We recently caught up with Tegan Duffy from Essex, one of our 2015 alumni, now working at Linklaters, to find out more about her career and her ‘Rising Star’ award from ‘We Are The City’.
From intern to apprentice
I joined Career Ready back in 2015 when I was studying for my A-levels at The King Edmund School and working part-time at my local hairdressers. I was starting to give serious thought about my future and I knew that the programme would give me opportunities to explore different career choices.
As part of the programme, I was able to get a six-week internship at Baker McKenzie in the summer of 2015. This has the single biggest influence on my career. It showed me what the world of work was like in London and I made lots of great connections. I was also able to learn the importance of being organised in the workplace and it helped me grow as a person.
I loved my time at Baker McKenzie so I was delighted when they offered me a Legal Administrator Apprenticeship.
Rising Star
During my apprenticeship I completed a Level 2 CILEx which fully qualified me as a Legal Administrator. I knew I wanted to stay at Baker McKenzie so in 2018 I accepted the full-time position of Legal Administrator. A year after that, I was promoted to Legal Personal Assistant, where I supported a range of senior colleague.
I was enormously proud to have been awarded the ‘WATC Rising Star 2021 EA/PA Award’, something that’s even more meaningful because I was nominated by the Partners at Baker McKenzie. The selection process was rigorous – I had to complete a ‘self-assessment’ about my career journey so far, be evaluated by a panel and voted for in a poll.
It felt an amazing achievement to be 23, been promoted 3 times and just won an award – all within 5 years of being on the Career Ready programme!
Becoming Career Ready
I could not be more grateful for my Career Ready experience. Not only did it help me find the right career path, but the skills I gained on the programme are still helping me now. After over six years at Baker McKenzie, I’m now delighted to be working at Linklaters as a Legal Secretary. This is such a fantastic opportunity for me to take the next step in my career and build on everything I’ve achieved already.
Read more stories from across our network:
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