Mike Chinnick

Tell us about your job 

I’m a senior official at the Home Office and currently about to take up my next posting as the regional manager for UK Visas & Immigration. 

I manage over a hundred staff across India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. I’m also responsible for working as a diplomat with the Governments of those countries and managing several large contracts. I’ll be living at the High Commission in New Delhi... Ferrero Rocher anyone? 

Tell us how your degree helped you get there 

My degree was very people-centred in terms of understanding what makes people tick which is a vital skill for any manager. I was always treated as a person rather than a number by the staff who made the effort to get to know my strengths and weaknesses, and supported me to achieve my potential. The process of being a student gave me an enormous amount of confidence. 

Tell us about your plans for the future 

I’ll be in India for four years and then maybe South Africa, Beijing or Istanbul. When I come home I’ll be going for promotion - the next step is to be an Assistant Director. There are so many career paths available within the Civil Service that I don’t need to stay at the Home Office; I quite fancy the Cabinet Office next... or 10 Downing Street!