From Education Consultant to Studying at Salford: Nafisa’s Story

Journey to Salford

“Before I came to Salford, I was working for an education consultancy firm in Bangladesh helping other students to fulfil their dream of studying in the UK. We worked with Salford to help international students gain a place to study with them. I heard so many positive stories about their experiences at Salford. They would often send us pictures of the campus and it looked incredible. Plus, many of them talked about the closeness to Manchester and what a vibrant city it is. After hearing all this, I knew Salford would be a perfect place for me to study. 

Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed my job as an education consultant, I have always wanted to start my own business. I grew up watching my dad run his own business and accompanied him on many business trips including one to Thailand. When I decided to pursue my master’s, I knew it needed to be in something that would help me understand more about global business. By completing a master’s in international business, I hoped to gain the skills and knowledge I need to eventually set up my own successful global business.” 

Academic experience

“I am currently two trimesters into my master’s and so far, I have found the course to be insightful, relevant and engaging. Overall, the course has helped me to gain an appreciation of different cultural attitudes towards global business operations and understand the challenges faced by managers working in a multicultural environment. 

My favourite modules have been international relationship management and international business in practice. The international relationship management module looked at social media in a global context and how it can be used to maintain business relationships. Whilst the international business in practice module explored cultural restraints and opportunities on topics including leadership, negotiation and communication.  

I am in the process of looking for a work placement as part of my international consultancy project. During this time, I will gain valuable work experience and put my learnings into action to make recommendations for a real organisation. I am working with the Salford Business School Employability Hub to help find my placement. Their drop-in sessions have helped me improve my CV and discover opportunities from their industry connections."

Making new connections 

"Arriving in a new country with no friends or family can be quite challenging initially. I would advise international students to arrive early enough to attend welcome week and all induction activities. During this time, you will find out more about your course, the learning systems at Salford and meet new friends. I met some of my closest friends during induction who are from all over the world including Iran, Russia, Nigeria, India and Pakistan. Making new friends has really helped me to not feel homesick.  

With these friends, I have explored the city during the day and at night and visited other areas of the UK. I have travelled to London, Leeds, Bolton and Hebden Bridge already - these are all easy to travel to from Manchester on the train. I bought a railcard which saved me a third on train journeys. Each of the places has its own unique beauty. I have enjoyed experiencing different UK cities and some of the beautiful countryside close to Salford.  

During my time at Salford, I also attended Salford Celebrates Bangladesh which was an event celebrating my home country of Bangladesh. It was a lovely way to meet other Bangladeshi students and make some new friends here too."

Part-time work

"It was important to me to find a part-time job alongside my studies. As soon as I arrived, I began looking at the online job board managed by Unitemps, an on-campus recruitment agency specialising in part-time flexible work for students. I found a role as a Student Ambassador for the International Recruitment team at Salford.  

I felt that this role was perfect for me given my previous experience working with international students and applied immediately. A few days later, I discovered I had been successful and soon after I began working with the team assisting them with pre-CAS interviews."

My Salford story continues

"For the rest of my time at Salford, I am focusing on securing a work placement and completing my International Consultancy Project, whilst visiting more areas of the UK.  

My advice for future international students would be to take every opportunity Salford and the city offer to you and be open to all the new experiences you are about to have."