House of Fraser

Advantages: Beautiful city, great people, brilliant experience
Disadvantages: Rains a lot, academic experience can be difficult

...and 5 assignments due in a 5 day period in one case. Accomodation Varies from: The Townhouses which were excellent, but split into blocks of 4 and so less sociable to the excellent McTaggart-Cowan hall, which had good rooms, was very sociable, though not as well equipped as the townhouses (try sharing your kitchen with 16 people) to the less than excellent Shell house, which was very small and crowded and widely regarded as the worst accomodation. Location The city of Vancouver is as picturesque as you could possibly want. Snowy mountains surrounding the beautiful Fraser River delta. Modern city buildings downtown contrast with the natural forest of Stanley Park. You can be on the ski slopes at 12 and on the beaches at 1, though given the times of year associated with these activities, you may not want to. There are nasty parts... Read review

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Advantages: safe career, good prospects, job satisfaction
Disadvantages: frustration, you can see the worse of people

...I've worked in Social Housing for over a decade at several large and small organisations I have found it satisfying in some respects, and hugely frustrating on others. I have worked as a permanent member of staff and as an agency temp, all over london . What is Social Housing?. It's basically any housing that is managed either by a local authority or a housing association,or housing co-op. What sort of jobs are there? Housing Management. This is the coal face of social housing, they manage the tenancies. The role will differ in different organisations. A housing officer, or tenancy management officer , or estate manager, is the first point of call for a social housing tenant. They will sort out complaints about cleaning of common parts, gardening of communal gardens, delays in repairs, queries about transfers, they might... Read review

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Advantages: Career Devlopment, Networking, Good range of courses
Disadvantages: Do you really need a qualification to get into Housing

...Certificate of Professional Studies in Housing Postgraduate Diploma in Housing I completed the above courses as a part time (day release) postgraduate student at the University of Central England over the period 1999-2002. Like many of the students on the course, my fees were paid by my employer as part of my career development as a Housing Officer. I started off with the 1 year Certificate programme, which is open to those who have a first degree (in any subject, to my knowledge) or alternatively, relevant practical experience (usually 5-7 years in a housing or closely related field). The Certificate course is based on 4 modules: Housing Management, Housing Development, Housing Finance and Government and Policy, and assessment is by both written and verbal assignments. Studying part time, I had to attend the University for one... Read review

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