Held every two years, a whopping fifty one companies travelled from all over the country to arrive at Newstead Wood School in Orpington to begin the Careers Far at 6:30 with a bang.

Wave after wave of parents, students, siblings and strangers rolled in, helping themselves to refreshments and figuring out which rooms held which talks. With room runners, meet and greeters, technicians and programme people, help was found easily and within seconds. Arrows showed the way, stalls were numbered and organisation was on point. Talks on everything from neuroscience to law were hosted and the opening statement in the Fred Packer Hall was by the Deputy Mayor herself!

There was a massive variety of stalls with the likes of accounting, apprenticeships, occupational therapy and forty eight more! The University of Creative Arts showed up, giving away pens that could write on paper and swipe on tablets. The Welcome Trust gave anyone passing by a bright yellow bag where their name could surely not be forgotten. The University of Greenwich, Baker Tilly, RGS, Quest Professional, BAE Systems and dental stalls were among those throwing freebies at every visitor that walked through the door.

Many companies, although stuck in the rain and the dark and the slow moving traffic, still made it to our local selective secondary school for girls, even if they were late and drenched and quite unhappy. Fortunately, Newstead had organised stall members to have their own buffet, catered by Independent Catering with delicious quiches and snacks and finger foods. Some companies had decorated their stalls with the ultimate welcoming; banners, posters, leaflets and mini billboards while others, unfortunately, made minimal effort and, as the event drew to a close, it was clear these were the stalls least visited. The Fair was well advertised, also, with a large sum of the incoming arrivals from other schools.

In conclusion, we can see why Newstead only manages to pull off such a hectic night every two years because just talking about the event can make you physically and mentally exhausted. When interviewing several Newstead students they spoke of ‘finding new options’ and being ‘inspired’ more than anything else. So it seems that the effort was worth it; the event was a roaring success.

Emily Hiller
Newstead Wood School