Chevening essay: Career plan in development finance, the role of financial sector for development

Hi, i need help for my career plan essay for Chevening scholarship application. thank you :)

CAREER PLAN QUESTION

Chevening is looking for individuals who have a clear post-study career plan. Please outline your immediate plans upon returning home and your longer term career goals. You may wish to consider how these relate to what the UK government is doing in your country. (minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word count: 500 words)

Long-term plan
After studying in the United Kingdom, I plan to use my obtained knowledge in the field I have been working at the least few years which focus on maximizing the role of financial sectors for development. Focusing in monetary and financial economics, I hope that my experiences in both the Central Bank of Indonesia and the Financial Services Authority might help my way to become a permanent worker there with slowly building my way to the top policymaker. Even if I could not do it, I plan to continue my career as a researcher whether in governmental agencies, consulting, Non-Profit Organization (NGO) or at the Research Centre in my former University of Indonesia.

I also want to continue my study to a PhD degree and become a lecturer in my alumni, University of Indonesia. I saw that Development Finance is a very practical thing that the government put special attentions into, yet the science itself is still under-learned in the university. Currently, the science of Development Finance is divided into its two major components: Development Economics and Public Finance or the Monetary and Financial Economics. However, I believe that it should be studied as an integrated part and so I want to take that role as the lecturer.

In addition to that, I want to execute my idea of financial technology start-up designed for fishermen. I still could not accept the fact that a very wide archipelago country like Indonesia is falling behind in marine products industry. Along with my teammates, I had an idea of financial technology startup for fishermen and submitted the project to several competitions. In one competition, one angel investor from Japan was interested in the idea. She was interested because in Japan the fishermen are wealthier than Indonesia's and it happens because both people and government initiate the changes, supported by fishermen cooperatives. In Indonesia where most people fall at low income class, Micro Financial Institution (MFI) has a serious role. I saw few startups were already executing the idea of fintech for fishermen and failed, mostly because of inability to create a win-win solution to the fishermen and the loan sharks (to eliminate them, gently). I want to learn from their mistakes and mitigate the risks I know is going to come. Even if not as the executor, at least as the regulator.

Short-term plan
Additionally, I want to give back to the communities around me. Mainly because of financial limitation, most students in Indonesia could not go afford formal education, let alone studying abroad. I want to show that studying abroad is not a foolish dream if accompanied by the correct financial strategy - even if there is not enough fund available. Being financially literate means opening doors to more possibilities. I believe that both my job and my personal motivation to influence people is in the same pathway.

Hello,

I would suggest you add what the UK government is doing in Indonesia and relate those programs with your career plans. It is a very important aspect and unfortunately, you have not mentioned it in your essay at all. Moreover, you should also tell the reviewer that how you will use your Chevening experience to help the international and local Chevening community after completion of your degree and how can you help the aspiring Chevening scholars from Indonesia.

Please add the mentioned points, those are really important for this essay.

@rumihumaira

I think that Chevening looking for a scholar who has clearly post-study career plan and also has clearly the immediate plan. your immediate plan not strong enough to catch committee intention. you should develop more.

however, your long-term is good, to improve you must choose the best option from all your plan and develop it. because as a viewer, I am a little bit confused with all your plan.

I don't see any relationship among UK government to your country. Your essay will be considered if any enough evidence that UK government relation with your country.

good luck, I hope it useful

Before you start writing this post study plan, it is important that you first know what UK government sponsored project in Indonesia you can affiliate your plans with. You obviously did not bother to check that part of the essay because if you did, you would have included it in your presentation. Let me tell you right now, if you don't make the connection, you will not get the scholarship. No ifs or buts about it. If your intended study plan is not part of the priority country fields of interest, you will not have a chance at this scholarship. It will be difficult for you to fight for the few non priority slots available. Revise this essay by removing the format you have it in now. Write a normal essay, but put the UK connection in the opening paragraph. That is the first thing the reviewer will be looking for. Do not refer to the PhD plans as your actual application only goes so far as a masters degree. your short term plans are sound, but you do not present the long term and short term plans in a way that makes them seem related and connected. You need to connect everything from the UK, your long term plans, and your short term plans in a smooth manner. This format is too mechanical and makes it difficult to read.