Case Study
Imogen Page Jarrett – Case Study, Beijing China 2014-2015
My name is Imogen Page-Jarrett and I have just finished my year abroad in Beijing, China. The past year would have not been quite the same incredible experience without the assistance of the John Speak Trust, and I would first and foremost like to thank them for their consistent help and support. My home university,…
Read MoreGraham Moulson – Case Study 1963 to 1964
At age 72, looking back and having studied several foreign languages I have learned that language learning is similar to a jigsaw puzzle; learning one foreign language certainly helps when learning another. “Once you start dreaming in a foreign language it means you must have learnt it”. I was fortunate to have an Italian Professor…
Read MoreOliver de Planta – Case Study, Germany 2014 – 2015
During my studies at Sheffield Hallam University I undertook a year abroad in Germany from June 2014 to March 2015. I began my year abroad in Munich, Bavaria working for Robert Bosch GmbH then for the second half I moved to Berlin to work at Siemens AG. The scholarship from the John Speak Trust afforded…
Read MoreGeoffrey Padgett – Case Study, France 1953
In 1953 at age 22, I was fortunate to receive a Scholarship from the John Speak Trust to assist with my French studies. The Scholarship provided a small amount of funding towards my travel, lodgings and food during six months abroad. I received a mere £30 per month. I worked in the wool trade (salary…
Read MoreAnthony Kassapian – Case Study,
The year was 1960, I was nineteen years old, working in the wool trade for the family business, Kassapians (Combers) Limited. I applied for a John Speak Trust Scholarship to finance a six month study/voluntary working trip to France to improve my French and broaden my horizons. Unfortunately I had experienced a rocky start on…
Read MoreEmily Martin – Case Study: China 2014 – 2015
I’ve just finished my third year of studying Chinese at Cambridge University, spending my year abroad studying at Peking University in Beijing, China. I was lucky enough to have a fairly relaxed schedule at Peking University, so I was able to do a variety of internships and volunteering during the year, from marketing internships and…
Read MoreNadia – Case Study – Beijing, China 2014-15
In August 2014 I set off for Beijing for my year abroad at Peking University to continue with my language studies. I’d spent a month in Beijing the summer before and loved it, so I went back with very high expectations of what my year abroad was going to be like. Somehow, my experiences in…
Read MoreAmy Clark – Case Study France and Spain 2014-2015
I can´t quite believe that my 18 months abroad are coming to an end, it only seems like 2 minutes since I was boarding the plane to Alicante in January 2014 to begin my Erasmus study period! I feel that my time abroad, in France and Spain has been the most beneficial part of my…
Read MoreAlexander Arch – Case Study, Paris, France 2014 – 2015
I am a student of French, Spanish qnd international business at Sheffiled Hallam University. I have spent my year abroad in Noisy-le-Grand, just outside of Paris. Whilst in France, I worked for a holiday comparison website which allowed me to develop my French and Spanish skills in a professional environment. The placement also helped me…
Read MorePhoebe Ellis – Case Study: Jena in Germany, March – May 2015
In March 2015 I travelled to Jena, a small city in the former Eastern part of Germany in order to study business and German at the local university. I am currently a 2nd year student at Sheffield Hallam and initially I chose to take part in a study abroad period in order to enhance my…
Read MoreBenjamin Elliott – Case Study, France (Sept 2013-July 2014)
This year has been……………………………………….intense, but rewarding! My course – Fashion Design – has been great. There has been so much to learn, so normally I would wake up around 7am and go to sleep anytime between 12am and 2am, including the weekends, but in a way its great because you get the chance to go…
Read MoreMichelle Dalgety – Case Study, Bilbao, northern Spain (1986)
The year was 1986; I was 21 years old and had just finished a Business Studies Course at Bradford College. I had taken a linguistics option with advanced French and beginners Spanish so when I learned about the John Speak Language Scholarships I was eager to go to Spain to bring both languages to a…
Read MoreDerek Peters – Case Study, Ascq, near Lille in France (1949)
Opening a recent news bulletin from the Leeds Chamber of Commerce, a reference to the John Speak Trust immediately caught my eye. I grew up knowing about the scholarships because my Dad was a fortunate recipient 65 years ago and the photographs and his tales about time spent in Northern France were a magical part…
Read MoreW. Brian Moeller – Case Study, Belgium & Germany (1963 & 1965)
At age 21 I travelled by train to Belgium to begin a six month John Speak Language Trust Scholarship. I studied French, stayed with a local family and worked for no pay whilst studying. In return for submitting a report each month (written in French) to the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, I received the princely…
Read MoreFrank Clayton – Case Study, 1949 (Tarn, France)
“Thanks to the language skills I gained following my scholarship and my time in France, I was involved in the export trade for many years throughout my career”. At my school it had been compulsory for ‘A stream’ students to study French and Latin. Ideally, I would have preferred to study French and German but…
Read MoreDerek Platts – Case Study, Brussels (1954)
“It was wonderful to see that the Trust is still going and providing the same opportunities to young people after all this time. May it long continue to do so”, Derek Platts. Sixty years ago in 1954, I was 23, had recently completed my national Service in the RAF and was working in my first…
Read MoreJosie Holley – Case Study, Geneva (Nov 2013 – May 2014)
My advice to anybody considering a bursary to travel abroad would be to grab the opportunity while you can! After having finished my degree in French and Spanish with Interpreting at the University of Sheffield, I knew where I wanted my career to go. Since the age of 16 I have wanted to be a…
Read MoreA final report to say “Muchas gracias y hasta luego” – by Hannah Phillips
My John Speak scholarship took me the capital of Spain, Madrid, to support me as I took part in a year’s internship within the Spanish multinational company NH Hotels. After previously studying in the North of Spain for 5 months, my year working as a trainee Buyer within the International Purchasing Department of NH was…
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