“The decisions you make at University are often life-shaping. They set the tone for your future and compound over decades”
Adam Chambers is a Bristol History (BA) alum, and President of Nurse Recruitment Experts. In his third year at the University of Bristol he participated in our SME Internship Scheme.
Here are his thoughts on how this has shaped his career:
“Why am I writing to encourage you to apply for an SME Internship?
I started Nurse Recruitment Experts (NRX) in 2019, nine months after graduating from studying History at Bristol.
Since then, we’ve sourced and hired 10,000 plus Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Certified Nursing Assistants for health systems across the US and Canada.
Our clientele of over 100 healthcare providers spans 37 U.S. states and Canadian provinces. We’ve collectively saved them over $80 million in temporary staffing fees.
I trace the roots of this business and career back to my SME Internship.
In 2017 I worked for 7 weeks with the Equine Business Association (EBA), a locally-run membership body for business owners in the world of horses. This experience inspired me to become an entrepreneur for a few reasons:
- Mentorship; Internships in small companies are great opportunities to follow and get inspired by the business’ senior leader(s). I worked 1-to-1 with the EBA’s founder, Christina Jones. It was incredible to observe and interact with the mindset and actions of an entrepreneur like Christina. I would not have been as close to the founder in a larger business.
- Freedom; Christina gave me a couple of projects that I could shape using my own ideas. I was grateful to have found an outlet to be innovative and express my own creativity. I hadn’t experienced this in previous positions, where I was typically told what to do. This freedom to innovate can be a game-changer, as it allows you to explore your entrepreneurial spirit, test your ideas, and build a sense of ownership over your work.
- Networking; I was fortunate to work with the EBA from a coworking space run by Natwest’s business accelerator. Here I met many entrepreneurs, with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Networking opportunities like these can open doors, provide support, and even lead to collaborative ventures down the line. I even worked with Christina on one of my own client’s projects. To close the circle, in 2020 NRX hired our first intern from Bristol!
So, if you’re considering your options for internships, don’t underestimate the potential of Bristol’s SME partners. They can offer you a transformative experience that sets you on the path to a successful entrepreneurial career. Embrace the opportunity to learn, innovate, and network within the dynamic world of SMEs, and you may just find yourself on the road to entrepreneurial success.
Adam.”
The SME Internship Scheme
The scheme is open and we are currently advertising internships that you can apply for, or you can arrange your own internship, find out more here.
Check out our “My SME Internship” blog series to read student stories about the scheme.
Making a successful application
Here are some resources to support your application:
If you have any questions about the scheme, writing your application, or anything else relating to careers you can speak to us on Live Chat, or pop into 5 Tyndall Avenue from Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4.30 pm during term time.