Learning about careers in housing with work experience at CIH

We recently caught up with Summer, one of CIH’s latest work experience students, and daughter of CIH’s Housing Academy quality and delivery officer, Lianne. Summer had come in to see what working in a membership organisation within the housing sector is really like. She told us her story of her week and what she learnt about careers in housing from her experience.

When I first went into CIH for my work experience, I felt nervous but after I walked in, I was introduced to lots of people who made me feel welcome. Although housing wasn’t the first thing I thought about for work experience, I’m very happy that it was the option I chose, and that CIH were able to allow me to have this experience - especially being invited to the annual Welsh housing conference, TAI (which I now know means housing in Welsh!).

What I did: A week of two halves

On Monday in the CIH office, after being given a tour, I was talked through health and safety whilst shadowing their facilities manager. I helped check that their emergency switches and other facilities were working. 

As part of CIH’s induction process, I had some online training courses to complete, cyber security and diversity, equity and equality, which I completed and received certificates for all of my training. 

On Monday afternoon, I had a Teams meeting with the leaders of comms and marketing to give me an insight of how they highlight CIH’s marketing and communication campaigns. On Tuesday morning, I was invited to a Teams meeting to understand more about how training is advertised on the CIH website. After this I attended a weekly Teams catch up meeting and listened to the business updates from other CIH teams. 

After these meetings, I packed up and got ready to leave for the TAI event in Wales. Once I got to Wales, I helped set up the stand so it would be ready for the event over the next two days. This is where my experience went from office based work, to seeing the housing sector up close.

On Wednesday, I stocked up the marketing materials, such as leaflets, notebooks and pens as we talked to delegates about housing qualifications and their experiences in the sector. I walked around and looked at other stands and spoke to other exhibitors who work in the sector too. 

After setting up on Thursday morning, I went over to the registration desk and watched how the event signing in process works and the system that was behind it.

On Thursday afternoon after we finished at the event we headed back home after collecting all the left over materials which would be reused at the next CIH event in Brighton in a few weeks’ time.

My final day has arrived and I’m writing up this blog, which I’ll soon be uploading to their website with the content marketing manager.

What have I learnt from my experience?

From my experience of being at the housing event, I now understand that there is a lot more to housing than I had thought. The highlights of my experience were meeting the CIH team but also speaking to other people from a housing background. It has been interesting to listen to the different experiences that other housing people have in their day to day jobs. 

I also got to understand more about my mum’s role within CIH and the different types of qualifications that CIH offer.  

Whilst housing might not have been my future idea for career choices, this experience has now opened up the possibility that I can consider it as a future career, as there are so many opportunities in what housing can offer. 

Another highlight of my week, was all of the free chocolate at the exhibition – an added bonus!

Even after just a few days in the sector, Summer spotted the key thing about housing careers –there’s a lot of different routes into the sector. Our current CIH president is promoting careers in housing with her CHOOSE Housing campaign and toolkit, you can find out more about different routes into housing, or learn from other examples exactly what working in housing is like.