In the first of our series of Alumni Stories, Law Lecturer Orlagh Maye discusses her journey to Bloomsbury Institute, and back again to teach with us.

What were you doing before studying at Bloomsbury Institute?

“Before I came to BIL as a student, I was in school in Ireland. I left school at 17 with only GCSE level qualifications – so, I moved to London at 18 and studied the foundation year here.”

What first interested you in Law?

“My interest in Law started when I did a Business module in school, which I didn’t really enjoy at first. But what I did enjoy, was when we learnt about consumers’ rights and the legal aspect of the business module, which was what I ended up excelling in. So, from there I just started researching more, which is how figured out what I enjoyed doing.”

Did you have any doubts or concerns whilst studying your degree?

“Of course I had my doubts. I did the foundation year and then went straight on to study an accelerated degree. My first doubt was “Oh my gosh, can I do an accelerated degree? This is so difficult, this is a lot!” But in the end I thrived and really enjoyed it.

I also had doubts about whether I wanted a career in a legal profession or as an academic, and sometimes I felt like I was choosing the wrong path because everyone around me wanted to become lawyers, but for me, I really enjoyed research and contributing to knowledge. So yes, I’ve had doubts about which path to go down.”

What career path did you end up choosing after graduating?

“I ended up choosing an academic path, as I realised that that was what I enjoyed doing the most. Researching, analysing, reading, writing – that was really where my interest was. A big help was also speaking to the lecturers I had, as they were able to affirm that this was a good career path for me and that it is ok if you don’t feel you want to practice law.”

What was the most rewarding part about studying your course?

“What was most rewarding about my course was realising that I did have the potential – so as I said, I left school and I wasn’t really that confident in myself, but then I realised that I can do this and I ended up getting a 1^st! I was really please with myself, it just confirmed that I do have the ability.”

What steps did you take after graduating, to achieve your chosen career?

“My graduation was a funny one – It was right when Covid hit, I graduated in 2020 so it was held via YouTube, and by the time it had come around I had already started my Master’s degree. I completed my Master’s in a year and now I’m just getting started with my PhD.

After completing my Master’s, I came back to teach which I am really enjoying so far; because I was so unsure of myself as a student especially as I was very young and new to London, it’s very rewarding to be in the position my lecturers were in when they were able to help me, and it is nice to be able to pay it forward to the students now.”

What are your future plans? Has Bloomsbury contributed to these plans in any way?

“So, as I previously mentioned I am currently studying my PhD which is being sponsored by Bloomsbury Institute. So, they have been a great help, they are giving me time off during the week to study and they have been extremely supportive during this process. My future plans will be to continue in academia using my knowledge from my PhD.”

Do you have any advice for other Bloomsbury graduates/current students?

“My advice to graduates and current students would be, try not to worry if you don’t know what you’re doing or what your plans are. I think most of us don’t know what our plans are at first and I think we’re all just winging it until we figure it out. So don’t feel like you need to have a ‘set in stone’ plan – it’s ok to try some things you don’t like and just go with it and have fun!”