Anelisse Bivol-Nigel

LLM International Legal Studies

• European Business Officer at Enterprise Europe Network
• Did a Master's to develop her knowledge and become a true expert in her field
• Uses what she learned during her studies every day in her job

Current role

"As a European Business Officer, I help British companies with Brexit related enquiries to facilitate a smooth transition from a European system of rules and policies to a national independent one. I also assist network partners outside the UK with queries regarding national legislation, standards or market information.

"As my job role forms part of the National Enquiry Gateway team, I have a varied range of duties including handling enquiries received via the national website or hotline and acting as the specific contact for business queries. This is my dream job and I work as hard as possible to provide the best service I can.

"The requirements for the role included a degree in an appropriate subject in order to use the knowledge gained during your studies in providing advice to small and medium businesses on UK and European law. Another requirement was experience in the delivery of information or advisory services to businesses. I found the job advertised on Bradford Council website."

Pursuing postgraduate

"As I am passionate about international and European law, I wanted to develop my knowledge constantly and become a true expert in the field. The postgraduate degree was another step to conducting a PhD which is the highest level of education that I can achieve. The Master's course provided me with important information on top of the undergraduate course."

"My parents have encouraged me to learn all the time and be an expert in my chosen field. A Master's degree and PhD were discussed since the beginning of my undergraduate course. It was quite a fixed plan to follow."

Choosing my sector

"I specialised in international relations as well as European law which I have a Master's degree in, in order to better understand the interaction between states in the international arena. I have always been passionate about national diversity in terms of culture, religion, customs and governmental forms and therefore I wanted to understand the international rules according to which states coexist and interact.

"First of all, my biggest inspiration has been my parents as they worked hard for what they have gained and they always advised me that through education I could achieve every dream I have.

"Another source of inspiration was reading the biographies of the greatest world political leaders in order to learn about the steps they took to be in the highest position within a state.

"Once lockdown had been put in place, me and my team started working from home. We delivered the usual Enterprise Europe Network services but we also helped innovative SMEs access packages of support provided by the government meant to help high-growth small and medium enterprises to survive."

Experience at Bradford

"I enjoyed studying at the University of Bradford. The professors were always helpful and the library had a big collection of written resources and was open 24 hours a day. The staff within the University were helpful and always positive with a smile on their faces. In special circumstances when I lost a family member, the staff and professors were very compassionate and understanding.

"I use the information I have gained through my studies during undergraduate and postgraduate degrees every day whilst working as a European Business Officer.

"The acquired skills of research, public speaking, team-working, communication, business and political awareness help me to provide comprehensive advice to clients' enquiries and also work efficiently on different projects with my team."