Students' Swiss Route To Success
19 July 2011
Left to right: One of the MIG Bank's new placement students from the University of Derby, Hassan Ghoncheh, and his predecessor in the student placement, Robert Davies
We're delighted that MIG Bank decided to come to Derby to recruit our students
”Libby Beck - Placement Officer for the University's Faculty of Business, Computing and Law
A Swiss bank is coming exclusively to the University of Derby to offer students well-paid, one year work placements abroad.
Derby graduate Paul Foley, IT Program Manager at the MIG (Mansour Investment Group) Bank, based in Neuchatel, Switzerland, returned to the University this summer to recruit two Computing students for work placements at the bank and brokerage company. It followed a Derby student's highly successful 12 month placement there, last year.
MIG Bank currently only offers placements to students from the University of Derby. They spend a year in Switzerland learning new skills, and receive free accommodation and graduate entry level pay (of around £25,000).
Paul, 39, graduated from the University of Derby with a BSC (Hons) Information Systems degree in 1997. He has worked for a number of financial institutions and the United Nations, and has lived in Switzerland for 11 years.
He said: "One of the challenges you face as a smaller bank is attracting the kind of people you want. I already knew the quality of students at Derby, so I suggested to my directors that we actively recruit people for placement from the University.
"Our first year placement set the bar very high. I returned to recruit a further two Computing students and to make preliminary enquiries about taking on a Derby Business Studies graduate for a full-time position."
MIG's first placement student Robert Davies will return to Derby for the final year of his BSc (Hons) Games Programming degree course in September.
Robert, 21, originally of Betws-Y-Coed, Wales, said: "I enjoyed my time at MIG, learning about the business and extending my programming knowledge.
"What I enjoyed most was working with some fantastic people and learning about a different culture, and being able to walk to work with a view of the lake with the Swiss Alps in the background."
The bank's two new placement students, who will be in Switzerland for 12 months until next summer, 2012, are also from the University's Games Programming course. They are Hassan Ghoncheh, 28, originally of Bewdley, in Worcestershire, and Luc Shelton, 20, of Cheddington, near Luton.
Luc added: "During my time in Switzerland I hope to be able to gain professional experience from working within a team of like-minded developers.
"Having been a successful candidate of the interview process, I couldn't be more excited to be spending my year abroad whilst being exposed to a new culture and style of living."
Mahir Raoof, 22, of Wednesbury, near Walsall - who completed his BA (Hons) Business Studies degree course at Derby this summer (2011) - was also interviewed for and got a full time position as a Client Register Associate with MIG Bank.
Libby Beck - Placement Officer for the University's Faculty of Business, Computing and Law - said: "We're delighted that MIG Bank decided to come to Derby to recruit our students.
"These placements are an excellent opportunity. As well as having the experience of working abroad for a respected bank, students receive free accommodation and are paid an annual salary of £25,000 at a time when the average UK student placement pays around £14,000."
For further information please contact Press and PR Officer Sean Kirby on 01332 591891 or 07876 476103, or email s.kirby@derby.ac.uk
