Title of job: Communications and External Relations Director

Languages studied for A level: French and German

Languages studied at university: German

University: Exeter

Best thing about the course: Meeting people

Where did you spend your year out? St Peter Ording, Germany

Do you think that the fact that you studied languages helped you to obtain this post?
Only incidentally, Studying languages helped my general communications skills - you get to understand people as well as the language itself.

Could you tell us more about the nature of the job outlining main tasks and responsibilities?
I work for the Information Commissioner’s Office – we are a government body which oversees the Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act. My role is to protect the reputation of the ICO and to raise awareness of information rights and obligations. I manage a department which handles, among other things, media relations, market research, publications, website, internal communications, exhibitions, stakeholder relations and advertising.

Do you use your languages frequently? If so, in which situations?
I only use it infrequently, and usually incidentally (it’s handy to read the publications produced by my European counterparts, for example). Recently we generated international new coverage for a conference we held on data protection – it was great to be able to read the articles in the European press.

What other jobs have you done since leaving university?
I’ve always worked in communications roles – I started out working in advertising, then local government public information and then in the media. I cut my management teeth in private sector blue-chip companies, doing public relations and customer communications roles, and then moved into communications management in the public sector.

What is the best thing about learning another language in your opinion? Seeing things from another perspective.

What would you say to those who are reluctant to carry on with their languages?
Keep going – it opens up a whole new world.