Former Head Girl, Daisy Birkin, is setting out on what promises to be a most interesting career, having landed a sought-after Graduate Scheme role as a Strategy Consultant for Accenture in the city.

“Whilst I knew this was the career that I wanted to pursue, it’s also a very competitive path to choose and I think it’s important to note that I received countless rejections, too, including a heartbreaking final round rejection from McKinsey on my birthday – I definitely had to channel the Maynard resilience for that one!”

After leaving The Maynard in 2019 with stellar A-levels in Maths, Further Maths, History, and Economics, she went straight to Durham University to pursue an Economics degree. As an aside from her academic studies, she decided to build her creative and leadership experience by joining the Durham University Charity Fashion Show (DUCFS), an initiative known for its vibrant community and impactful causes. In her third year, Daisy was promoted to Vice President of Operations, a role that saw her managing an executive team of 17 students across Finance, Logistics, Events and Sponsorship.

“The finale of the campaign is the Fashion Show itself held across three nights, with over 3000 attendees, 52 models, 30 brand partners, 40 designers, and 30 volunteers. It definitely complicated an already full-on final year, but we managed to raise £205,000, making it the most successful student-led fundraiser in Europe. It has to be up there as my proudest achievement and having Chloe (a great friend and old Maynardian) on the team, and our closest Maynard pals in the audience on the final night cheering us on, made it all the more special.”

After graduating, Daisy felt a strong urge to travel: “My corporate ambitions weren’t going anywhere, but I felt it was important to catch my breath and see a bit of the world first. My job offer at Accenture deferred to March 2024, so my gap year became a gap year-and-a-half (with very few complaints from my side).” Her travels took her from working at the Edinburgh Fringe to exploring Australia and New Zealand with Chloe, volunteering in Bali, working in a bar on a Greek island, and touring Central America. “I can see now how much that time has benefitted my next steps; I’ve had the space to recalibrate, challenge myself on what’s important, and head into the next chapter raring to go.”

Now with her feet firmly under her desk at Accenture, Daisy is enjoying working as part of a large Retail Strategy team assisting clients with a wide range of queries, from how best to use AI in business, to designing market-leading loyalty schemes or identifying international market opportunities.

“Working for a company like Accenture can be overwhelming if you think about it – and its 800,000 employees – for too long! Luckily, as our Retail Strategy team is from an acquisition, we have kept quite a distinct and tight-knit group, so my day-to-day feels very familiar… This leads me to my favourite thing about my job which is without a doubt the team, they are all so lovely, great fun, very driven and SO clever – I have a huge amount to learn from them!”

“I knew I wanted to be involved in business in some way but was never sure on the exact route,” said Milly who left The Maynard in 2017 and headed straight off to Oxford Brookes University to read Business and Marketing Management.

“The world was just readjusting after COVID when I graduated in 2021 (with a 2:1). Not sure what life was going to look like, I stumbled across an ice cream trike on Facebook Marketplace, branded as ‘Millys Ice Cream’ and only 20 minutes down the road. I took this as a sign, convinced my boyfriend it was a good idea and went to take a look later that day.

“A week later, we’d partnered with a local ice cream supplier and were selling ice cream on Exmouth beach on sunny days. After the most amazing summer on the bike (and running a secondary online jewellery business), I realised this wasn’t going to be feasible all year round so headed to London where I stayed in business as a Marketing Intern and then secured (what I thought was) my dream job as a Celebrity Publicist. This saw me working many red carpets, attending movie premiers, doing live TV interviews, all of which really was an incredible experience… but I missed working for myself, ice cream, and Devon!”

The opportunity to return to her entrepreneurial roots came unexpectedly. “After a few years in London, Hamish and I were ready to move home, not knowing what we’d do, when I saw the shop on Lyme Regis beach for sale. After lots of planning, we attended the auction, were successful, handed in our notices and re-started the business. I was working Monday to Friday in London, usually at some crazy events, and then coming home to work in the shop over the weekend whilst seeing out my notice. 100% the best decision ever!!”

Although a relatively small shop with 14 seats overlooking the beach, it is also phenomenally busy and she employs 12 staff members including her Mum and her brother, a few full timers and then weekend staff. “They truly are an incredible team and work so hard for the business.” Keeping things local is a top priority for Milly; their ice cream comes from a North Devon farmer, cakes from Sidmouth, and coffee from Bridport.

Running an ice cream shop comes with its own set of challenges. From technical glitches like a failed till system on a busy Bank Holiday Monday to orders not turning up and coffee machines going wrong, every day is different. “Luckily people are very understanding, and we haven’t had anything go terribly wrong,” she says.

“The Maynard taught me to be a very outgoing and sociable person, which helps me daily. We’re always getting complimented on our great customer service and how nothing is ever too much of a problem, which I really believe The Maynard instilled into me.”

For anyone looking to start their own hospitality business, Milly advises thorough research. “Knowing the area and clientele is really important. We’re always keen to be offering something different and want people to leave with a feeling of wanting to come back, so if you can do that, then go for it!”

Melanie left The Maynard in 2012 with an impressive four A*s in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics. Unsure of her exact path but “desperately ambitious” and with a love for nature, she chose to study Biology at Cambridge and graduated three years later with a First. Since then, she has worked at the World Health Organization and the UK Academy for Medical Sciences, focusing on health and climate.

“To the best of my understanding, we are directly responsible for global heating. Lots of the animals and plants I love won’t survive these changes, and neither will many poorer people worldwide. The UK is the fourth highest country for total CO2 emissions, so this is very directly our responsibility.

“This is pretty depressing, so I orient my life around action which make me feel better: I try and live my values. I haven’t flown for five years. I don’t own a car. I’m mostly vegetarian, apart from bacon sandwiches. Most of our stuff is second-hand. It’s challenging but also fun, like a game.”

Currently, Melanie works full-time as a climate campaigner with a focus on transport, the UK’s largest source of CO2 emissions. “Lecturing people to drive less doesn’t work. We need carrots (safe cycle lanes, walkable pavements, good public transport) – and sticks (pay-as-you-drive, road user charging, congestion charges, low traffic neighbourhoods).

“It’s politically very highly charged. But if we get it right, we can crack the NHS crisis at the same time, because enabling more walking and cycling will make everybody much healthier.”

Interestingly, Melanie’s perspective on politics has evolved significantly since her school days. “It’s funny because at The Maynard, I thought politics was boring. But the climate crisis is scientifically well-understood – how many more times can we prove it’s getting hotter? It’s our behaviour that will determine our future now.” This shift in understanding fuels her activism and engagement with local communities.

In London, Melanie has helped build a community of 12,000 safe cycling supporters, contributing to a tripling of cycling rates in the last decade. She points to the Netherlands, where one in three journeys are cycled, as a model for what can be achieved. Despite setbacks, like the recent retreat by Exeter Council on positive changes in Heavitree, Melanie remains steadfast. “This work is slow, frustrating, it can be gutting. But we continue.”

“I am forever grateful for my education at The Maynard, the fantastic teachers, and the full academic scholarship that enabled me to attend.” She also notes the importance of gender equality in her field, stating, “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that transport and local government are hugely male-dominated (75% and 65% male respectively). When we don’t have equality, we make bad choices, especially for women and children. The education I got from The Maynard gives me the confidence to stand out.”

As someone who has enjoyed learning languages since she was four-years-old, it’s not exactly surprising that Jasmine, who was at The Maynard from 2008-2018, has upped sticks and gone to live in Germany.

“When I was younger my family did quite a few house swaps around Europe, particularly in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. I loved the weather there, the food, and how organised everything was,” she says. “In Year 6 at The Maynard, we then were given some months of German as a language which I continued learning throughout the summer with a book my mum had bought me. The logical grammar and vocab just really clicked.”

Fast forward several years and that love of languages took Jasmine to the University of Edinburgh for a four year German and Linguistics degree, including an exchange year spent at the University of Tübingen. Despite starting the language from relative scratch having dropped it after her GCSEs, she gained a 1st with Distinction in spoken German, admitting: “It definitely wasn’t easy! I still had some knowledge which came back to me during my first year at Edinburgh, but I think it was getting abroad for my 3rd year though and total immersion, which really helped to improve my fluency. I put myself in the deep end, studying German literature in German, with exams in German and only speaking to flatmates and friends there in the language, too!”

During the pandemic, Jasmine kept herself busy by obtaining two online TEFL certificates and teaching English online. “I then applied to be an au pair/English teacher with a family in Southern Germany, who I travelled to when restrictions were relaxed. After this I managed to agree with Edinburgh that, as I was already in Germany and studied languages, I could still study abroad that year and would stay there.” With the Erasmus scholarship exchange scheme, she attended the University of Tübingen. “In terms of lectures, we had two weeks of introductions in person at the start before a lockdown hit and everything moved online. Although this was challenging, I made some great friends during those first two weeks and others through the outdoor university sport courses that were still allowed.”

Her post-university life has seen her living in several cities, starting with Munich where she landed a job with Amazon as an IT and tech recruiter in talent acquisition almost immediately after her graduation from Edinburgh. “I enjoyed this and learnt a lot in a great company but then realised I wanted to move more into writing and design.

“I therefore moved to Stuttgart where I now work for a family-run, leading windows and doors ecommerce company, Neuffer, as a content manager in their online marketing department. Here I really use my language skills and support their German site as well as writing, translating, and designing their international sites.

“What I love most about my job is that I get to combine writing about products in an interesting yet accurate way, with designing web pages, and getting into detail in terms of the technical side of implementing them in the content management system.”

Establishing herself in a foreign country hasn’t always been easy, but “it certainly helped me to develop as a person and become more self-reliant. Over time, I learnt to become more outgoing and to really trust my instincts. It has also helped that I met my German boyfriend here and we now live together close to his family. I still miss the UK and my family and friends, but I also stay in touch with everyone via video calls and go back to visit at least twice a year.”

After leaving The Maynard in 2018, Devon headed to Cardiff University, where she pursued a degree in Law and French Law. “I always wanted to be a solicitor, but I was advised that law could be a bit dry if taken alone. Being half French and having enjoyed studying French at The Maynard, this seemed like the perfect choice!” Unfortunately, and thanks to COVID, she was forced to switch to a straight law degree, but she remains grateful for her initial two years of French law studies all the same. “It set me apart from other applicants in the training contract process.”

After university, Devon decided to move to London to get her Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice out of the way and, from there, she landed a role as a commercial property paralegal in London, but soon realised “this area really wasn’t for me.”

“I then moved in-house to Selfridges – a job I never thought I’d get as it had over 800 applicants. This role was a dream come true! I was able to negotiate contracts, and work with huge brands such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton. I was the main port of call for the property team, dealing with all the contracts setting out the refits of different brands spaces in the store and I also got to work on influencer contracts with people such as Stacey Dooley! Not only was the discount amazing (I’ve never spent so much at a job), the training and autonomy I received were invaluable.”

Despite absolutely loving this role, her time at Selfridges was ended prematurely by an internal restructure and Devon then found herself desperately applying for a training contract in a super competitive market where success rates vary between just 1-3%. “It took hundreds of applications and a lot of perseverance,” she admits. However, her efforts paid off when her final application of the season resulted in a training contract with Fieldfisher, starting in 2026. “I will need to go back to university to do my SQE 2, which I’m considering doing in Hong Kong. But for now, I’m going to have some well-deserved free time after years of back-to-back studying and working.”

First off, she’s off to St Tropez for the summer to work as a villa hostess. “I will be cooking for a family and getting paid to live in the south of France, which will help me develop my French,” she says. “After this I am doing a ski season in Courchevel for five months.”

As for her ultimate career plan, Devon remains open-minded. “Being completely honest, I don’t know, and I think that’s okay! I’d love to become a partner at a big city law firm, but I might also want to work in-house again, go freelance, or start my own business. These are all things I can decide later. For now, I want to see what areas I enjoy most during my training contract before making any decisions.”

When Isobel joined The Maynard in the Sixth Form, she already knew that she wanted to pursue a career in the performing arts. “But I think not only did the dance opportunities and Drama Department solidify my ambition, they also made me more focused on ‘straight’ acting and TV and film work (rather than just musical theatre) which is the bulk of what I do now,” she recalls.

“I have always loved performing and doing mainly comedic roles as, if I’m being completely honest, it’s always nice to make people laugh! Something that I really developed a love for on the Drama A-level course was devising and creating theatre, which, hopefully, as my career goes on, I’ll be able to do more of!”

Upon leaving our gates in 2020 with A-levels in Biology, French and Drama, Isobel took up a full scholarship at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London. Three years later she graduated with a First Class degree and with a top TV and film agent, quickly making her mark in the industry. “I have done four jobs for TV since graduating. Being on set is honestly the craziest experience. I remember doing it for the first time, and someone’s specific job for the entire day was holding an umbrella over me when moving from locations!”

Living in London has been essential for Isobel, given the necessity to be close to auditions and jobs that often come in at the last minute. “I cannot explain how difficult the industry is at the moment. With writer strikes, theatre venues and TV companies still recovering from COVID, it really is a minefield out there. For lead theatre roles, there are normally at least six rounds starting with thousands of people, all to look for one person. TV and film really depend on the size of the role and whether you have previous TV experience, which is difficult to get, but you can’t get the experience unless you have the experience, if you get my gist.”

Despite these challenges, she’s as determined and stoic as ever to find that pivotal break through. “As much as my ambitions veer more towards the ‘Big Screen’ nothing can quite beat the feeling of performing live, so I do hope to do lots of different jobs in my life,” she says.

“My time at The Maynard was honestly one of the best times of my life. The friends I met there and the experiences I had will always be such prominent and fond memories, as well as the skills I’ve taken, learned, and expanded on.”

“I really feel that I am incredibly lucky to have found a career that I love, even if it was mostly by chance,” says Flora, a Nuclear Reactor Operator at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant. “Although, I am often compared to Homer Simpson!”

That aside, she credits her Maynard education for paving such a successful path, saying: “I honestly believe that my natural curiosity was brought to life by the string of fantastic teachers I had for all the science subjects (and other subjects, too!). A particular mention to Mr Macdonald who stayed behind evenings and weekends for me to complete a string of extracurricular chemistry projects. Had it not been for the dedication and constant accommodation of my passions, I don’t think I would be where I am today.”

Upon leaving The Maynard in 2015, Flora went to the University of Bristol to complete her Chemistry degree and Masters. She then spent a period working in a lab for the Environment Agency before heading off on her travels around South America. On her return, she joined EDF on their Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme. “During this time, I fully intended on becoming a chemist at one of their nuclear power plants, but fell in love with the unpredictability, excitement and technical application of operations engineering. I then applied for the reactor operator programme and was lucky enough to be successful. And here I am now!

“I knew after I finished university that I wanted to work in green energy but hadn’t given much consideration to a career in nuclear. And even when I joined the industry, I was still set on chemistry. While I still love chemistry, I love my job now because it gives me the chance to apply my chemistry know-how, but also learn a huge amount on a daily basis, from nuclear physics to mechanical engineering. Every day is truly a school day!

“As we are still largely in the construction phase at HPC a typical day will involve training (the plant is ever evolving and we have to keep on top of new developments), and spending time out on site in a hard hat, work trousers and steel capped boots. Most people presume the greatest risk to be from radiation – fun fact that you will gain more of a dose from one long haul flight than you probably would from several years at a nuclear power plant.”

Despite it being an incredibly male dominated industry, Flora is keen to emphasise that things are beginning to change: “I take great pride in feeling that I am in some small way paving a path for other women in the industry. I think that women tend to have much more of an imposter syndrome than men typically do. Working at HPC has taught me to trust my knowledge and instincts, love what you do, give what you can, and you’ll be respected regardless of your gender, race or otherwise.

“I don’t think girls should ever be afraid to follow their passion for a subject, whatever that is. I never thought in a million years this would be the job I’d end up in, but I love what I do because I love science and engineering.”

And to anyone hoping to follow in her footsteps, Flora offers this advice: “Rolls Royce are extremely instrumental in their research, so my advice to anyone interested in nuclear would be to look to Rolls Royce for their graduate schemes and apprenticeship programmes.”

We were rather jealous to catch up with Juliette, a leaver in 2019, who is currently enjoying an enormous adventure working in a boutique hotel in the Arctic Circle as a “life-break” following her time at the University of Bristol (including a third year spent at Trinity College in Dublin), where she graduated with an MA in English Literature with Liberal Arts.

“At that time, I wanted to join the civil service with the end goal of becoming a diplomat, but I’ve found my surroundings here at Manshausen Island – a small 14-acre island owned by the famous Norwegian explorer Borge Ousland (also my boss) – so inspiring that I now would love to go into the travel industry as either a content creator or travel writer – anything really that involves books or publishing.”

“My grandparents lived in the Canadian Arctic when they were my age and they always told me how beautiful it was, so when I was offered the opportunity to work here, I couldn’t say no!

“It takes about 12 hours to get here from London, involving two planes and two boats. There’s a team of eight of us working at the hotel and we all live on the island. There are no nearby supermarkets, so we receive food deliveries at a nearby port and fetch them by boat. It’s very isolated and there are no nearby towns or villages, just lots of mountains.

“It’s a very multi-faceted role. Some days I might be chasing our sheep to tag or shear them, or maintaining the island’s gardens and pathways, or simply cleaning cabins and handling breakfast and dinner service. The variety keeps the job exciting. In my free time, I can climb mountains, hike, kayak, go wild swimming, and wakeboarding… and to be able to do that is just such a privilege.

“Of course, there are downsides. The cold can be intense, and the weather is notoriously unpredictable. You can experience four seasons in a single afternoon, making daily planning a challenge. This unpredictability has been exacerbated by unusually warm weather in May and June, a worrying sign of the impact of climate change and how it is impacting the environment. The physical demands of the job can also be exhausting, and living with eight other people when you are all tired and in such isolation has its challenges, but we bicker and make up like a family.

“I have learned so much about the hotel and resort business and have met some incredible people, too. Looking ahead, I hope to continue exploring and indulging in my newfound passions for hiking and climbing, with the ultimate career goal of finding a job in the travel industry, hopefully with opportunities to work and live abroad again.”

“I left The Maynard in 2020, rather abruptly due to COVID, which I was gutted about as I didn’t want my time at The Maynard to be cut short!” says Ella, who then went straight to the University of Nottingham to study an Undergraduate Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics.

“I chose to study dietetics as I was having my own difficulties with food allergies and was seeing a dietician myself and thought it looked like a fulfilling job!”

As part of her degree, Ella spent six months on a hospital placement at United Lincolnshire County Hospital (ULH) during which she was able to practise in a wide range of different settings including acute gastroenterology, stroke, oncology, diabetes, cardiology, paediatrics and home enteral nutrition.

“Overall, the paediatric wards were the ones that I have most looked forward to, and I found children and teenagers to be the most fulfilling group of people to work with. As such, I am incredibly excited to be returning to the same hospital in September to start my new role as a Specialist Paediatric Dietitian. I’m looking forward to working with children and adolescents with a variety of conditions including allergies, intolerances, fussy eating and stunted growth, as an example.

“I’ll be juggling this new job alongside studying for my PGCert to become a qualified sports dietician at Leeds Beckett University, inspired by my findings when writing my dissertation entitled ‘An exploration of eating disorders in athletes through health podcasting’ (for which I achieved a first class). Throughout the research process, I discovered that many athletes under-fuel or fuel incorrectly, hindering their ability to achieve top athletic performance levels. It’s a course designed specifically for health professionals who are working full time, so it is delivered on the weekends, allowing me to continue working as a paediatric dietitian alongside my further studies.

“Once I become SENR registered, I am hoping to set up a freelance business to help athletes fuel their training adequately as this is a gap in nutrition where I believe I can make a positive change. However, I will never give up working in the NHS as I relish working with such dynamic and inspiring multidisciplinary teams.

“Outside of my dietetic interests, I am a keen sportswoman. I have played lacrosse and netball throughout my time at university and as a devoted runner, I am currently training for three half marathons, two marathons and a sprint triathlon within the next year. I have certainly always liked to fill my time up with 1,001 things! I think this is just part of my personality and enjoying being busy.

“As someone who is not naturally very academic, I honestly don’t believe that I would be where I am now without the unwavering support of my teachers at The Maynard who taught me to believe in myself and to not give up until I have achieved my dream!”

Despite being adamant that she had no interest whatsoever in anything to do with marketing during her time studying Business Management at the University of Birmingham, Phoebe now loves her role as Factual Marketing Executive for BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC Group.

“We commission all genres of series and provide marketing for global clients in countries like Germany, France, China and America. My role involves creating marketing plans across all factual titles including Documentaries, History, Natural History and Science. I specifically work across global marketing assets, premiers and international sales events and some examples of titles I have worked on include the multi-award nominated and 5* reviewed Planet Earth III, Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution and (soon) Walking with Dinosaurs! I am also involved with BBC Earth and love working with a sustainability mindset – there is much more work that needs doing in the industry and I am keen to bring BBC Earth values to whatever I am working on.

“I find multitasking multiple genres pretty difficult sometimes and it’s hard to jump between marketing a fun young skewing disco series at the same time as a drama-focused natural history one, so keeping your audience at the forefront of your mind is key. Fortunately, I love my job and I’m passionate about bringing these fantastic shows to life so, apart from watching the animal hunts, I enjoy everything about it.

“My absolute highlight so far was seeing Sir David Attenborough at our Planet Earth III premier in London, alongside speaking to others like Benedict Cumberbatch and Gillian Anderson. My manager and I organised the evening event which consisted of an immersive content viewing room and a talk from production teams on their experience of filming the series, accompanied by a specially curated 360° viewing gallery.

“My future ambitions are to work across different genres; I really love working in Factual as I have a passion for sustainability and showcasing how beautiful our planet is. However, I do think working in scripted allows you to be more creative and I want to have a stab at movie marketing – just look at Barbie to see the lengths that you can go with content!

“Life isn’t anything like how I expected it to be when I left school in 2016 (it still feels like yesterday!). It definitely felt like I had no idea what I was doing; I’d found out I was dyslexic, I had to retake one of my A-levels and didn’t get into the university that I wanted. But I have learnt that every step that you take leads you in a direction, and you get to choose if you want to carry on down that road or change it entirely. I’ve definitely adapted to deal with uncertainty a lot more than I thought I would be able to and I’m loving being in a period of my life where I just go with it. I’m currently in the process of moving to London to be closer to my job, with my now fiancé (as of a few weeks ago), so I’m very excited to be stepping into the next chapter.”

After completing her A-levels in 2018, Alex embarked on an “amazing” gap year, interrailing around Europe and then travelling to Australia and Fiji. She then headed off to study for her undergraduate degree in Geology at the University of East Anglia, followed by a Masters in Volcanology at the University of Bristol. “I had an incredible time at both universities and was fortunate enough to have some amazing field trips to Iceland, Sicily, and Guatemala.”

“I have always loved natural hazards and volcanoes, but I would have to say that descending into a lava tube in the middle of Rwanda in East Africa was the one experience that made me want to become a volcanologist. These tubes are enormous, and it feels like you’re walking straight into the centre of the Earth!

“After visiting communities devastated by eruptions in Guatemala, I also wanted to better understand how these volatile and unpredictable volcanoes can pose such a threat to so many, and how research can help prevent losses in future eruptions.”

In just a couple of months Alex will be starting her PhD at Boise State University (Idaho), a premier research institution for volcanic hazards. “The US holds some of the world’s largest and potentially most hazardous volcanoes. It is also world-leading in volcanic hazard research with observatories in locations such as Hawaii, Yellowstone, and California, so it will be a great place to study for a few years.”

Her PhD research will focus on volcanoes in the Cascades range in the western United States, specifically examining how hazards like pyroclastic density currents and lahars impact nearby communities. “I aim to collaborate with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) at the Volcano Observatory in Washington State to better understand these hazards and how communities can prepare for eruptions to avoid a catastrophe.”

Looking to the future, Alex hopes to continue her research by working at a volcano observatory, either in the USA or elsewhere in the world. This role would involve monitoring active volcanoes, installing equipment to detect signs of activity, and producing volcanic hazard maps to help communities prepare for eruptions. “I believe this research is incredibly important as it can help locals better understand the threat they live alongside and improve their vulnerability against eruptive hazards.

“My ultimate career goal would involve working on an active volcano – I’d like to think Hawaii or Central America would be top of my list of places to end up in!”

“Since leaving The Maynard, the road has not been smooth,” admits Miller who departed our gates in 2021 in pursuit of a degree apprenticeship in Business Management or similar. “I’ve been through a few jobs but struggled to find an industry that excited me.” However, we are happy to report that she has now landed a fantastic job as Marketing Assistant at Exeter-based Unity5, an SAAS (Software as a Service) company selling back-end parking enforcement software.

“I was so sure that management was the path I wanted to go down, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I’m so happy that I was wrong, though. I look back to the beginning of 2023 and think about how unhappy I was, and I can’t believe how much my life has changed for the better!

“When I was interrailing around Europe during my gap year, I completed the final round of interviews for a degree apprenticeship with Amazon. I found out three days later that I’d been accepted onto the programme, and I’d be moving to Bristol in September of 2022. I was so excited and couldn’t wait to get started. Fast forward to December that year and I was not enjoying it. When I turned up on my first day nobody knew that I was coming, there was no onboarding for me at all and I got chucked into working in a warehouse, managing people twice my age at 19 years old. It was terrifying. I stuck it out until Christmas but eventually decided that I wouldn’t be going back. Oh, and I was working the night shift!

“But I love the variety and creativity of working in marketing. The day-to-day is never the same so it keeps me on my toes. We attend a lot of events as a company (mostly exhibiting) and I love the organisation part of these events. We recently went to the biggest event of the year for us which I was heavily involved in, and it was so rewarding seeing it all come together. I also run the company LinkedIn and work with our technology partners to write integration announcements, too. Soon I’ll be starting a course through the company to widen my knowledge around marketing as well!

“The Maynard gave me so many skills for life. But confidence is the main takeaway. I am a firm believer that confidence is key in whatever you do and that is how you will shine. My confidence was knocked when I was applying for 100s of jobs last year, but I persevered and I’ve landed on my feet with Unity5.”

Given her bad luck previously with the initial job hunts, we asked Miller what advice she would give to someone else at the start of their career journey, to which she replied. “Make sure you ask LOADS of questions about the role. I was so excited after loads of rejections to finally get through that I didn’t find out enough about the role that I was going into. It’s so important that you know what you’re getting into. Employers love it when you ask detailed questions anyway! Most importantly, don’t give up. It might feel like it’s taking an age to find the right job, but it is so worth the time when you find yourself in a role that is perfect for you at a company which actually cares about you.”

“Studying abroad was always something I was looking for,” says Judy who left her parents behind in Beijing to join us for the Sixth Form. “The Maynard is, of course, one of the top schools in South West England and honestly more welcoming and friendly than I ever expected. 

“Coming to the UK for the first time was really a big transition period, especially for someone from a completely different language, cultural, and societal background. Also, the fact that I looked different from everyone else was something really strange for me to accept during the first few months, given that you can’t really see too many non-Chinese people in Beijing.”

Judy absolutely flew at The Maynard, leaving us in 2020 with a fantastic set of A-level results to study Law at the University of Manchester. “I ranked in the top 10 in my final year and graduated with a first-class degree. The credit should go to my time at The Maynard because my critical thinking skills were greatly developed through studying A-Level History.”

However, following in the footsteps of her parents who “didn’t work in the area of their degrees”, Judy decided to changed track and is now employed by Citi as a Treasury and Trade Solutions Analyst in London. “I chose this because it is client-facing and it is not as generalist as corporate banking, meaning you are more specialised in certain financial products.

“I enjoy the international working environment immensely. I get to connect with colleagues literally across the globe on a daily basis and am exposed to a very diverse and inclusive culture (each colleague in my team is from a different country). I also prefer being in a business environment where you are involved in many economic or entrepreneurial decision-making processes, so it suits me perfectly for now,” adding, “Insights into these areas are very useful for me to go into any other industries further down the line.”

Keen to apportion some of her success to her time at The Maynard, Judy explains: “It was a great starting point for a 16-year-old, equipping me with so many new skills and opening the world ahead of me! Looking back now, a 16-year-old me in Beijing probably wouldn’t have been as considerate or generous as the people whom I have encountered here at The Maynard or in Exeter.”

Lauren, a leaver in 2019, has totally found her groove in a most unique job as a microbiologist for Whyte and Mackay whiskey distillery up in the Scottish Highlands, something she describes as being “all thanks to the poor teachers at The Maynard who pulled me kicking and screaming through my A-levels!

“At school I was very into my music, and I think that led to my subjects being of slightly less importance to me, as I never found they held the same level of interest. I’m truly indebted to Dr Merisi as Maths was in no way my best subject, but he gave me the extra support and encouragement I required to get the grades I needed for university. That said, all my teachers were amazing at finding ways to get me to engage, even when I made it very difficult for them by refusing to do any homework or revision!”

Armed with a fine clutch of A-levels in the end, Lauren headed to the University of Glasgow to study Neuroscience. However, with its very flexible Biology curriculum she soon discovered what she enjoyed most and she switched to a degree in Microbiology (with a specialism in Bacteriology) instead.

Fast forward three years and she is loving being in the Scottish Highlands, albeit she is so far away from friends and family (but visitors are regular, and she’s also made some great friends up there). “My job is amazing ; I’m involved in so many different areas of production as I work with all the distilleries under the Whyte and Mackay brand.

“My main responsibilities include testing the production samples for yeast viability and other factors that indicate how the fermentation is progressing. I also get to go around the site armed with swabs searching for potential sources of infection! My role allows for us to have fermentation working at its most effective and to identify any points of improvement. My team also has individuals who work in other areas of quality, from the wheat that comes in the door to the spirit that we produce.

“Looking ahead to the future, I am currently doing a few different training courses in whisky and project management, and the ultimate goal would be to make it onto the nosing panel one day!”

“I’ve taken a slightly off-piste route into finance as I was fairly confident that I would go into law,” says 2009 leaver, Tatum. “I followed my undergraduate degree (at Cardiff University) with my Masters in Human Rights Law at the University of Exeter but, after spending some time in different law firms interning, I decided to explore different routes.

“I then worked at a wealth management firm in Hong Kong and I found the work really interesting, and the exposure to so many different types of people compelling. It resonated a lot more with my personality type and so I knew it was the right path for me.”

Tatum has stayed in Hong Kong and is now employed as a Wealth Manager for a company called St James’s Place, the UK’s largest wealth management firm. “I work with my clients to build long-term, robust financial plans that cover all aspects of their finances. So, this can be helping someone make their very first investment, all the way to helping someone enter retirement without financial worry. 

“I spent a couple of years in Hong Kong when I was much younger and have always had family here. It has an amazing energy to it, despite the humidity causing my hair to triple in size! There’s a real buzz to the city and, of course, the opportunities in finance are fantastic here.”

In addition to her job, Tatum is also on the Future Leaders Committee which is part of the Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong. “Our committee is young professionals under 35, and we host events throughout the year for fellow young professionals. These can really vary from mentoring schemes, to sit down dinners with people we look up to, to networking drinks on a rooftop bar in Soho! It’s a really enjoyable way to meet likeminded people and help bring together the young professionals in Hong Kong – there are so many of us!”

When asked what advice Tatum would share with other females looking to enter the finance sector, she said this: “I would say just go for it! It is still a heavily male dominated industry, so the more of us that go for it, the better in my opinion. From my experience, the women I work with enjoy having a fellow woman helping manage their finances. While there is still an element of ‘cut throat’, it’s definitely calmed down from what it used to be.”

Former Head Girl and 2017 leaver, Millie, had no idea what she wanted to do career-wise after school. “I just knew which subjects I enjoyed the most and where my strengths were, which all helped to decide which degree I would study (Retail, Marketing & Management at Loughborough University)  but, beyond that, I had no idea.”

“I decided to take a gap year before I went to university and then also decided to take one after. I took one before university so that I could earn some money, as well as see some of the world. I didn’t feel ready or old enough to go straight to university and, looking back now, I am so glad that I travelled and worked for the year, as it made me so much more capable when I started at Loughborough.

“After finishing at university, I felt slightly in limbo. As my degree was four years and most of my friends only did three, they had already secured graduate jobs. I felt like it would be a great time to travel and, as my parents always say, ‘You’ve got your whole life to work.’

“I had also met a boy in my final year who is an extremely keen skier… so we headed to Whistler for the season. I worked as a waitress in one of the mountain restaurants and my boyfriend was a ski instructor. The skiing in Whistler was incredible and we made some lovely friends who we still see. It’s also not every day that you can walk down your road and bump into a black bear!”

Having recently moved to London, Millie is now working as a Sales Executive Assistant for Ellis Wines, a family-run wine merchant. “Every day seems to be busy for us, especially now that the weather is getting warmer, and everyone is out drinking rosé! But my typical day is processing email and phone orders for bars, shops and restaurants across the UK, so that they receive their wine on time. I also manage two sales associates, so help them with any stock or order queries.

“I have only been in this job for three months, but I see it as a very good starting point for a career in the wine industry. It gives me a good understanding of the entire running of a wine merchant, so I can try and figure out which role I could see myself fitting into long-term.

“Ultimately, I would love to end up living in Devon again and potentially be working in the family business, with a focus on the wine and events side.”

“My job is to review and optimise how M&S moves product from where it is made to where it is sold,” explains Ella, an International Logistics Development Manager for M&S. “For example, if you are making something in Thailand and the demand for that product in Hong Kong doubles, but new import tariffs are introduced in the Middle East, should you change how you route the product?

“It’s a great job that combines problem solving, data analysis, working with lots of different experts and project management on a global scale. I spend most of my time in the fabulous Head Office in Paddington, but I’ve been lucky enough to travel to warehouses all over the UK, Turkey and Malaysia. International travel is a real privilege and an incredible perk of the job.

“M&S is a great place to work, especially right now. It’s brilliant to be part of a business making a comeback. I am also incredibly lucky to have so much agency in my job. I work on interesting, real-life problems, where international current events have an impact on decision making. Also, the results are tangible; actions I take literally can change how containers are shipped around the world!”

So how did Ella, who left us in 2015 to take a Biology degree at Durham University, end up bagging such a cool sounding job? “When making academic and career decisions, I have relied on two guiding principles (the first from my former science teacher at The Maynard, Mr Lodge): 1) If you don’t like the journey, you probably won’t like the destination; 2) Which choice will keep the most doors open?

“When choosing my degree, I applied both. Economics felt like a natural fit to meet my ambitions to go into the business world, but I didn’t want to take Maths which was required for the course. Mr Lodge helped me make the decision that if I didn’t want to do the entry requirements, I probably wouldn’t enjoy the degree. So, I chose Biology as it was my favourite subject at school, and Durham because I didn’t want to work in a lab and it offered an alternative via a ‘Biology Enterprise’ module that focused on creating products and businesses from scientific discoveries.

“I used every resource available at university to work out my next steps before leaving and the Careers Advisory Department found me two viable options to suit my strengths: Film Production or Business Consulting. I was lucky enough to gain internships in both over the university summers and was thrilled to accept a place on the Deloitte Management Consulting Graduate Scheme. 

“I loved the idea of ‘trying before buying’ i.e. gaining experience in short sharp projects and leaping at something I wanted to commit to. That turned out to be Retail Supply Chain! So, my career journey may look a little disconnected, but it has actually been very organic!

“Equally, there is no doubt that The Maynard played a significant role in who I am today; it created an incredible foundation and springboard for the rest of my life, and I am hugely grateful for my time there.”

“I didn’t even know this industry existed!” says Milly who left The Maynard in 2017 to study International Relations at the University of Birmingham. “But I am now a Marine War Risk Underwriter for Vessel Protect.

“This means that I analyse risk factors – as an example, Houthi’s capability to successfully target and hit vessels in the Red Sea. I then quantify these risk factors and apply a % which reflects the risk. This % is the rate I will charge for war insurance for a vessel transiting that specific body of water.

“Every day is different and, as my job is largely influenced by geopolitics, each morning is spent checking if anything has occurred overnight that might influence or implicate risk dynamics in certain regions. With my nature of work, things happen quickly. During our night, a charterer could have decided to go to Yemen and be due to enter Yemen territorial waters in a matter of hours, so we have to react quickly and offer fast turnaround times. 

“Later in the morning, I then usually head over to the Lloyds Building – world renowned as the epicentre of insurance – to sit on the box (‘sitting on the box’ means brokers can come and talk to you face to face and it’s a good way to build relationships). My afternoons are spent in meetings or on the email making sure all our vessels are covered for everything they need before close of business. It’s a work hard, play hard kind of industry, so evenings can be spent working, at drinks or social events and, occasionally, I’II go home for an early night!

“The type of work is very geopolitically oriented and, as per my degree choice, it’s something that I find fascinating. I would also add that the industry has a clear career trajectory which I also like. That said, Marine Insurance is very traditional and, with that, has held rather old-fashioned values, from how business is carried out (COVID really forced the sector to join the 21st century from a technology point of view), to who works in the industry – women weren’t allowed in the Lloyds Building until 1973! It’s important to see how far the industry has come, but there is still more to do!”

Asked how Milly has equipped herself to thrive in such an industry, she draws on a very sweet tradition of her father’s: “As a child, every morning when he left for work, he would shout through the house to wherever we were, “And remember….”. Then, in chorus, we would all join in, “the Bennetts can do anything”, and I think this subliminally gave me the freedom to be whoever – and do whatever – I could dream and aspire to be. And my time at The Maynard continued to harness and nurture this mindset and these values.”

“I went to six schools in my time (between Australia and the UK), and I was lucky enough that seven years of this period were at The Maynard. It has always had a sense of ‘home’ about it and is truly such a special place,” says Chloe, who went to Durham University after leaving us in 2019.

Deciding to take a post-university gap year, she ended up returning to the alma mater to work as a Teaching Assistant in the Junior School. “Coming back and being in the Staff Room was totally bizarre. The transition from teacher to friend with the staff was so special. Working in the Junior School was so full of laughs, and again, what a team! A place of fun and light. I think seeing both sides of the Maynard coin (as a student and then a member of staff) made me fall even more in love with it.”

Chloe then headed off to London where she found work as an Account Executive at an advertising agency, but ultimately found this “a bit mind numbing”.

“I’m totally aware that every junior, in every industry, has to do the ‘leg work’ to progress, however I looked at my seniors, and even their day-to-day didn’t inspire me in the slightest. Also, my main client didn’t sit well with me morally.”

So how exactly did she end up deciding that life in the education sector was where she wanted to be? “It was less of a lightbulb moment, and more of a gradual realisation. From Mrs Lavis’ comments about me having the ‘education bug’, to my friends reminding me how happy I was at The Maynard while I was working there. But the big niggle was that I was worried it was The Maynard that I loved, not the actual career and industry. There was only one thing for it… I had to get another job in another school (Fulham Prep) and work out whether it was teaching, or whether it was The Maynard. I’ve since realised that it’s not JUST the Maynard factor, but I do genuinely love the job.

“If only I had listened earlier, I could have saved myself so many job applications and so much career angst. But those that know me, will know that I do have a slight stubbornness that meant that I really needed to work it out myself.

“I’ll stay as a Teaching Assistant at Fulham for the next academic year (as I had left it too late application-wise by the time I’d finally realised teaching was my ‘calling’), and then head back to university to do my secondary history PGCE, before launching myself into the world of ‘teacherdom’ officially.

Asked if Chloe ever hoped to return to The Maynard as a teacher one day, she replied: “Career goals = actualized! That would be my complete dream! The Maynard will always have such a special place in my heart, and it would be an honour to return as a qualified teacher.”

“From around the age of about 13 I knew that I wanted to become a lawyer of some kind, whether a solicitor or barrister. I distinctly remember Mrs Wilks, my former History teacher and Head of Sixth Form, telling me I would make a good lawyer (after a particularly forceful debate during a history lesson!) and, from then on, I made it my mission to learn more about it as a career!” says Charlotte, a leaver in 2011, who now works in London as a solicitor at a firm called Peters & Peters, specialising in White Collar Crime and investigations work.

“Shortly before graduating from Queen Mary University of London with a Law degree, I secured a training contract with a commercial law firm in London. So, I then began my master’s degree at BPP Law School in London in September 2015, which combined the 1-year Legal Practice Course (a vocational course required to become a Solicitor, also now known as the SQE) with a Masters in Law and Business. 

“After completing my Masters in 2016, I then began my 2-year training contract in the London office of DWF, an international full-service law firm. This is the final stage of the traditional route to qualification as a Solicitor in England & Wales, where you work as a Trainee Solicitor in a number of departments over two years. At this point, I had no idea which area of law I wanted to specialise in. The academic study of law is often very different to the day job, particularly as a Solicitor, so this was a real learning curve for me.

“Having sat in a number of different departments during my training contract, eventually it was a client secondment to Serco Group Plc, who run a number of prison contracts and other public services for the Government, which confirmed my interest in criminal work.

“After qualifying, I then decided to make the move to my current firm, Peters & Peters, in September 2019. This was primarily because I wanted to work for a smaller firm that specialised in white-collar crime work, working with both individual and corporate clients. 

“I am currently acting for the team advising the Post Office which, prior to our instructions, acted as a private prosecutor in what has been described as the largest miscarriage of justice in UK legal history. We are assisting the current Post Office team on the review of a large volume of criminal appeals, many of which have been impacted by the recent exoneration legislation announced by the government. 

“I have worked on a wide range of cases in my career so far which have been incredibly interesting and academically challenging, so you never get bored. I’ve been lucky enough to represent clients in some of the most high-profile and high-value cases, regularly acting for individuals and corporate clients across a range of sectors including government, royalty, entertainment, energy, law, retail and finance. It’s really exciting! Not every day is like an episode of Suits or The Good Wife, and people generally work very hard, but there have been some lighter moments (including being photographed by the press when leaving court!).”

“I was super excited to go to Cambridge and take advantage of everything it offered,” says Isobel who left us in 2019 and now works in London as an actor. “I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do as a career at that time (and, honestly, I’m still not 100% sure!), so I went to university with a very open mind as to what it could offer me in the long run. But I was especially keen to get into the Footlights and get trained up in all things comedy – writing, performing, stand-up, sketch, whatever I could get my teeth into. I also wanted to meet other actors and start making those networks that seem to pop up in the industry.”

Testament to her hard work and talent, Isobel graduated last July not just with a First Class in Anglo Saxon, Norse & Celtic, but also as the top student in her year. “I don’t think I could have asked for a better university experience. Except perhaps for COVID hitting halfway through my first year (which was obviously pretty bad timing), I wouldn’t change a thing. What they say about Cambridge is definitely true – it’s a work-hard, play-hard environment. The intensity of the work meant I valued my free time so much, and it encouraged me to pour just as much time and effort into all the theatre/comedy I was making, as well as my academic work.

“I made an amazing network of friends who I made shows with – I co-wrote the Footlights Pantomime in 2021, co-created, wrote and performed in ‘Horrible Herstories’ which went to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022, and was even able to write and perform in my own one-person comedy show called LEECH!, which was all about growing up in Devon and my love for the Westcountry – something a lot of the Londoners and South-Easterners at university knew absolutely nothing about!

“I never really thought acting could be a viable career path until I had 20 or so shows under my belt at university and realised just how much I’d learned about theatre/comedy production. I knew I loved making shows, and I wanted to love my career, too – so why not give it a go?

“I’m at a very early stage in my career at the moment, but during the last year or so, I’ve been familiarising myself with all the opportunities that exist out there for young creatives: job opportunities, development schemes, internships, shadowing, competitions and prizes. I’ve been firing off applications (and receiving valuable feedback) whilst working on my own projects with my friends. I’ve recently been writing and workshopping my first play which I’m hoping to get into development before the end of the year.

“Unfortunately, in this industry there isn’t a clear or uniform path to ‘making it’, so it’s a lot of trial and error, perseverance, and practice.

“I’ve chosen a hard path for myself and I’m certain the next few years out of university are going to be difficult at times, but the resilience and confidence I need to tackle it, which I now have, all started at The Maynard.”

Eve left The Maynard in 2019 and headed to the University of Edinburgh to read English Literature. “Back then I thought I might do a law conversion after my degree and possibly train to be a barrister. I didn’t have a clear vision though as I very much believed in just doing what I loved and hoping for the best. I think it’s still a good philosophy to live by – pursuing what you love almost never feels like a wrong decision.

“I graduated a year ago with a First from Edinburgh, having also spent my third year on a study abroad programme at the University of Melbourne. Since then, I have been living and working as an English teacher in a primary school in the Cadiz province of southern Spain.

“My last year of university was especially difficult – strike action meant that I missed a huge chunk of teaching and even graduated without a degree or a dissertation grade. The housing crisis in Edinburgh meant that my friends and I couldn’t find a property for the first semester of our last year, resulting in starting my fourth year either sofa surfing, staying in first year accommodation or being moved around various temporary accommodations in Edinburgh. It’s safe to say I felt pretty disillusioned with academia, and burnt out from the stress of everything, so I knew I didn’t want to continue in further education for the time being.

“I had heard about the British Council from a friend, a scheme that allows native English speakers to live and work as a language assistant at a Spanish school. I applied on a whim and eventually ended up accepting the offer and moving to Cadiz.

 “I live in a rural town called Arcos de la Frontera in the Cadiz region of Andalucía, in southern Spain. It’s a town in the hills about an hour and a half from Seville and was by no means my first pick of location (but the British Council can be a bit of a lottery regarding where you get allocated). When I saw my placement I cried – I have always loved big cities and couldn’t imagine myself in a quaint rural village but, as the time to leave grew nearer, I decided to embrace the change and challenge myself by throwing myself out of my comfort zone.

“Small town life has its trials and tribulations- not a single supermarket is open on a Sunday and finding a spot for a coffee during siesta hours is pretty much impossible. However, it has helped me to slow down, live more presently and deconstruct the fast paced, work-obsessed rhetoric that I’m used to. After the madness of university, it has been a welcome change to embrace a slower way of life. 

“The flexibility of my job means I have a lot of time to dedicate to expanding my writing portfolio. I write opinion pieces for a few independent magazines and do a lot of creative writing – I’m even part way through my first novel. Ultimately, I’d love to move into the journalism or publishing field and I have been researching a few Masters courses for the year after next.”

“I left The Maynard in 2018 but, despite gaining A*, A and B in my exams, I didn’t get my first-choice university. At the time this felt huge. It was my first real ‘failure’, and I just felt so lost when everyone around me was getting in to their first choices. However, it turned out to be such a blessing as I realised that I was not upset about not going to UCL, I was upset at the projection of failure. I know this is a cliché, but it made me really understand early on that rejection is just redirection. I ended up going to the University of Birmingham, after a fantastic gap year travelling solo round southeast Asia, where I found my love of medical history and health policy.”

Miren has just finished studying at the London School of Economics for an MSc in the Theory and History of International Relations and recently had to make a very difficult decision over which of two fantastic Graduation Schemes she has been offered to accept.

“Choosing between the Health Policy Graduation Scheme in the NHS and the Health Policy Graduation Scheme in the Civil Service was incredibly agonising, but such a fantastic position to have been in! They are such similar schemes, right down to the fact that they both offer the same Health Policy Masters at Imperial College London. The hardest thing for me was realising that while the Civil Service had been the dream job for the past few years, the NHS grad scheme was the better choice.

“I will be part of the ‘Policy and Strategy’ team in the Head Office of NHS England, effectively working on a broad UK-wide policy for improving the NHS. Whilst it sets you up to be a leader in Health Care Policy in the NHS (something I am definitely interested in), I also want to hop around organisations and job opportunities. Gone are the days when you work for one or two companies your entire career. I think so much can be gained now from having skills and experience from lots of different places.

“With my interest in charity work and international relations I really want to go into Global Health Policy and work for international NGOs and charities in the future, but I am looking forward to working on a smaller, more national focus with the NHS for now.

“When I left The Maynard, I had no career plans other than the fact that I wanted to study History at university. What I have loved about the past six years, is that I have had the time and ability to figure out the sorts of things I am interested in, try them out and reject them, before settling on Health Policy.”

And as for the future? “Having studied in San Diego for a year (at university), I am hooked on the idea of living and working in other cities around the world. My interest in International Health and Development lends itself to this and is probably part of the reason why I am so interested in taking on that career path at some point.”

“When I was a child, my dad would often nickname me “Heston” due to my fascination with experimenting in the kitchen,” says Olivia, currently a Chef Tutor at Ashburton Cookery School but with plans to open a fine dining restaurant sometime in the future with her fiancé, Josh, who she is marrying later this year.

“Mrs Fanous was a huge part of my culinary adventure growing up. Our Food & Nutrition lessons were always the highlight of my week and I would excitedly get home with our new recipe for the following lesson absolutely BURSTING to get cracking with it and wanting to immediately adapt it.

“She gave me something very special as a budding young chef and, in my opinion, essential to how I continued to learn how to cook – the access to the Quality Street tin filled with all the herbs and spices that was seemingly hidden out of view in the top cupboard! This tin (which I treated like gold in dust form) was essential to my growth in my experimental “Heston” years and I look back on those lessons with a very full heart.”

After dabbling in the event industry in London, Olivia soon realised that cheffing was her true calling and returned to Devon to train at the Ashburton Chef’s Academy alongside working for Michael Caines at Lympstone Manor “which was both exciting and thrilling”.

“It seemed bizarre to be the only woman in the kitchen, but it soon became clear that you need a good thick skin, adrenaline to burn for days and a thirst for excellence. I thought it was a typo when they informed me that the trial shift would be 14 hours long, but it turned out that was only a minimum!”

Olivia then moved on to work as Sous Chef at The Galley in Topsham (“a very special fish and seafood restaurant where I had the pleasure of cooking the most beautiful locally caught day-boat fish in Devon”) before venturing over to work alongside Robin Rea at The Rusty Pig in Ottery St Mary.

 “After working alongside Robin I took on his new venture and opened the sister restaurant for him as Head Chef of Little Oink on Magdalen Road. I ran the kitchen solely – they were the longest and most gruelling days of my culinary career and yet my most fond. I was madly in love with that tiny, hot and complicated kitchen.

“However, after the company changed hands, and with complications between the owners, it was time to find a new venture. I had a conversation with the Chef Director at Ashburton Cookery School and decided to take a slightly different path and work alongside a selection of celebrated head chefs to teach students the skills to work in high end Michelin kitchens. I couldn’t think of anything more exciting than to be able to share my passion with budding new chefs wanting to enter the industry in the same way that I did.

“I have been the sole women in every kitchen that I’ve worked in so far. The hours are pretty hideous and unforgiving – it’s certainly a vocation and not a job! However, I have always made it my mission to bring my flair and female notes of technical perfection whilst also being, hopefully, artistically fabulous. It’s been more welcome in certain kitchens than others – but I wouldn’t change it for anything, and I stand by what I want for the future of female cheffing. Equality, Passion, Love.”

Holly left The Maynard in 2001 to read Maths at Cambridge after a gap year spent teaching in Ghana followed by travelling through Southeast Asia.

“I loved everything about university except studying maths, so I changed degrees halfway through – something that was possible but probably not recommended. However, it did mean that I’ve ended up with a degree in Maths and History which has proved really useful.

“I didn’t have a great understanding of what I want to do career-wise, but London was calling, and I knew that, to live in London I needed a reasonably well-paid job, so I joined a management consulting firm.   

“Being a management consultant taught me a huge amount about business, managing difficult meetings, working to tough deadlines, financial analysis, and the vagaries of UK train travel – but it wasn’t what I wanted to do long-term.  A few years in I’d taken a year out to study for a Masters at the LSE – I was a much more dedicated student second time round, helped by the fact that 2009-10 was an incredibly interesting time (global financial crisis, UK’s first coalition government for decades) to be studying Political Science & Political Economy.  

“The global financial crisis did mean it was a tricky time to change jobs though, and thankfully my firm, Oliver Wyman, had kept my job open for me for a year (key lesson being to always ask! Surprisingly often the answer might be yes) so I went back to being a consultant for a little while longer.  But I wanted to do something with more social purpose, and also a job that allowed me to occasionally see my friends (and daylight…).

“So, in 2012, I finally made the move to a career I was passionate about. I’d spent several months finding out everything I could about this thing called social investment – investing money into charities and social enterprises not just for financial return, but also for social impact. This was still a pretty niche concept, and a decade ago very few social investment funds existed. Luckily for me, I persuaded one of them to employ me. This felt like a pretty big change – I’d just got married, it was still a time of economic turbulence, and I was deliberately leaving a well-paid, relatively stable job to take a big pay cut and join a sector which no one had even heard of. One of the best professional decisions I’ve ever made!

“I was at the social investment fund CAF Venturesome for eight years, leading the team for the last five. Then in 2020 I accepted a role as the Investment Director at a new organisation, Fair4All Finance, which had been set up by the government in late 2019 to tackle financial exclusion. Over the past four years, my team and I have invested £40+ million into community finance providers who make affordable loans to people who are excluded from other sources of regulated credit (like bank lending and credit cards). For me, this combines my social investment experience with a stronger policy focus – working to ensure that the whole financial services sector works better for the millions of people who are currently excluded.   

“Admittedly moving jobs in the middle of a global pandemic with two small children at home isn’t something I’d recommend to anyone, but it’s worked out well! There’s a lot more to do and I feel very lucky to be working in an organisation that has the financial firepower and industry muscle to make a massive difference.”

Ella has always known from a very young age that working within Law was something she wanted to do and confesses to feeling “very lucky that I enjoyed both my degree and the job that I do now.”

Having left The Maynard in 2013, Ella decided to stay in the South West and read Law at the University of Exeter. “I then worked as a paralegal for three years with Stephens Scown to make sure that I was certain that this was the career for me. Having come straight from university, I didn’t feel that I had the depth of experience to apply for a training contract straight away, so this was an invaluable experience.

“I am now halfway through the two-year contract which involves working in four different departments for six months, after which I will qualify as a solicitor. So far, I have worked in Real Estate and Construction, which I have enjoyed, but I am keeping my options open at this stage with regard to any future area of specialism.

“Stephens Scown is an employee-owed law firm where employees are eligible for an equal share in its profit. I’m delighted to be an Employee Ownership Trainee Trustee, and I act as a representative for all staff and ensure that everyone’s voice is heard. We regularly meet with the Executive Board to give feedback, and it has been a fantastic opportunity to understand the business better, but also to really make a difference to the experiences of the staff.”

In addition to her busy Graduation Scheme schedule, Ella also volunteers as a mentor at the university: “I was lucky enough to have a mentor when I was there and felt that the time was right for me to give back. Law can be a very daunting degree and it is very competitive so, as a student, it’s great to have the chance to meet with someone who has been in your shoes to guide you through the challenging times.

“In the meantime, I am looking forward to qualifying as a Solicitor in September 2025 and progressing my career with the firm.”

“I joined The Maynard in 2012 and enjoyed eight fantastic years there, although it was really sad to have to leave so abruptly in the COVID pandemic,” says Madeline who has just completed her Masters degree in International Business Law at the University of Leeds.

“I was incredibly fortunate to have had the most encouraging teachers at school, and one who truly inspired me was Mr Tabb. He taught me History from when I started to all the way through A-levels, igniting my passion not only for his subject, but also for broader political subjects. This was reflected in my decision to pursue an undergraduate degree in International Relations. Throughout my school years, he consistently helped me believe in myself, both academically and personally.

“It was only halfway through my final year that I decided to pursue a Masters degree. Initially, I considered a law conversion but, after ruling this out, I began exploring other avenues and ultimately decided upon International Business Law because it combined legal studies with business, providing a broader scope of knowledge. I’ve had a fantastic year and would highly recommend anyone considering a Masters to go for it — it’s not as daunting as it sounds!

“I have a new job starting in June 2025, working for an international luxury shipping company based in London. As the company currently does not have a legal department, and given the various jurisdictional laws related to international shipping customs, my role will primarily focus on handling legal issues that arise within the business. Although I am not a qualified lawyer, my responsibilities will involve consulting on these issues and leveraging my knowledge to provide informed recommendations.

“I am really looking forward to gaining valuable experience in the commercial world and am confident it will lead to exciting new opportunities. Ultimately, my ambition is to establish a legal consultancy firm and hopefully combine my passion for wider political social issues with law.

“In the meantime, however, I am looking forward to my travels in Central America and then heading over to Australia and Southeast Asia, before moving to London for work next summer.”

“I love that every day is different in my job,” says Darcy who works as the Community Manager at Square Mile Farms based in London. “We install upright hydroponic food systems to grow edible plants in nutrient-rich solutions (as opposed to using soil). Our lovely green, biophilic designs not only help to transform workspaces and apartment buildings, but they allow people to grow and consume their own zero mile, ultra fresh produce wherever they live and work.

“Coming from beautiful green Devon and moving to London, I understand the challenges of accessing nature whilst living in a city and I genuinely appreciate the importance of what Square Mile Farms is striving to achieve. I strongly believe that a positive and enjoyable workplace environment directly improves productivity, benefiting both individuals and the organisation. 

“It is shocking to see the disconnect some people have with their food and where it comes from. Particularly young children in cities who may not have seen a vegetable grow and when you ask where it has come from, they say “a supermarket?”. That is why I love the company’s mission to reconnect people with food. And I take great pleasure in organising unique events such as schools’ harvests where local primary school children can visit the farm, learn about urban farming and harvest some fresh produce. 

“Knowledge sharing and seeing how happy the urban farm makes people is a very rewarding part of my job. It is also lovely to see the positive impact we can have on the local community through regular charity donations of our freshly grown farm produce or via our various learning experiences and outreach events.”

So how did Darcy come to work for such a thoroughly niche and yet incredibly enterprising company? “After leaving The Maynard in 2019, I went to the University of Bath to study Biology with a professional placement. During my studies, I developed a deep fascination for the world of fungi and its potential for sustainability and positive impacts in a changing world.

“In my final year, I embarked on an extensive research project exploring the effects of climate change on the timing of fungal fruiting and its consequences for human and ecological systems worldwide. This project, which received a first-class distinction, allowed me to gain a comprehensive understanding of mycelia and fruiting bodies and their importance in our environment.

“Equally, my placement year at The Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter was incredibly insightful and really helped give me direction. I loved the client and people facing aspect of my role and knew I wanted to pursue a future career which focused on these aspects.

“I love my job (although I do sometimes miss the beautiful Devon countryside) and I really hope to be able to make a small difference by reconnecting people with their food, improving living/working environments through urban farming and creating opportunities for conversations around sustainability.”

“I graduated with a degree in Graphic Design from the University of Edinburgh in 2017, at the same time as my (now) husband was living and working in the Netherlands. He suggested that we try a year living in Vancouver and I thought it sounded like an adventure. We both love hiking and spending time outdoors, so it perfectly fitted our lifestyle,” explains Charley, who left The Maynard in 2013 with skills that she cites as being “foundational to my career”.

“We moved to Canada straight after I graduated from university, and we landed in Vancouver with no contacts and no jobs lined up. Being on a temporary work permit also made it challenging to secure a permanent professional position with no prior work experience.

“In order to make ends meet, I joined a temp agency and was sent to cover a receptionist position at Polygon Homes, one of BC’s largest homebuilders. As fate would have it, the company culture was a great fit for me, and I quickly moved on to other roles including Development Coordinator and then Executive Assistant to the CEO.

“It was through this work that I became acquainted with Polygon’s Chairman, Michael Audain, one of Canada’s leading philanthropists. Michael’s two great passions are the visual arts and wildlife, specifically grizzly bears. We have a lot in common as I, too, am passionate about art and the environment.

“I made the move in 2021 to the Audain Foundation and am currently working as the Associate Executive Director where we are establishing a new funding focus to conserve wildlife and habitat around the province. Additionally, I manage the annual Audain Prize for the Visual Arts, which is a lifetime achievement award that is announced in the autumn.

“The opportunity to work with Michael Audain is a privilege; not only is he a successful businessman and respected philanthropist, but his ability to affect change means that his legacy is far reaching.”

Aside from her work, Charley is a weekly volunteer with the ‘Big Sisters of the Lower Mainland’ as a Study Buddy: “I think it’s highly valuable for young girls and teens to receive mentorship and have positive female role models as they learn and develop. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a Maynard School education and it’s great to think I can pass some of that on.”

She also captains the Polygon Cycling Club taking part in the Tour de Cure every year in aid of the BC Cancer Foundation. “The team has raised over $760,000 to date and this year we’re aiming to break $1 million.”

So, does she plan to return to England any time soon? “I recently became a Canadian Citizen, so we’re pretty settled on this side of the pond now! I think it would be hard to leave the incredible outdoor lifestyle that we have living here,” she explains.

“Being a journalist and a filmmaker is such a privilege – you have a job where you can walk into the lives of strangers and legitimately ask them questions about pretty much anything. It’s a responsibility too, and one that I take very seriously – sharing the experiences of other human beings is something to be treated with great care and sensitivity,” explains our double-BAFTA-winning alumna, Zoë Flood.

“My first byline was actually for the Express & Echo when I was still at The Maynard – I used to write the regatta reports for all the different rowing events around the region!” From humble beginnings grew great things, and Zoe went on to read Modern History and Politics at the University of Oxford where she opted to study several African history and politics papers, deepening her great interest in the continent that has occupied so much of her work ever since.

“I lived in Kenya for nearly ten years from 2010 and travelled a huge amount across Africa and beyond from my base in Nairobi. I’m currently based in London, but I also spend time in Australia and still in Kenya – I am often on the road for work. 

“One of my hardest assignments was The Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi in 2013, in which 67 people were killed – the majority of whom were just out and about on a sunny Saturday morning. As a journalist living in Nairobi, it felt extremely close to home, especially as I knew people who were caught up in the attack – as did pretty much everyone in the city. It was a brutal attack that claimed many innocent lives and covering such levels of terror and grief really affected me. It’s an experience that I still think about quite often. 

“That said, there are so many proud moments relating to successful films that I’ve worked on that have won awards or been widely viewed, but I would say that I’m most proud of hopefully having preserved my integrity and humanity while also trying to produce high-quality and cutting-edge journalism.

“Recently I was invited to join BAFTA through its professional development programme for emerging and mid-career talent – two documentaries I worked on have also won BAFTAs. I also won ‘Feature of the Year’ at the Association of British Science Writers’ Awards in 2022 – a real honour – for a story I wrote about the team of scientists in Botswana who first sequenced the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

“I’m currently trying to slow down my pace of life, as I’ve been working very hard for two decades with little pause. I’ve recently directed several documentaries for BBC Eye, which is an amazing BBC World investigative strand that tackles very important issues that often involve quite a lot of human suffering. It means a lot to me to be able to report on challenging topics, but that kind of work does take its toll, so I’m now trying to focus on some cheerier film projects involving somewhat lighter subject matter!”