned air systems (UAS) side of the business.
My time at Thales has been enjoyable so far. The combination of being part of a small commercial team and the broad variety of work available at Thales has provided me with plenty of learning opportunities and exposure to interesting contracts and projects. In addition, my Thales colleagues are supportive, enthusiastic about what they do, and always happy to answer questions. This friendly and motivating work atmosphere has been vital in developing my confidence as I have progressed through my placements.
Alongside my day-to-day work, I have also benefited from Thales’ focus on promoting a community between its Early Careers (Graduates and Apprentices) members. It is great having a network spanning graduates and apprentices from different programmes and I have even been fortunate enough to be part of the Early Careers committee, comprised of Thales graduates and apprentices, to provide first-hand support to those working on the Crawley site.
Overall, Thales is a great place to work and start your career. If you are open to opportunities, friendly and enthusiastic, and interested in working on a range of impactful projects and technologies, then do not hesitate to apply to one of our graduate programmes!
