Work..Study..Travel..Repeat
Work and travel with the Irish Food Board – Bord Bia and attain a Master’s degree with one of Europe’s leading Business schools while you do it.
Trying to find the right balance between work and travel always seems an impossible task. If you are a recent graduate with an interest in the Food industry and are looking to further your professional career then look no further. Oh and you also want to travel the world while doing it (Let’s not forget that bit).
These 32 faces smiling back at you are the 32 ambitious, honest and hard-working individuals who were chosen for the Bord Bia International Graduate Programme in partnership with UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. If you think this could be you then keep reading to find out more.
Work life
Of the 32 grad intake, 17 work at the Bord Bia HQ in Dublin and 15 work in the overseas offices in cities such as New York, London, Dubai, Shanghai, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid Milan, Stockholm Warsaw and of course Düsseldorf. Save the best until last (non-biased opinion I promise!!), I say this because that’s where I’m based.
Right now you’re probably wondering how this programme even works if everyone is scattered across the world. Well let me tell you. Your work with Bord Bia is essentially ‘placement’, where you work in and learn the ways of the chosen market and act as the representing body with Bord Bia. During the 23 month programme, all grads are also flown back to Dublin for block release classes which usually last about 2-3 weeks (but more about that later).
The Düsseldorf office is made up of 5 people – 2 grads, 2 Market specialists and 1 Manager. The teams are split in half with one team working on Meat in Germany and the other working on PCF (Prepared Consumer Foods), Alcohol, Dairy and Seafood. I work particularly on Meat, for which Germany is the 5th largest importer of Irish meat globally (you could say that it's a pretty important market).
Be hands on and proactive….
You have probably heard this many times before at this stage but for this programme these traits are essential (among others), not just for the work itself but for your own personal development. You need to be able to throw-yourself at any task presented to you and ‘Gas geben’ (give gas). You also need to be proactive with the projects and aspects you work on. Bring ideas to the table. The work varies from day to day. For example, one day you could be planning a trip to Ireland for a group of buyers and the next day you could be attending an event with the Irish Ambassador to Germany. As a global graduate we are of course responsible for a lot of day-to-day tasks in the office (but hey someone has to do it) much like with any other grad programme. We are also responsible for our own projects for which we create our own ideas and decide in what direction we want to take them. There is never a dull moment in this office.
Irish lamb masterclass in Frankfurt 2019
Anuga Cologne 2020
Study life
Of course, during the placement we must attend lectures during our block release and complete assignments – We are master students after all. All tuition fees are paid for and we are paid a tax free bursary which covers all living costs throughout the programme.
The MSc in Global Business Practice is made up of eight modules which focus primarily on business and marketing. Some of our learnings so far include building and using customer and market insights, delivering customer value propositions and global business in a digital context to name a few. Grads are evaluated on in-class assignments, post-module assignments and in-class participation…. quality over quantity of course. What makes these modules particularly unique is the fact that they are extremely interactive as everyone brings their first-hand experience from the market that they work in. The modules are also both practical and applicable to work life (which is something you can’t say about every degree).
Don’t worry! You don’t need to hold a business or marketing degree to apply for this programme. You just need to be a recent graduate– Having said that, you will need a lot more than this to be a successful candidate. Keep reading for some useful information and tips on the application process.
Travel Life
There are not many grad programmes with which you can get paid to travel. In this grad programme you feel like you are always on the go. Whether it be regional, national or international. For us grads who are based in overseas offices we have the added bonus of constantly being immersed in a different culture…. It may not always feel like a positive thing but it is.
You better get used to that train life in Deutschland – If you know, you know. For those reading who don’t know, let me set the myth straight…. Deutsche Bahn (German Train company) is nowhere near as efficient as people think. You are lucky if you even get a train that is on time or not cancelled.... Ok rant over.
With that said, travelling throughout Germany and wider Europe for different trade-shows, tasting events and conferences has been one of the highlights so far for me. We are responsible essentially for promoting a country that we love to people who actually want to hear it.
Applying for the programme
The application and selection for the programme can be rigorous…. But nothing worth having comes easy. All applicants must first apply online at the official UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate programme MSc in Global Business Practice page. Successful applicants will be invited to take part in multiple online aptitude and skill assessment tests. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview which takes place at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. Candidates are assessed on different tasks such as written language assessment (if applying for a job overseas), information gathering and presentation of this information as well as a final interview. For candidates applying for overseas positions there are also phone-call interviews with managers from overseas offices for spoken language assessment. Rigorous enough for you?
Are you a....
New graduate?
Passion for the Irish food & drink industry?
Want to travel for work or perhaps work overseas?
Have a foreign language (not essential)?
Let's go (Los geht’s)