Marjana Uddin- Future Solicitor Apprentice & Paralegal and Asian Apprenticeship Awards Finalist!

I remember when I received the initial call, I was fast asleep and after waking up an hour later, I checked my phone only to see an unknown number and a voicemail at which point I thought “could it be true”. I rang the number back and having a croaky voice didn’t stop me from shrieking in excitement. I immediately told my mum and we spent about 10 minutes crying but then I had to go back upstairs to revise for my A Level exam.

My name is Marjana Uddin and I am a future Solicitor Apprentice and Paralegal at the BBC and this is my apprenticeship story;

During sixth form, I was focused on applying to university and attaining a law degree in order to qualify as a solicitor the traditional way. After achieving all five of my university offers and selecting my firm and insurance choice, I came across the BBC Paralegal Apprenticeship which I applied for to keep my options open (I wish I had seen it sooner). Much to my surprise, I secured the job and found myself withdrawing my dream university place to study law to instead, pursue a Paralegal Apprenticeship.

As a Paralegal Apprentice, I worked in three, eight month placements in BBC Employment, BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios. As expected, I was exposed to a wide variety of work – from drafting legal documents such as witness statements and supplier agreements to talent contracts and company search reports. I also issued takedown notices on YouTube where users illegally uploaded BBC content without seeking permission (and I was quite frankly surprised at all of the strange compilation videos people uploaded)! I also conducted a LOT of legal research and negotiated fees with agents.

Alongside full-time work, I had the joy of studying for my CILEx Diploma in Law and Practice so unfortunately; I still had to revise for exams. Albeit, studying and working simultaneously was beneficial as it enabled me to apply my legal knowledge in practice.

It’s not all intense legal work however; BBC Legal is great in terms of including everyone in events such as Legal Away Days and Christmas Parties and it’s great to see what the lawyers are really like outside of the office!

Two years later, I can definitely confirm my excitement hasn’t subsided and I am so glad I pursued an apprenticeship rather than going straight to university after sixth form. This year, I successfully passed all of my law exams earlier than expected and qualified as a Paralegal. In Jan 2019, I will officially progress onto a Solicitor Apprenticeship which is a six-year scheme, entailing a law degree from the University of Law and the SQE Assessments. Upon completion, I will qualify as a solicitor which was my initial goal.

Thanks to my apprenticeship, I have acquired invaluable experience such as drafting, which has prepared me as an aspiring solicitor. I’ve had the opportunity to work with directors, senior lawyers and trainees across various deals and programmes including Doctor Who, Luther and EastEnders. I also worked on a tribunal matter which I attended the hearing for and drafted agreements for a programme which I saw was commissioned on Netflix this year (and of course I binge-watched it).

I’ve also participated in events which were held by the BBC for National Apprenticeship Week. In fact at one event, I was fortunate enough to meet Tony Hall, Director General of the BBC and Damian Hinds, the Secretary of State for Education.

My biggest achievement however is being shortlisted as a finalist for the 2018 Asian Apprenticeship Awards under the Financial, Legal and Professional Services Category. This fantastic initiative aims to increase representation of British-Asian apprentices by celebrating their success and consequently encouraging candidates from BAME backgrounds to apply for apprenticeships in order to increase uptake. As an individual, I am incredibly passionate about defying social expectations of South-Asian and Muslim women. Hence I am immensely proud to be a finalist as I can use the platform to promote apprenticeships particularly amongst the BAME community as well as represent South-Asian women and the BBC in a positive light.

Of course I would not be where I am without the BBC. I’ve noticed how much I’ve grown in terms of my confidence and my knowledge of the organisation and law in general. Upon leaving sixth form, I have encouraged others’ to also look into apprenticeships through delivering talks. You would be surprised at how much is out there – I definitely was and now I’m even closer to my end goal of qualifying. It could be you next!

To kick-start your career, click here to see the range of apprenticeships offered by the BBC.