PPY profile 

Course studied: BA (Hons) Business and Management
Graduating year: 2024
Placement: Championship Management Assistant at the PGA European Tour

Professional Placement Year

Anna Chandler is spending her Professional Placement Year working as a Championship Management Assistant at the PGA European Tour. During her placement Anna has not only gained valuable professional experience, and built a strong network of contacts, but also found her confidence growing, and even had the chance to travel internationally.

Here she tells us more about her experience:

“I chose to do a Professional Placement Year because I believed it was a great opportunity to gain industry experience and knowledge whilst still being supported by university.

“I was lucky enough to have worked for the European tour the previous summer for a short stint, and I stayed in touch and showed my interest in returning to gain more experience, which is how I managed to secure my placement.

“I am part of the team responsible for successfully delivering international golf competitions so I am involved in many aspects of running the events, from overseeing big projects, to managing the smallest of details.

“By nature, every event is different. In my role, I assist in the day-to-day operations required to run a tournament. This involves overseeing the temporary build, managing the logistics, ensuring everything runs smoothly on event days and supervising the take down after the event.

“A typical day in the run up to a tournament, involves long hours and early starts. On these days we ensure the all finishing touches required to host a premium golf event are in place. This could involve anything from the little tasks such as assembling parasols in public areas, and putting out barriers and fencing, all the way to briefing security and ensuring the public transport is ready and in order.

“The best part of my placement so far has been a recent trip to Dubai. I got flown out to work on the DP World Tour championship for just over a month.

"The experience I gained working out there was incomparable - I noticed my self confidence develop and I also made many new friends."

While it’s sometimes challenging being away from home, family and friends for a long period of time, and the hours can be pretty unsociable, the memories I have made have made it more than worth it.

“My placement has provided me with valuable business experience, and I’ve also noticed my confidence and individual professionalism develop hugely. I think it’s been a great opportunity to explore the way I want to present myself professionally.

"I have also had the chance to network and connect with contacts who may be useful to know in my post-graduate career. This placement has also confirmed for me that I want to have a career in the events industry.

“I’d recommend anyone to do a Professional Placement Year. It’s a great opportunity to explore the industry you may want to work in and ultimately it will provide a clearer idea of what route you’d like to take after studying.

“Participating in a Professional Placement Year gives the best opportunity to experience the world of work, while still having the support of university, ahead of your first post-graduate job. It’ll almost certainly give you a head start when you graduate as you will already have some experience behind you and on your CV.

"If you’re looking for a placement, my best advice would be to network with friends, family and on LinkedIn, make it known that you are looking!”