Career events at the DSL - Careers Fair and Insight talks

Alongside one-on-one counselling for Year 10 students provided by the German Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) and a wide variety of workshops on university studies and career paths, we once again hosted our two main events during our Career Orientation Weeks in late February: the Careers Fair and the Insight Talks.

This year, the fair enjoyed particularly high attendance, with a total of 27 universities from the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. Among them were TU Munich, the University of Mannheim, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, King’s College London, Durham University, the University of York, TIO Business School, the Goethe-Institut and the DAAD.

For the first time, the Careers Fair was open not only to DSL students but also to neighbouring English schools, including Kingston Grammar School and The Greycourt School. From Year 9 onwards, students had the opportunity to speak with representatives from various universities about topics such as student life, tuition fees, or career prospects in specific degree programmes. In addition, presentations were held by German universities offering insights into selected fields of study.

Fifteen speakers participated in this year’s Insight Talks event, sharing their expertise with students across a wide range of professions. Among them were also several DSL alumni, whom we were very pleased to welcome back to the school. The event was further supported by parents, who shared valuable insights from their professional careers with DSL students.

After both events, the university and careers guidance team, were delighted to note that the events received particularly positive feedback from both our student body and our staff. A large number of students attended both events and left feeling better informed and with fewer questions about their future.

Here are some of their reactions:

“The Careers Fair was really great this year. I spoke with five different universities from both Germany and England. They answered all my questions about studying medicine, and that allowed me to directly compare the German system with the English one.” – A Year 10 student

“I’m not yet entirely sure what I want to do after my Abitur, so I attended one talk on marketing and another on biology during the Insight Talks. Both were very informative and definitely helped me. We were also able to ask questions at the end, which I found very useful. My next steps are now clearer.” – A Year 11 student

“I just wanted to say another thank you for having us at your Careers Fair yesterday. I was really impressed with the students’ overall behaviour in the talks and their questions, so please do pass this on. King’s was definitely one of the busiest stands. We look forward to working with you again soon. Thank you for all your work organising the event.” – Yangheyi, Schools and Colleges Liaison Team - King’s College London