Case Study
W. 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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