Tell us a little about yourself and what brought you to CERN? 
My name is Josh and I'm from Manchester in the United Kingdom. I moved to Oxford to pursue an engineering apprenticeship, and after completing it, an opportunity came up at CERN through the ORIGIN Programme for recent graduates. I applied, and now here I am!

What do you do at CERN today? 
At CERN I work as a technician in the Experimental Physics department, specifically in the Detector Technologies group. I'm part of the team manufacturing components for the CMS tracker upgrade, which will be installed during the next long shutdown. I spend most of my days machining parts and building precision assemblies.
I also spend a lot of my time learning. I am completing a CATIA course to build on my CAD skills as well as being given time to go to French classes that CERN has kindly offered to attend.

What is working at CERN like for you? 
Working at CERN is a great opportunity for me to build on the experience I gained during my apprenticeship. I'm developing my existing skills while picking up new ones. It’s also a great experience to live and work abroad, and to learn a new language.

What have been the main hurdles or challenges you encountered along the way? 
The biggest challenge for me has been adapting to life in France and Switzerland, it feels quite different from the United Kingdom. I also miss my friends and family back home.

What advice would you give potential applicants?
Make sure your CV is tailored specifically to the role you're applying for and take the time to fully understand the job description.
For the interview, I advise you to just be yourself, but also showing a willingness to learn as this is very important for the ORIGIN programme for recent graduates. Also, do some preparation beforehand, the interview included quite a few technical questions.

Learn more about our early career job opportunities and apply today here.