I have always been attracted to a career in public services as it allows me to combine my own personal interests with my desire to make a positive impact within my community. As I have progressed through my studies, I have encountered several areas in which this combination has allowed me to excel, including health and fitness and criminology, and I have worked hard to ensure that I perform to the highest standard.
I am currently undertaking a Level 3 BTEC Diploma in Public Services, Psychology and Criminology, fully preparing me for the diverse and rewarding nature of undergraduate study within a range of fields. My essential interest lies in accounting for, and positively influencing, the behaviour of people; whether through understanding how sport and fitness can affect their well-being or understanding the causes and effects of anti-social behaviour. While the course covers a great deal of ground, allowing me to also gain significant transferable study skills across multiple research methods and building on my previous academic performance, there is a through-line which connects all of my interests, based on attempting to understand and influence people’s actions for the better.
The conclusion that I have drawn from studying this interests further is that strong leadership is an essential attributes for creating a positive impact on individuals or societies. I have worked hard to develop these qualities through my own interests in sport and fitness. As a YMCA fitness instructor, I have become adept at planning and executing sessions for a wide range of attendees. I have also studied and taught Tae Kwon Do for a number of years. The discipline of martial arts has shown me how to give and receive respect, increasing my leadership abilities and my confidence when dealing with others. Alongside this individual discipline, I am also a keen participant in team sports, such as cricket, football and rugby, and racquet sports, such as badminton. My own personal fitness, needless to say, is hugely important to me and I am a regular gym goer and I have also spent a great deal of time researching nutrition and health online to make sure that I am as healthy as possible. This has fostered my interest in translating this into one potential future career, developing my knowledge in this area through study so as to supplement my already significant coaching skills.
Teamwork and communication are also essential attributes for any career which attempts to understand and influence people’s behaviour. In order to hone these skills in the real world, I have undertaken several customer service roles within the retail sector. Learning how to communicate with customers and to respond to their needs has improved my ability to talk to a range of people, while being given responsibility for handling cash and undertaking other essential duties has fostered a sense of responsibility.
I have shown myself to be a driven, hardworking and dedicated student, successfully balancing study, sport and work to make sure that I achieve all of my targets in each aspect of my life. Having grown more and more passionate about translating the interests I have encountered into a future career, I am inspired by the possibility of building on my knowledge in these areas through undergraduate study, working hard to achieve similarly strong results throughout. Ultimately, my goal is to make a positive impact on the community in which I live, whether this is through a career in a public service, such as policing, or through harnessing the power of sport to change lives. Having witnessed the positive impact of various inspirational figures in both fields within my own life, I can imagine nothing more rewarding than attempting to emulate them within my own career.
We hope that this example Public Services personal statement will be helpful when writing your own.