Tilly Gilraine: My first year as a Degree Apprentice
When Tilly Gilraine returned to Sedbergh in March, we asked her to reflect not only on why she chose a degree apprenticeship, but on what that choice looks like in practice. For current pupils considering different pathways after Sixth Form, her experience offers a useful insight into the day-to-day reality of combining work, university study, professional responsibility and life in London.
In this follow-up interview, Tilly talks about her first months in financial services doing a Degree Apprenticeship in Financial Services with J.P. Morgan, the skills she has found most valuable, and how her time at Sedbergh helped prepare her for a route that demands independence, communication and resilience.
“I would always try to get myself involved in as many things as I could. I did debating; I was not the best at it, but I definitely learned a lot each time. I think a big thing is just pushing yourself, which is so important.”
Is this your first visit back to Sedbergh since you left, and how does it feel to be back?
Yes, this is my first visit back, and it feels good to be back. It feels like I am still here. It’s great, although it is raining, but that feels like Sedbergh! It is good to be back.
It is Wilson Run day today, and you ran the Wilson Run when you were here. How does it feel to see other pupils preparing for it now?
I actually feel quite nervous for them. It is quite a wet day. I was quite lucky with the weather on both of my Wilson Run days. It was bright, but not too hot, and fairly dry. So I feel quite nervous for them because it is quite wet out there, but I am sure it will all be good.
I am also kind of jealous because the celebrations afterwards are normally amazing.
The Wilson Run was a highlight of my time at Sedbergh. I think it is one of the things that makes Sedbergh, Sedbergh.
Since leaving Sedbergh last summer, what has your journey into your degree apprenticeship in finance been like?
I would definitely say it has been fairly smooth. I went to a different school for GCSEs and then moved here for Sixth Form, so I think I have taken some of that experience of getting to grips with new scenery, different routines and different things, and brought that into my life in London.
Everyone there is really supportive. There is a lot of support in the apprenticeship programme, and I have also got lots of support in London. I have a lot of friends and family there, so that has been really nice. It has been good.
You have moved from the north to London. How has that changed your life?
You definitely see a whole different world in London. To be fair, it took me quite a bit to get used to it, but there is always something to do and people to see.
I am always going to different events that I see online. Last week, I was actually at an event with another Old Sedberghian from Robertson. We went to a female founders event, so there is always something to do and lots of people to meet.
You can also find your people there because there are so many people. I love it.
How have the first six months of the apprenticeship felt? Have you ever questioned whether it was the right decision?
I have definitely not regretted the decision. I feel like I am quite a doing person. I did not apply to university; I only applied for the apprenticeship programme. If I was not going to do the apprenticeship, I would have taken a gap year or gone travelling.
I feel like if I had done that, I might have been sat there thinking, “I could have been doing something different.” For me, just getting in there is something I have definitely not regretted.
It has been really good and really eye-opening. I just know a lot more about different things now. I have definitely not regretted it, but it has taken a bit of adjusting from Sedbergh to London, where it is quite fast-paced.
Have there been hard days, or times when London has felt lonely?
I think because there are so many people on the apprenticeship programme, that really helps. I am living with a girl who is also on the programme, and we get along really well.
It is good to have those people, and they are quite similar to you because they are the people they pick, and they pick out similar sorts of characteristics. You are quite similar to them in that respect.
It is really good to have that connection. We all go out, and we are quite friendly together, so I do not feel left out of the university side of things. Sometimes I wish I had more time to just do my own stuff and be on my own, but having the apprenticeship cohort is really useful.
What does a typical week look like for you?
It is balancing university with work life. University is on Mondays for the first year. Some days we have online lectures that last about two hours. Some days we have exams, and some days we have to prepare for assignments. That is our Monday.
The rest of the week is me going into the office. I work quite centrally, near Blackfriars. All of the apprentices are in Canary Wharf, but there are only about four of us in the private bank.
My individual role, because everyone gets put into different places, is essentially working with the bankers. My role is labelled as a banker professional, and it is really interesting. It is much more of a relationship role rather than Excel and what you stereotypically think finance is like.
It is a lot of calls with clients, making sure they have updated forms, and working with the banker to make sure they have everything up to date with their clients. Some of it is legal, so you need to make sure everything is filled in every year.
A lot of my job is also meeting people on the floor and building connections there. The apprenticeship team really encourages you to meet people on the floor and chat to as many people as you can.
I have talked to almost everyone on the floor, and everyone is so open to meeting you for a coffee and giving you their time. I think that is the most valuable thing I have taken from the apprenticeship so far: meeting so many different people who have amazing backstories and backgrounds. That takes up a big chunk of my day as well.
Do you have opportunities to meet clients?
The first years do not as such. As you get further into the role, they will bring you along for client onboarding. Once the client has been onboarded, you are, in some respects, one of the main communicators with the client. The banker will bring you along because you are who they speak to and who they know as J.P. Morgan.
There are opportunities like that, but I think you have to make them for yourself and make sure you are providing a really good service. Then those opportunities will come, and you will get to meet them. We do speak to them on calls and things like that.
Now that you have been in the role for a while, which skills from Sedbergh have been most valuable?
I think Sedbergh is a great place for learning skills for apprenticeship programmes because, yes, there is a strong focus on the academic side, but outside the classroom there is always something going on that you are learning from and getting different skills from.
I would say communication skills are very important, if not the most important thing in the apprenticeship programme. You are speaking with senior people, trying to balance your time and making expectations realistic, so communication is really important.
I think you learn that here at Sedbergh from balancing so many different types of things and making sure that, because you are balancing so much, you communicate with different people if you have clashes. Even day to day, most days at Sedbergh you are chatting to different people. If you join a new club, activity or games option, you chat to so many different types of people. I think that is a big skill.
I also think resilience is really important on the apprenticeship programme because it is hard work. It is not all rainbows and sunshine. Sedbergh definitely teaches you to push through, even though things are tough. Doing a ten-mile run is not easy. Having resilience is really important, and so is using the network around you to help build that resilience.
Out of 10, how well do you feel Sedbergh prepared you for life after school?
I would rate it a 9.5, if not a 10. I do not think there is much, if anything, that it did not prepare me for in life.
I feel like a lot of people here at Sedbergh definitely have the ability to be on an apprenticeship programme, but in lots of schools it is not really a big thing. Maybe getting people more involved in the apprenticeship side would be really good.
The teachers were always so helpful. My tutor played a big role in my apprenticeship applications and getting me through them. There were also all the opportunities. I remember there was a series, like the SED Talks and things like that. Even little things like that teach you so much and open your eyes to what else there is in the world.
Out of 10, how happy are you with the choice you made?
I am really happy. I would probably rate it an 8 because I really like London for now. I definitely do not think I will live there long term, but I am really glad I have been brought to London.
I really like my role. I think it really suits me. It is hard, which is why it is not a ten, but I think sometimes the hard way is the best way. I remember there was a quote: “The obstacle is the way.” I think that is really important. I am really happy with it.
What advice would you give to younger Tilly, or to pupils thinking about their next steps?
I would say just keep going. There can be so many things, and it might seem overwhelming having to apply to different things and think about your future, but at the same time, do not think about it too much.
Something else with the apprenticeship programme is that they do not just look for people with AAA* who are really smart. They are more focused on people with skills. Maybe think about developing your skills instead of focusing so much on your exam results. And just enjoy it.
Did you deliberately get involved in activities at Sedbergh to build those skills?
Yes. I would always try to get myself involved in as many things as I could. I did debating; I was not the best at it, but I definitely learned a lot each time.
There were so many different things to get involved in. I think a big thing is just pushing yourself, which is so important. I would not naturally have done a debating dinner. I am not that type of person, and I would not say I am really good at that. So I think it does take a bit of pushing yourself to do the challenging part. Definitely.