For the full piece, see the paper edition

Entrepreneur: Jacob

After a two-year stint teaching at a certain Berkshire boarding school I got onto a Masters course in Chinese at The Other Place, but instead elected to come to China to start an educational consultancy business in Wuhan: a massive city slap-bang in the middle of the Middle Kingdom with almost no distinguishing features (apart from dreadful air pollution). Apparently Wuhan had the fastest-growing GDP in the world last year; this manifests itself in the form of lots of cranes, dust and atrociously driven Maseratis. I like it though – my best friend is called ‘Bacon’ and breakfast costs 30p."

 

Work Abroad:Martha

Through a bizarre twist of fate, I find myself working for a minor oligarch in Moldova. Originally, I went out as an English tutor for his children and now also work for his business. On my first day, I was picked up from the tarmac by his Russian-speaking body-guard and then had the most Maria Von-Trapp experience of my life when I arrived in a huge marble atrium to greet his family. I genuinely feel blessed to be here. Moldova is a fascinating country, full of stern-faced ex-Soviets with warm and open hearts, a vibrant mix of Russian and Romanian dialects and spontaneity that you don't find in England.

 

Finance: Marc 

Post-Cambridge, I interned at an investment bank in New York before realizing I quite fancied a life outside of work and thus M&A wasn’t for me. I took a year out to travel around South America before landing a job at a consultancy which is far more my sort of thing. My top tip would be to take time for yourself before rushing into a career if Cambridge finals have burnt you out – it will pay off in the long-run!

 

Hard Labour: Zygmunt 

Through a complex series of events, I was offered a job installing AV equipment on a superyacht in a Dutch shipyard. So I’ve been in Holland, working 60 hours a week alongside German carpenters, Italian marble layers, and some American douchebags who have something to do with doors. They say an English degree makes you pretty flexible, but I would add that an English degree and a working knowledge of powertools will really take you places.

Journalism: Rebecca

Since graduating I have been writing freelance journalism and making music, as well as the online magazine for young academic writers, The Inkling. The Inkling was born as a product of deeply missing the ongoing dialogue and debate that becomes so much a part of everyday life at Cambridge. I had so many smart, funny writer-friends that were struggling to find reasons to write, or places to get published, that I just thought fuck it, we’ll just do it ourselves. I bought a domain name, and have since really just been capitalizing on the brains around me—we’re still reeling from the reaction, which has been incredible, in such a short space of time.

http://theinklingmag.com

 

Advertising: Olly 

I work in advertising. I’m also writing a screenplay and filming two short films. One of the hard things about going to ‘work’ is that you have hardly any time and when you get home you’re super tired. It is exciting though. For the first couple of weeks we had team drinks, and I wasn’t quite near enough to my boss to ‘clink’ glasses. I thought: I need to be assertive & leaned right over the table, smashing his glass. It was too much.

 

Travelling: Beth 

Since September, I have been travelling solo. The only meaning I can really give for what is essentially an extended holiday is that I am trying to widen my culinary horizons! Highlights include a month in the South of France on a cooking course, eating fried silkworms in S.E Asia, and Guinea pigs in Ecuador (yum!). Also just celebrated Carnaval in Latin America – as some of the only tourists, we were under siege from water and spray foam in all directions.

Teaching: Gemma 

I’m an English teacher on the Teach First graduate programme. My days consist of trying desperately hard to convince pupils that Animal Farm isn’t just a story about animals – "But Miss, pigs don’t actually talk" – and trying to work out where I left all my year 9 books because OFSTED "might be coming." 9 times of 10 it’s great but the kids are a little fruity. I was told I was a "fucking joke" in my first week because I asked a boy to stop eating his baguette in my lesson. Charming.