Careers Fair
Friday 24 October 2008, 11am – 6pm
University of Edinburgh
CAREERS FAIR
for Students of Arabic/Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies
Message from the Director of CASAW, Dr Elisabeth Kendall
Welcome to the CASAW Careers Fair website. The Centre is the result of a new government initiative to nurture postgraduate expertise on the Arab World, firmly anchored in a mastery of the Arabic language. A collaboration between the Universities of Edinburgh, Durham and Manchester, CASAW will provide a vital flow of expertise into an area that the government has identified as of great strategic importance for both the public and private sectors. As a national academic organization, the Centre is committed to creating opportunities for specialist Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic students from all over the United Kingdom. The CASAW Careers’ Fair is the next in long line of exciting initiatives for the Centre. Through a series of talks, question and answer sessions and networking opportunities, the CASAW Careers’ Fair will be a unique opportunity for employers and students alike. This page contains all the information you need to get to the Careers Fair, and will be updated regularly with important information and a list of confirmed attendees. Meanwhile, we can promise you an exciting line up of speakers. This is no ordinary careers fair: this is an opportunity to meet, face to face, the people who can get you started on a fascinating career path. I look forward to welcoming you to Edinburgh on Friday 24th October.
Introduction CASAW is planning a nationwide Careers Fair for Arabists, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies students to be held at the University of Edinburgh on Friday 24 October 11am-6pm. The Careers Fair will cover major public and private sectors: banking, consultancy, oil/gas, government, charities, media, law, public relations and retail. All graduate students and final year undergraduates in relevant fields are welcome to come, and there is no charge for attending. The Careers Fair will gather a critical mass of students with a Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies focus, and Arabic language training, in one place for the first time. The Fair will be an ideal opportunity to meet and network with other Middle Eastern studies students from around the UK: it’s a national event! On the evening of Friday 24th October there will be a drinks reception to which all participants are warmly invited. We will provide light snacks, and there will be a pay-bar. There will also be an invitation-only dinner open to speakers and CASAW funded students: details of this will be sent out individually. Edinburgh is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and we have planned the fair on a Friday so that you can enjoy Edinburgh over the weekend if you wish. Famous for the summer ‘fringe’ festival, the magnificent castle, incredible shopping and the glorious Pentland hills, Edinburgh is the second biggest tourist destination in the UK, after London.
Confirmed Attendees
McKinsey and Company
McKinsey began serving clients in the Middle East in the mid-90s. In late ‘99, they opened their Dubai office to serve clients across the GCC region (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE). More recently they have opened locations in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. As one of the fastest growing McKinsey offices - from 5 consultants in ‘99 they now have over 130 consultants. What is more, at any given time, they have upwards of 100 consultants from other offices working on engagements in the Middle East. They work closely with senior client executives and McKinsey colleagues in one of the most entrepreneurial environments helping develop sector-shaping and nation-transforming programmes.
MoD
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. The largest landowner in the UK, the MoD continues to play a pivotal role in Britains domestic and international affairs.
GCHQ
The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is a British intelligence agency responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance to the UK government and armed forces as required, under the guidance of the Joint Intelligence Committee. GCHQ is the responsibility of the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, but it is not a part of the Foreign Office.
Trowers and Hamlins
As well as being ‘Lawyer’ Magazine’s 2007 Law firm of the year, and being in the ‘Sunday Times’ Top 100 companies to work for, 2008, they have offices in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Cairo, Dubai, Oman, London, Manchester and Exeter.
Saqi Books
With a Middle Eastern focus, Saqi publishes a wide range of titles including books on history, politics, art, architecture, gender issues, women’s studies and cuisine.
Rare Recruitment
Rare Recruitment connects exceptional people from diverse backgrounds with great jobs in top organisations.
Bain Dubai
Bain & Company is a management consulting firm headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It has been named by Consulting Magazine as the “Best Firm to Work For” every year from 2003 - 2008.
MI6
As Britain’s secret service, SIS (aka MI6) provides the British Government with a global covert capability to promote and defend the national security and economic well-being of the United Kingdom.
PWC
Pricewaterhouse Coopers is the world’s largest professional services firm. Employing over 150 000 people worldwide, PWC is one of the global ‘big four’ auditors.
Muslim Aid
This UK-based international relief and development agency has been working for over two decades to help save and improve the lives of millions in over 70 of the world’s poorest countries. http://www.muslimaid.org
Bell Pottinger
Bell Pottinger Middle East is the leading strategic communications consultancy in the Middle East. http://www.bell-pottinger.co.uk/
The Sunday Herald
The Herald is one of the oldest English language daily newspapers in the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the fair? Friday 24th October 2008 from 11am to 6pm. This will be followed by a reception in the evening at the Terrace Bar, Teviot Row House.
Where is it being held? The Careers’ fair is being held at Edinburgh University, in Teviot Row House, Bristo Square. A map can be found here: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bristo+Square,+Edinburgh,+EH8+9AL&sll=53.800651,-064941&sspn=18.61907,26.499023&ie=UTF8&ll=55.948803,-3.186378&spn=0.008254,0.021865&z=16
Who can attend? Any graduate student, and any final year undergraduate student with an academic interest in the Middle East, or the languages of the region: particularly Arabic. How do I register You can register by emailing and asking for a registration form.
What is the Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World? The Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW) is a new government sponsored teaching and research initiative, funded by the UK’s joint research councils. The Centre is designed to nurture postgraduate expertise on the Arab World, coupled with a mastery of the Arabic language. It is run out of the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with the Universities of Durham and Manchester.
Where to Stay Edinburgh has a variety of reasonably-priced bed and breakfasts. Here is a list of a few that CASAW would recommend:
- Edinburgh Central Youth Hostel is Edinburgh’s only 5 star youth hostel; http://www.syha.org.uk/SYHA/Web/Site/Hostels/EdinburghCentral.asp
- The Townhouse – 65 Gilmore Place, Edinburgh EH3 9NU: 0131 229 1985; http://www.thetownhouse.com
- The Alexander Guest House – 35 Mayfield Gardens, Edinburgh EH9 9BX: 0131 258 4028 ;www.thealexanderguesthouse.co.uk
- Castle Park Guest House – 75 Gilmore Place, Edinburgh EH3 9NU: 0131 229 1215; http://www.castleparkguesthouse.co.uk
- Allison House Hotel – 17 Mayfield Gardens, Edinburgh EH9 2AX: 0131 667 8049; http://www.allisonhousehotel.com
- San Marco Guest House – 24 Mayfield Gardens, Edinburgh: 0131 667 8982
- Southside Guest House – 8 Newington Road, Edinburgh: 0131 668 4422
Further accommodation advice can be found at http://www.tripadvisor.com/edinburgh
How to Get There
Booking in advance it is possible to get from anywhere in the UK to Edinburgh for around thirty to fifty pounds return.
Air
You can fly to Edinburgh from the following regional airports around the UK:
Belfast City-Flybe
Belfast International-Easyjet.
Birmingham-BMI, Flybe.
Bristol-Easyjet.
Cardiff-BMI, Flybe.
Dublin-Aer Lingus.
East Midlands-BMI.
Exeter-Flybe.
Leeds-Bradford-BMI
London City-British Airways, Air France.
London Gatwick-British Airways, Easyjet.
London Heathrow-British Airways, BMI.
London Luton-Easyjet.
London Stansted-Easyjet.
Manchester-BMI, Flybe.
Newquay-Flybe.
Norwich-Flybe Southampton-Flybe.
Airline Websites
British Airways (http://www.ba.com)
Flybe (http://www.flybe.com)
British Midland (BMI) (http://www.flybmi.com)
Easyjet (http://www.easyjet.com)
Aer Lingus (http://www.aerlingus.com)
Air France (http://www.airfrance.co.uk)
N.B. For travel to the city centre from Edinburgh Airport, take the Airport shuttle (£3 single/£5 return). Details can be found here: http://www.flybybus.com
Rail
Trains go to Edinburgh Waverley (located a 15-minute walk or 5-minute bus ride from George Square). We recommend booking tickets via http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com as National Express do not charge credit or debit card fees. Bus/Coach National Express have routes throughout the UK: http://www.nationalexpress.com/coaches Megabus have routes from Birmingham, London, Newcastle, Sheffield and throughout Scotland from £1.50 single: http://www.megabus.com
Contact us:
Careers’ Fair Team CASAW University of Edinburgh 16-19 George Square Edinburgh, EH8 9LD, U.K. Tel. 0131 650 6814 Fax. 0131 650 6804 General Careers’ Fair enquiries to:
