Bonkers Careers Fair 2023

When I first set eyes on The Bonkers Book of Jobs! by Mark Wilkinson and John Ambrose, I knew I had to organise a careers event around some of the jobs featured. It was such an exciting concept and the First and Second Year pupils were the ideal guinea pigs for the first ever Caterham Bonkers Careers Fair. The event was launched with a personalised Caterham School introductory video from one of the authors and from there the excitement built. 

So, on Tuesday this week, we welcomed ten amazing alumni, parents, staff, former staff and some of our fabulous local businesses to Caterham School to talk about their unusual and exciting jobs. Over two hundred eager First and Second Years descended on the Wilberforce Hall and the Cafe Concourse to find out more about these more adventurous roles.  

Anne Jackson from The Godstone Brewers, a local independent brewery based behind Flower Farm, arrived with the bottles, cans and kegs they use, alongside examples of the barley and hops used in the process of making such wonders as Pondtail, Junction 6 and Santa’s Tipple. Pupils were even amazed to find out that the biggest component in beer, is water! Ben from Blades Biological, a Biologist also known as The Bug Farmer, came furnished with a microscope along with pond fleas and larvae and talked about how he loves the summer when he spends most of his time wading through ponds collecting some of his specimens for breeding. He was extremely impressed with the questions he was asked, including ” What protocols do you have if some of your bugs escape?”, a question he had never had before! Charles, our world of theatre specialist, wowed his eager listeners with the amazing diversity of roles within the theatrical set-up. Who knew that one in five roles in the theatre are non-acting? Mark, an ambulance driver, turned the questions to the pupils, asking them what they thought were the most important skills needed in this role and,  of course, the pupils wanted to hear all about the gory details of what goes on in the back of an ambulance! Lisa McMullin, a former drama teacher at Caterham School, talked us through the process of scriptwriting for shows such as Dr Who and Eastenders. It was so interesting to hear about how story lines can be written by multiple people and spread across many years and to see copies of actual scripts, which are written using specialised software. 

Paul Chambers, a current parent, came along in his pilot’s uniform, as did James and Max (both OCs) in their Police and Law Enforcement Agent uniforms respectively. Paul regaled his young listeners with his stories about flying all over the world with British Airways and how important it is that all pilots are continuously updating their training through the use of simulators, even when they have been flying as long as he has. James and Max not only came in full uniform, they also brought along tasers, pepper sprays, flashing lights, a big battering key as well as stab vests. At one point in every talk, a pupil was handcuffed! Emily, also an Old Cat, talked animatedly about her career in the music industry as a photographer and videographer. As a freelancer she explained that the most difficult thing about her role initially was making connections and bringing in new business to a start-up, but now she has a big network, her work is all based on recommendations. Another alumni, Sean talked about his role as Partnerships Manager at OneFootball, a football media platform that keeps football fans around the world in touch with some of the top clubs and football news stories. He talked about the importance of communication and teamwork and how, in his particular industry, a passion and knowledge for football was paramount. 

All pupils were also given a Bonkers Bingo Card to complete. On this they had to find out specific pieces of information such as a job where it was important to be nosey, a job that involves being patient or a role that might involve health hazards. At the end of the event, these were entered into a prize draw, to win a copy of The Bonkers Book of Jobs. The five winners are Aimee L, Oliver J, Lexie B, Ishani P and Emma T who will receive their prizes next week in assembly. 

 In the run up to the event the Art Scholars took part in a competition to design a poster for the event and I sent the three winning designs by Honor, Anastasia and Eugenie, to the book’s authors who are so impressed they are hoping to include them in their updated version coming out later in the year! 

It was such an amazing event and the pupils had the best time hearing such a variety of talks. To say the whole event was ‘Bonkers!’ would be an understatement and I am already looking forward to next year’s event! 

Mrs Clare Brown, Head of Careers