Hi all,
I've received my first interview date (yahoo) It's at Brighton University.
I'm currently waiitng for the information to be sent via post, but in the meantime i was wondering if anyone has had an interview there? If so i would greatly appreciate any tips and advice that you have to offer.
As it's my first interview i have no idea what to expect so i'm feeling nervous already.
Also does anyone else have an interview coming up?
Thanks in advance :)
Hiya
I have an interview there next Tuesday - have to be there for 9.15 and have been told it will last up to four hours.
Looks like there is a one to one interview and then a written exercise, you are given an article on the day and asked questions on it.
They haven't really given any other information other than they say you'll need to discuss your experience, motivation and understanding of social work practice.
I've had two interviews already and they really haven't been as difficult as I thought they'd be. So far I have been asked to talk about: skills required by social workers, knowledge required by social workers, social work values and personal values, discrimination, times when you have experienced adversity/stress, managing emotions and of course why I want to be a social worker. I have also been asked to talk about a current theme in social work and how my experience relates to social work.
If you have read an introductory text such as Neil Thompson's "Understanding Social Work" that will really help, as will an understanding of anti-oppressive/anti-discriminatory practice. Also good to familiarise yourself with the BASW Code of Ethics and the GSCC Code of Practice as well as thinking about current issues in social work such as government cuts and personalisation. They are not looking for an in depth knowledge, just a general understanding (in my opinion) and evidence that you have thought about the course carefully and what it means to be a social worker.
Hope this helps. When is your interview?
Good luck.
Hi Gemini75,
Thank you so much for your very helpful response. All the things you've mentioned are themes i'm reading up on, and making notes on. Great to know i'm going down the right track.
I also have the Neil Thompson's book so will continue to read. I also have the Social Work Companion book he also wrote. Both great books.
I also have an interview next Tuesday, but my time is 1.45pm. I think i'm over nervous because it's it will be my first interview, so it's good to know yours weren't as bad as you thought they were. I'm hoping i'll feel the same after mine!
Where else have you applied to?
Thanks
Glad that it helps a little. I was very nervous going into my first interview too but luckily it was very informal and they really put me at ease. Under those circumstances it is amazing how much you can recollect and how much you can talk about, you'll surprise yourself, especially if you've been preparing well. They kept telling me that I'd said enough!
I've also applied to Royal Holloway, Greenwich (have had those two interviews already), London Southbank, Brighton and Sussex.
I am really hoping to get offers from Brighton and Sussex as I'd really like to move down there - am living in London at the moment but with a young child I'd love to get out of the city and bring him up somewhere by the sea with fresh air :o)
Best of luck for next Tuesday.
Forgot to say - thanks North East Girl.
Hi NorthEast Girl,
Many thanks for your good luck :) It's greatly appreciated.
A
Ah thanks, really appreciate your help and advice
Best of luck to you too, and i hope you get into either Sussex or Brighton. so you can be near the sea !
Hi Anks.Suffolk
Sorry to hear that you don't feel that confident after the interview at Brighton. I think it is sometimes very difficult to tell and hope that you get positive news; I had an interview that I felt went dreadfully last week and got an offer so was very surprised! I think sometimes we can be too hard on ourselves; I know I can!
I found the interview itself went ok, yes there were a lot of questions but I think I am lucky; having been to other interviews prior to Tuesday's helped enormously. You are right in that they didn't ask directly about experience although I rambled on about it somewhat when answering the first question.
The people who interviewed me were ok, better than the people last week, (who were incredibly stony faced and who I found rather offputting, did nothing to put me at ease!) although one of them asked me a couple of questions after I had answered fully that I felt were asked to "test" me a little and were not necessary.
The other thing I found didn't work so well is that we had to hang around until everyone had their interviews, then had the written test. As I was interviewed last I went straight into the written test; I found this a little tricky as my mind was still whirling from the interview. There was quite a lot to get through in 30 minutes and I was nowhere near finished at the end.
I think it would have made sense to have the written test first, followed by the interviews. That way once you have been interviewed you can go; this is the way it has been at all the other unis I have been to.
In general I found the place and the people more laid back than others I have been to; I also felt that the talk re the course at the beginning was the most comprehensive so far.
Hope they let us know soon! Really hope you get good news. When are your next interviews and where else have you applied? I have my last next week at Sussex, looking forward to it all be over, they have been going on for 5 weeks!
Hello,
Congratulations on being offered a place, that's great news.
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I think I am being a bit hard on myself. It just took me surprise that they weren't that encouraging, and I got a bit put off with the lack of expression on their faces. I really did learn from it though! Also I found the silences between questions made me even more nervous and anxious as the interview continued. I guess I thought they would have made the environment feel less formal.
They also kept saying, " the next question touches on what you've just said so can you say something else" so I obviously rambled too lol.
It seems like we had a similar experience with the whole process in general though, as I found that it would have been more appropriate to have the test first too. I didn't even get the chance to read back what I'd wrote. I found the test hard but purely that was because the room was full of people writing lots, at a very fast pace. I then found it very hard to concentrate.
My next interview is Wednesday, 15 Feb and it's at Anglia Ruskin. I'm also hoping to get an interview for UEA. I am feeling negative about Brighton but It has made me feel more prepared for Anglia Ruskin because I feel like I've taken lots away from the experience.
Yes, hope we know either way soon.
Did they get you any indication of when we would hear the outcome?
Hi
Thanks - it is a relief to have got offers and did really help my confidence.
It's great that you have learnt from this experience and good that you have another couple of weeks before your next interview. After my last interview that I thought went badly I wrote everything down that I felt I had missed out or thought I had explained in a poor way. It really helped me in preparing for Brighton and re-focussing.
I have found that I have rambled so much in these interviews! So hard not to when you are nervous. I think the people looked rather bemused during the interview at Brighton!
I did ask re how long it would be before we found out and I think it they said about 2 weeks - this is the longest I have had to wait - everyone else has let me know within a week and RHUL let me know the next day!
Becky said that Jem normally gets in touch with people to ask for further information before making an offer - pretty sure that is what she said. So if we hear from him I guess it is good news. That's another slightly strange thing about Brighton - others have made conditional offers dependent on receiving extra documents/references but it appears that Brighton only make an offer when they have received everything, including a second reference. This is weird and I will check it out but sure that is what it says on all the info that was sent out. Sounds topsy turvy to me!
Have a fab weekend.
Have you heard anything from Brighton yet? The suspense is not good! I haven't heard anything yet but may contact them and find out if they can give me an idea re how long it's going to be.
Hey,
I was thinking the same thing, so i emailed Becky F about a week ago and was told that the outcome would appear on Ucas track. She said the forms were still with the admissions tutor and that hopefully he would process these by the end of (what is now last week), beginning of this week.
So i automatically assumed i hadn't made it to the second reference stage, and emailed back saying that, and thanking her for the quick response. She then came back to me saying that she didn't think a decision had been made yet, that she didn't know herself, and not to assume anything. She then followed up with saying Jem would be in touch directly to request further information, and that the decision will show up on Ucas track whether it's an offer or a rejection.
So basically i have no idea! I thought we would have heard either way by now.
Maybe email too and see what they say? If you email let me know if you get a similar response.
All the waiting is crazy. I'm still waiting to hear from UEA. Really hoping to get an interview there.
Hey Guys.
I am in the same situation with Brighton Uni, I contacted Becky too and got told pretty much the same thing, so I guess it's a waiting game. I am going crazy checking my emails and UCAS every 5 minutes!
Has anyone applied to Sussex aswell?
Good Luck...
Hi Guys,
Has anyone heard from Brighton Uni yet? The anticipation is killing me!
Can't believe we still haven't heard! We were told 2 weeks weren't we? Seems strange that some unis can let you know straight away and others keep you waiting!
Have emailed Beck today so will let you know what she says.
Hope you hear from UEA re an interview soon.
Hi Brighty_85
When was your interview? Waiting is driving me mad too!
Yes I applied to Sussex too and had the interview last Weds 8th Feb. Have been told that it will be 3-4 weeks so not expecting to hear from them in a while.
Have you had an interview there too? I am going to find it hard to decide if I am lucky enough to get offers from both as they are so different and I got such contrasting vibes from them both. Not sure which I prefer at the moment - think they both have good points and negative ones too. Found the group of people very different at both interviews - think it said a lot about the universities. Do you have a preference?
Hi guys,
I've heard from Brighton! It seems our emailing has done the job!
I had an email from Jem this morning asking for my references! I think this is a good sign, as it means i've made it to the next stage.
I can't quite believe it as I thought i did terrible. Obviously i didn't. I'm so pleased!
I'm also waiting to hear from Sussex.
Good luck to you both!
Me too! Email from Jem asking for references etc. I was very close to sending another email! I think its definitely a good sign requesting more info. Good stuff.
I recieved a letter from Sussex this morning asking me to complete an extended personal statement, if sucessful with this, then onto the next stage. I am pretty nervous of the group interview at Sussex.
Good Luck Guys, keep us updated, like to hear how everyone is getting on =)
Ah good luck Gemini75, how was the Sussex interview? I'm pretty nervous about the group element, was it ok?
I actually studied my original degree at Sussex, but really liked the vibe at Brighton Uni and like you, if I am lucky enough to get both offers (which is a long way off!) then will be completely torn.
I met a student social worker doing her 2nd year BA in SW on a training session I was in last week and she said the tutors at Brighton are much better due to a majority of them being practicing SW's, in comparison to Sussex who are much more research focused.
Its really trixy as Sussex are so much higher up in the league table but what I'm reading is that this doesnt really matter as all courses have to meet the GSCC standards...ahhhh!
What are your thoughts? How did you find the people at interview different?
Hope you dont mind all my babbling!
Hey guys - congrats!
Yay! I have received an email from Jem too asking for second reference, woohoo, well done us!! Yes think the badgering may have helped! Think this is definitely positive and unless we are unable to provide a satisfactory second reference I'd be really surprised if we didn't all get offers - good luck to you both too!
Brighty_85 - Babble away! I do lots too!
That's interesting that you did your first degree at Sussex - how did you find it? It seemed very academic and formal to me. The group of interviewees were all very bright, young and middle class and it was a much more varied group at Brighton. I am not saying that this is a bad thing it is just that I think I would prefer to be with a more mixed group of people. Having said that I don't know if the group I was in for interview is representative of everyone on the master's course at Sussex.
The admissions guy at Sussex was so different too. Fairly stern and not as engaging. All the panel were wearing ties, the talk at the beginning lacked interest and inspiration and everyone was very cold during the interview process.
Having said that the group exercise is really straight forward. I think I have had 3 in all my interviews and Sussex was definitely the easiest by far, although it does drag on (think we had 45 minutes). I won't say exactly what we had to discuss but it was not anything topical. I am sure you will find it relatively easy - just make sure you have done some background reading on things like social work skills and values. The one to one interview was very brief and I felt rushed in it to be honest. They only have one panel so the last person had to wait till 3 to be interviewed. Luckily I was first as had requested an early slot as I have a baby who I am feeding so needed to get back for him.
That's good to know what a current student said. It would make lots of sense too having been to both. I am wondering if I may get the chance to visit them both again and meet some more of the teaching staff should I get offers from both. It would seem a shame to turn down an offer from a uni ranked as highly as Sussex but then it is so important to be happy there.
Interesting also that at Brighton you go out on placement within a month whereas at Sussex you are in uni till January. Think I quite like the idea of getting out there fairly quickly! Arggghh it is tricky!
Good luck with your extended personal statement and getting an interview - I heard back from them within a week of sending everything back I think.
Just heard I was unsuccessful at Sussex. Oh well - guess the decision has been taken out of my hands!
Pretty disappointed though and have asked for feedback. Thought I had done well on the day so will be good to hear what let me down.
Fingers crossed for Brighton!!
Sorry to hear you haven't been offered a place at Sussex. I really thought you would. Brighton seems great though. Do you think you will chose it, as i know you've offers at other uni's too.
Like Brighty85 i've also been asked to complete an extended personal statement for Sussex. TBH i'm only doing it as it's more practice for UEA ( if i get an interview there).
I had some more good news after we found out we made it to the next stage with Brighton. I'm been offered an unconditional place at Anglia Ruskin :) so the place is there if i want it, and i don't have to do anything else. I'm so pleased as it's taken the pressure off now!
I think i was just very hard after Brighton, but your advice was great.
Hopfully you'll get feedback from Sussex soon.
Hi Brighty_85,
I've been asked to submit an extended statement too. I got the letter Friday. Did you get yours then? They've also asked for an example of recent written work. Did they ask you this?
Well done on getting through with Brighton! Were you in the Tuesday's interview?
Gemini75 - i forgot to say a big congratulations to you for making it to the reference stage with Brighton! Yay to us :)
Hi Anneka
im guessing I met you at Anglia Ruskins, it's Helen, I went into my interview just before you, I too have been offered a place at Anglia Ruskins!! conditional on getting a 2:2 in my degree which I finish in June ;0)
still no news from UEA though.......
Helen
x
Gosh its quite a ride this whole process hey. Thank you Gemini75 for the advice re Sussex. I'm sorry you didnt get offered, still, Brighton sounds really positive. Are you thinking that is what you will opt for? Or are there other unis you prefer?
Anks.Suffolk, I got the letter Friday too, doesnt seem like alot of time to get everything together that they are requesting! I have been asked to provide some written work also, Ive just chosen an essay I got a decent mark for from my original degree. How about you? Perhaps we'll get an interview on the same day=)
Have a good day ladies.
ps. I was in Wednesdays interview, there was only 3 of us in the afternoon! They said they interviewed about 15 in the morning!
Hi guys
Thanks. Still feeling a bit gutted. Glad I didn't find out yesterday as it was my son's first birthday and it would have put a bit of a dampener on the day. I was lucky enough to get offers from the first three interviews, which were: Royal Holloway, Greenwich and London Southbank so maybe that made me a little complacent. If I get an offer from Brighton I think that is what I will choose as really want to be out of London and very much liked the vibe and the people at the university.
Found this on an old post when searching for information about Brighton on CareSpace:
Hi!I study the BA which is run jointly between Brighton Uni and Sussex Uni (redbrick over the road), and receive 50% of my teaching from Brighton, although the administrative side of the course (inc placements) is organised by Sussex. I can't comment in terms of potential employability afterwards, but can in terms of teaching pros and cons.I think both uni's are great in terms of teaching quality. Sussex lecturers are academics - they have practiced social work of course, but many not for some years. Brighton lecturers feel more like social workers. Many of them are still in practice, or have practiced for a number of years before moving into lecturing. This comes accross in their practical, down to earth teaching, which I feel is more grounded in reality and prepares you for practice. Don't get me wrong, Sussex lecturers are great, but sometimes I feel a disconnect between their teaching and the real picture, which I don't feel at Brighton.They are splitting the course up from next years intake, so will no longer run it jointly. If I were to advise anyone deliberating between Brighton and Sussex I would recommend Brighton. An added bonus is that the campus is small, it is mostly a social sciences campus, so some of the lectures are facilitated by academics from social policy and sociology which adds another interesting dimension, and also the library is devoted to the social sciences, and I feel that the library resources for social work in Brighon far exceed those at Sussex.Brighton also a good location for placement opportunities and career options as is in between three councils, East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton and Hove.
The above is good to know! Think I am trying to make myself feel better about the rejection! Really hope I hear back from Brighton soon. Think my second reference would have been sent this week and Jem advised me it will only take them a couple of days to notify me of their decision once they've received the extra information.
Anks.Suffolk - congratulations on getting an offer from Anglia Ruskin - would you choose there over Brighton? How did it compare?
Good luck with getting interviews at Sussex both of you - I really hope you do. Will be interested to hear how you find Sussex and how you think it compares to Brighton.
Thank you, that's really sweet.
Just so you know Gemini75 I contacted the HR departments at Brighton and Hove council and West Sussex too asking whether they hold Sussex in higher regard than Brighton in terms of hiring nqsw's and was very clearly told that this makes no difference and would be based purely on your performance at interview. I know they probably have to say this but something to bare in mind on the positive side.
I really liked the vibe at Brighton Uni too and surely getting prepared for practice is about just that, rather than academia? It would be difficult to turn down an offer from such a highly ranked uni so it is a quandry,anyways its all a long way off for me!
Let me know how you get on, we may well be classmates soon =)
Hey guys
Hope you had a lovely weekend.
Heard from Jem today that they have made me an unconditional offer so really chuffed and relieved - Brighton and MSc Social Work here I come!! It really couldn't have happened at a better time; my current role is going through restructuring and won't look the same come April, it wasn't for me anymore and I think having my son and being on maternity leave gave me time to reflect on where I wanted to be in terms of my career. Time for a new start, can't wait!
Thanks Brighty_85 for contacting the HR departments and sharing - that is really good to know.
Let me know you get on with the rest of the interviews and applications.
Yay. Me too! Good stuff. I'm really pleased. I got all the bitsies in for Sussex earlier this week but, I am thrilled with the Brighton Offer. Well done us! x
Hi Gemini75, and Brighty_85,
I've just heard from Jem and i've also been made an unconditoinal offer! Wahoo. Really pleased too. Go us!
Really pleased for you Gemini75, it sounds like you've started a new chapter in your life. Congratulations.
Brighty_85, i got my things in too, so we'll see.
Helen - I had my offer letter from Anglia Ruskin a few days ago, and was shocked to learn their tution fees are £6500!! I couldn't believe it. That's £2180 more then Brighton!! That's given me a lot to think about to say the least! I still haven't heard from UEA!! I'm starting to give up on them to be honest!
Also Gemini75 and Brighty-85: regarding to the CRB process. Do you all think we would have to visit Brighton with photographic ID? I'm planning a trip away and trying to factor this in. Or do you think it would be online?
Well done again :)
I'm studying a masters at Leicester (so dunno if this is helpful) but CRB and GSCC registration (though not applicable for you) was not dealt with till induction week. Perhaps because some people may change their mind about the course at the last minute and secondly people don't always bring the right ID/documents that they need. As I said it's not the same institution but the best thing to do would be to ask them.
Congratulations to all on getting a place!