Life after my Apprenticeship - Sophie Bebb

"Well. This is a rather strange thing to be writing.

In some ways it feels like I finished my Apprenticeship just yesterday, so when I think about it actually being almost 4 years, it’s pretty mind-blowing. Even more so being asked to write a post about what I’ve been up to, for a blog I setup and managed during my final year.

So, what’s life had in store since?

I finished my Apprenticeship in 2016 and with the funds I was able to save while working and studying I took a sort of gap-year to go travelling, mainly around Canada and Australia.

When I came back, I took a job with an equestrian company where I stayed for nearly two years. These two years were filled with incredible opportunities, including flying to the U.S.A for trade events and getting to visit New York on two occasions. I travelled around the UK for photo-shoots, showrooms, fashion shows, in-store design projects and huge events in the equestrian calendar. I met some of my best friends on this job and learned more about myself than I can ever say, but something I definitely learned the hard way is that… without sounding too cringe. All that glitters is not gold. Burnout is not something to be taken lightly. Know your limits, taking care of your mental health will always come first.

After making the decision to leave, I began working with my parents on a family business project called Oxford Camera, which I completely adore and makes me feel connected to my roots. I setup our first social media campaign and helped build a Shopify e-commerce store from scratch.

Later that year, an opportunity for my partner's work arose, to take a contact to live near Paris, France for 6 months. So, I decided to take the leap and work fully freelance for a few new clients. This included social media and website management for Performance Insights, a business providing tailored keynote presentations from the world of Formula 1 through workshops with F1 experts and star drivers. During this time, I also worked with start-up company OhEmGee Digital, a marketing agency tailored towards the equestrian market on client contract and relations management.

In December 2019, my partner was offered a job of a lifetime in Australia. And living there one day is something we had always talked about ever since we first visited back in 2016 after I finished my Apprenticeship. 

So, I guess that brings us to today. We have been living in South Australia for a little while now. Luckily, we were able to move here just before COVID-19 bought the world to a complete standstill. Once life starts to get back to normal again, I’ll be looking for my next career adventure in Adelaide. One thing for sure is, I will always be so grateful for the career kickstart I got from my Apprenticeship at Oxford. There are still so many things I use in my day-to-day work that I learned while working here. I still manage my inbox and to-do lists exactly how my wonderful managers and mentors taught me, and I still use a very similar template for project planning when I’m managing events.

My biggest piece of advice to anyone currently doing an Apprenticeship is to just see everything as a new learning opportunity. The Apprenticeships team at Oxford is wonderfully supportive and there are so many resources available that you can use as stepping stones to help you get where you want to go. And even if you’re still unsure of that – that’s fine too. Apprenticeships are only the beginning J