A day in the life of an LVS Hassocks Apprentice

I joined LVS Hassocks as a Business Administration Apprentice in December 2021, providing support to the admin team. I have now been at LVS Hassocks for 10 months and am 9 months into my Level 3 Business Admin course.

My working day starts at 8:30am and involves a wide range of responsibilities. Some of my main daily tasks are, checking my emails and team messages, supporting and covering reception, producing the weekly school newsletter and taxi duty at the end of the day. However, no day is the same here at LVS Hassocks and although these are some my daily tasks, there is usually a lot of different tasks I do throughout the day which I didn’t expect, although I wouldn’t ask for anything different as I do enjoy my days like this.  Some of these tasks involve getting different admin tasks from Jen, the principal, helping prepare for the exams, sorting out dates and setting up invitations for Annual reviews and creating a staff qualification list for the website.

Why did I choose LVS Hassocks?

I studied Business and Law in College and really enjoyed the business course, however when I left college, I didn’t want to go on to university and remain in full time education. I decided to find a job and I knew that I wanted to do an apprenticeship as I liked the idea of working while learning, I just didn’t know what to look for. That is until I saw this Business Administration Level 3 apprenticeship at LVS Hassocks advertised and while reading it I just knew I’d love it. I did research about LVS Hassocks before applying for the role and it looked like an amazing school. I was particularly attracted to the school environment due to some of my previous work experience.  Now 10 months down the line, I can confirm it is a great place to work.

What doing an apprenticeship has done for me

Doing an apprenticeship at LVS Hassocks has made me more confident. The encouragement and feedback that I have received from my colleagues has made my confidence in my abilities soar. This in turn has meant that I have been given more projects and interesting tasks to complete myself, and I’m enjoying the challenge.

Being on Reception has also boosted my confidence. When I first started at LVS Hassocks, I was so nervous answering the phone or speaking on the radio. Now I can confidently do this without any hesitation.

Doing an apprenticeship while working has been great, I have been able to learn all the things needed to do my job role which in turn helps me to complete my course. It’s great that it all ties in with each other and that’s what I enjoy about this way of learning. I very much have been made to feel part of the team here and I feel the work I complete is valued by my colleagues.

What have I learnt the past 10 months of working as an apprentice at LVS Hassocks?

Previously, I didn’t have any experience of working in an office. However, I have honestly learnt so much over the past 10 months from working at LVS Hassocks. I have learnt big things such as covering the reception, going on school trips and helping prepare for the ISI Inspection. I have learnt little, but useful things, such as, how to minute a meeting, new functions on Microsoft office, how to use Isams software and so much more.

I can confidently work on tasks by myself now, but I know that my colleagues will help me if I ever need it and that is such a nice feeling.

What have I enjoyed in the past 10 months?

I have enjoyed most of my time here, some days more than others. The thing I enjoy about my role is there is always something to do, I would much rather be busy than sat twiddling my thumbs! I have also enjoyed the unexpected interaction with the students, when starting at LVS, I didn’t think I would have as much involvement with the students as I do now, and I think it’s great and makes it a much friendlier and nicer environment to work in.

If I had to describe my day in school, words I’d use would be hectic, funny, varied, challenging and ‘tasty’. On a Friday there are cakes available from the student-run café. No day is the same and I think that is great.

Another thing that I enjoy about working here is the staff. The admin team are great and honestly so helpful, they make the days much more fun.

Why you should pick an apprenticeship

I think an apprenticeship is a great option for many reasons. If you would prefer to work and learn while you can still earn money, an apprenticeship is perfect for that. Also, depending what level and what course you study, there won’t be as many final exams compared with going to university. So, if you struggled with exams in school/college then an apprenticeship could be for you.

I think doing an apprenticeship sets you up for future jobs, I am only halfway through my apprenticeship and I have already learnt so many new skills, like minuting meetings, covering reception, learning different software and how to manage a project. These are all things that I can take to a future role and I think it is great to get this experience before going straight into a job role.