Birkbeck, University of London, enables working Londoners to boost their careers by studying for a degree in the evenings, while freeing up their days to work and get ahead professionally

other passionate and c o mmit t e d students. Government loans are available to eligible students to cover the cost of tuition fees.

Tutors at Birkbeck are world-leading experts in their fields and have many connections and wide-ranging experience beyond the university, meaning that courses reflect the latest developments in the field.

Students benefit from guest speakers from the business, legal, political and media worlds, who show how the theory studied in class relates to reallife situations.

Hyde continues: “I would come to lectures from an incredibly stressful day in the newsroom thinking ‘I don’t know if I have any headspace left for this’, but it was an honour and privilege to be in class and listen to the tutors’ wonderful approaches to history.”

Birkbeck law degree graduate Chris Parker, who played Spencer Moon in EastEnders from 2002 to 2005, is another student who used evening study to open up new career options.

He was apprehensive about returning to education as he had left school aged 15. However, Parker says: “I wanted to open up the opportunities available to me in broadcasting. I wanted to gain new skills that would allow me to diversify into working within different areas of the media industry. It was just meant to be — I love law and now feel that I have found my calling.”

The diverse backgrounds of students at Birkbeck and the fact that many are already working during the daytime provides an excellent opportunity to establish strong professional networks with fellow students.

A mentoring programme offers students the chance to connec t with former students who are successful in their sectors. The college’s Careers and Employability team offer students a wide-range of support, both online and face to face, to help them develop the skills and tools that will complement their academic knowledge and prepare them for professional success. Birk- beck’s central London campus, in Bloomsbury, provides easy access to the libraries in London, including the Bri t i sh Librar y and Senate House Library, which can be accessed by the college’s students, in addition to the five-floor state-of-the art library housed within Birkbeck’s main building.

Parker concludes: “People can now have two or three careers during their lives, and Birkbeck has helped me build my second career. If you are thinking about studying at Birkbeck go for it — you will not regret it.”